X10
Interior paint / stain
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 210
From: Schaumburg IL
Interior paint / stain
Car currently has a red interior the seat is a little faded and I have bought a new center counsel that does not match the rest of the car so I am thinking about painting the interior. The new door panels do not match either. How hard would it be to cover the red with black and will it stick? If I switch to black the only thing that I really loose would be the red carpet.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 4
From: Lewisville TX
There are different dyes. Your best bet is to go to a auto paint supplier and see what they recommend. The rattlecan dyes are fine for smaller items, but if your going for a complete color change ou will have to take the car apart.. clean each piece, then primer it before applying the dye. It might be easier staying with red. You'll have to do the dash, steering column, and then replace the carpet unless your going two-tone.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 383
Likes: 4
From: Charlotte NC
I'm using SEM Classic coat, SEM soap, and a 320 grit sanding block to do a similar project now. The seats are hard to do because you need to get the dye inbetween all the pleats and the piping. I'm going to wear gloves and hold down the areas to get dye in the seams. Results look great so far. Not quick or easy though. Why not paint all the seats a red that matches? Would be easier.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 210
From: Schaumburg IL
Right now I am gathering information and thinking about what needs to be done, taking a close look at the dash (it's currently out) I need to re-paint and I have new door panels and center counsel but the new parts do not match the original dash. I will repaint just not sure which color.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
SEM ColorCoat [liquid] dye is very thin (almost watery) but has very dense pigment. It allows you to change any color to any other color with only 2 covering coats. Also, it dries quickly and dries THIN; it will not fill in the surface graining of the item you are dyeing. You can dye parts over, and over, and over again. You can't paint a flexible surface without getting cracking/peeling.
Use the right stuff on your interior, or you will be very disappointed in the results.
Use the right stuff on your interior, or you will be very disappointed in the results.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 14
From: Lynn MA
7T1vette is spot on, take your time and consider what you will be painting. If going for a color change, know that the seats and perhaps some other stuff will need to be swapped out, visors, soft parts like that or they will look like poo...
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 210
From: Schaumburg IL
Thanks for all the information, I am going to stay with the red interior but I definitely need to re-dye everything since I have pieces that do not match and a close look at the dash shows that it needs a little work just to get off some of the loose stuff.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
If you stay with the red interior and your seats are in good condition, I would suggest that you re-dye everything except the seats. Have the dye mixed to match the seatcovers. Seats would be the most difficult parts in the interior to re-dye.
And, yes, that means that any NEW red pieces that did not match the seatcovers would get re-dyed, also.
And, yes, that means that any NEW red pieces that did not match the seatcovers would get re-dyed, also.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 14
From: Lynn MA
if you have cracks that need to be repaired in the dash and other pieces, there are epoxies and textured paints you can use (before the re dye / respray) that can get things looking pretty darn close to stock...I did some stuff like this and there was a thread by another guy, did a blue interior in a blue vette, he did a ton of repairs of plastic panels etc and they came out VERY nice
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,303
Likes: 14
From: Lynn MA
just searched to find the thread I mentioned above, great for anyone to look at if they are about to do their interior
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...journey-7.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...journey-7.html
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 210
From: Schaumburg IL
just searched to find the thread I mentioned above, great for anyone to look at if they are about to do their interior
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...journey-7.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...journey-7.html
I will have to do the seats as well they are faded, wherever the PO had the car parked it took direct sunlight on the drivers seat.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,793
Likes: 1,192
From: Canberra Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I ended up matching all my parts to the new vinyl paint I had mixed. Even some new ones.
I chose a panel to be the colour I was after and had the paint shop match it to that. I used a couple of original front trim panels from the console that had not seen much sun and a reproduction part from Corvette America to decide on what to match to.
Repair is fairly easy with epoxy or body filler etc.
Some panels will be too brittle and far gone to do but you will be surprised what you can do,
Any panel that has a lot of flex or pressure on it may crack again.
I decided to get new seat covers as I was not sure how well they would stand up to lots of people getting in and out. (Have not fitted them yet)
My 2 cents worth would be stay wiTh red.
Originally I wanted a black interior but the more I looked at vette's the ones with red blue etc were the ones that screamed classic to me.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,524
Likes: 61
From: Medina Ohio
What color is the exterior going to be? Not sure if your a custom kind of guy, but two tone red with black could look pretty cool 
All black with red carpet OR all black with red carpet and seats OR all red with black carpet, etc. etc.
All black with red carpet OR all black with red carpet and seats OR all red with black carpet, etc. etc.