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I have a charcoal 82 with "south florida patina" in some places ( moisture surface corrosion on horn cap retainer). How gummy is the interior dye? How Well does the dye spread/fill into surfaces (does it run)? The metal ring/cap on my steering wheel is pitted and I was assuming I could sand/paint it with the interior dye. Would regular spray paint be better? (How do I even find charcoal paint). Is there anything I should do before/after like primer or clear coat? Does interior dye work on vinyl or leather seats?
Bottom line is I can't picture a spray dye meant for something supple like a plastic dash working well on metal.
Thanks!
Last edited by Mikey1339; Oct 16, 2019 at 11:42 AM.
The "dye" is a spray paint matched to the original color as best as possible. I would clean the metal with alcohol and then use a primer before spraying the color..
SEM products automotive interior dye will cover vinyl, leather, hard plastic, and metal.
Does the dye rub off easily from vinyl seats? (Factory 82 "leather" seats are really vinyl right?) I had a small tear in the vinyl that I patched, would spraying the seats help?
The "dye" is a spray paint matched to the original color as best as possible. I would clean the metal with alcohol and then use a primer before spraying the color..
The dye I used doesn't smell anything like spray paint.
Works great. Covers well. Not sticky at all and I even used it on my seatbelts and it's holding up fine.
If you buy SEM dye from an auto body paint supply store, it can be mixed to match or to an interior color code. It will be 'watery'...very thin viscosity, but with very high pigment content. This allows for a very thim covering coat to recolor the surface but not fill in the surface grain. In fact, with this stuff, you can put multiple layers [an colors] on plastic interior parts and NEVER fill in the grain. If you buy other aftermarket "dyes", they are just standard paint with an elastomer added, so it will flex with part movement.
The dye you use DOES make a difference in the results.
I just did this on one of my other cars. I used SEM. I contacted them first as I was wanting to match plastic, vinyl, and even velour. They sent me some good tech data and I used all their products as far as cleaners adhesion promoters and dye and the end result was way better than I had figured it would be. The seats and console were a straight outta the 70s green to give you a idea of how they started
If you buy SEM dye from an auto body paint supply store, it can be mixed to match or to an interior color code. It will be 'watery'...very thin viscosity, but with very high pigment content. This allows for a very thim covering coat to recolor the surface but not fill in the surface grain. In fact, with this stuff, you can put multiple layers [an colors] on plastic interior parts and NEVER fill in the grain. If you buy other aftermarket "dyes", they are just standard paint with an elastomer added, so it will flex with part movement.
The dye you use DOES make a difference in the results.
Is there a SEM supplier with something better or is this SEM that has been marked up?
@danh77
Black on light green seems tough. Came out great. Feeling optimistic as I am only trying to cover charcoal with charcoal not red or cinnabar (dont hate me but I dislike red interiors yet I like cinnibar).
Don't waste your time. Get the good stuff at a pro auto paint store.
If I may ask for future reference, what is the good stuff? I purchased what I used from the same auto paint store I use when I spray a car and they even recommended the SEM products but this was my first foray into interior color change. Wasn’t the worst job but if the SEM isn’t good I’d rather redo it before I get the car completely back together.
SEM in spray cans is good dye...but it may not be an exact match to your 'black'. Made-to-order liquid dye can be mixed and tested for match....and modified, if needed...to get exact match.
If matching what you have doesn't matter to you (doing entire interior), go with 'whatever'. I would still get liquid dye because it is much less expensive than what little you get in each spray can.
P.S. Does the color/sheen match when you are using multiple spary cans? (hmmmmm)
SEM in spray cans is good dye...but it may not be an exact match to your 'black'. Made-to-order liquid dye can be mixed and tested for match....and modified, if needed...to get exact match.
If matching what you have doesn't matter to you (doing entire interior), go with 'whatever'. I would still get liquid dye because it is much less expensive than what little you get in each spray can.
P.S. Does the color/sheen match when you are using multiple spary cans? (hmmmmm)
ok, thanks. I went with a quart can so not sure if multiple spray cans would all match.
Interior Dye Texture
