i'm thinking of doing it. looking for input from anyone who has done it. what did you use? is it just easier to buy a new one?

 

Strip it, mask the larger chrome edge, spray it with Krylon semi flat black and scrape the paint from the small edges and chrome. You'll like the results :cheers:

 

I used aircraft stripper and found very nice chrome under it so I did a rough polish and left it. I think semigloss is the way to go.

 

what did you use to strip the old paint off? i bought a paint remover that's good for wood, metal, carpet, fibreglass, masonry and glass. no mention of plastic and i couldn't find any other that said it could be used on plastic. i chose this one becuase fibreglass is pretty close to plastic.

 

Mine was metal and got the most heavy duty stuff Home Depot had. I was looking for toxic and nasty odor to make sure it worked. You have plastic so I would opt for a new unit since plastic doesnt play well with strippers.

 

100 bananas at Corvette Central for a new one shipped to Canada, they look very nice :D

 

how does the door come off the ash tray cover? there are two small plastic bolts at the hinge, but i don't know how to release them.

 

There is a pin in the center of the plastic pivots. First push the pins almost all the way out and that will allow the pivots to close enough to be pushed through the holes.

 

Once you get it painted and the paint stripped off the small chrome areas (I used my finger nails, slow, but safe!) I baked it in the oven at about 250 for a half hour. The paint is now on very tight. My finger nail won't remove it anymore!

Hobby shops do sell an assortment of very narrow gauge masking tape.

Chuck

 

Being as your console is plastic and not metal like the pre 76's I would replace it with a new one. About the only part on it that really is paintable is the ash tray lid of which should be the semi flat black. If you do paint yours be very carefull when masking off the chrome as it peals off very easily. We have a craft store chain out here in BC called Micheals..they sell these silver style felt markers that come close to matching the chrome so you can replace it or at least make it look better than what you most likely have now. Its more silver than chrome but if you out line the center gauge cluster as well you almost cant tell.

 

I just took a silver perminant marker and when around the raised parts where it used to be silver.. it really brightened up everything.

 

i'm still having trouble getting it out. can you try to explain it in more detail please?

 

Please DO NOT use stripper on yours and DO NOT bake it in an oven. You will need to push from the inside out on the 2 pins in the center of the 2 pins on either side of the door to get it off as explained earlier but it may be harder than you think. Mine was. I eventually resorted to useing a small drift punch and a small hammer to get mine to move. It's old and has been that way a long time so be gentle but firm. :rolleyes: . Once everything is apart get some scotchbrite from wallyworld (Wal-mart) and scuff the whole thing lightly just enough to know that you did it. After you wash it you will see the areas you missed because they will be shinier than the rest of it. After you satisfied with the scuff job and your ready to paint get a coathanger and hang it by one of the holes in the side as your not gonna see that part once you put it back together anyway. Of course you have already washed it really good and let it dry by now. Make sure you let it dry good as there are alot of small areas for water to get trapped in. A hairdrier works good for this. Spray with flat black as suggested earlier but be sure you use very thin coats. Don't get too carried away. Less is more in this situation. You just want enough to cover.After that use your paint pen to out line the edges but be carefull as it may soften and lift the black paint you put there earlier. You might want to let it dry for a little longer than you really want to. The main thing is don't get impatient and try to rush it. If you do you'll be putting it in the trash soon after you start. Take your time and it will turn out better than you thought it could. Might even look better than some of the new ones I've seen.

 

If you have the original fastener it should look like this.




My drawing leaves a lot to be desired but this is how the plastic pivot works.



Hpoe this clarifies it for you.

 

If it's not scratched too bad, and are not concerned about the type of finish being original. try some 3m plastic polish.
Last weekend I was tring to clean up the console until winter.
I had some 3m plastic cleaner and polish to my 79 console. It cleaned up the black plastic to a nice mirror gloss finish. It looks great and saved me about $150.00
Now that I don't need to replace the console. I took only about a hour to clean the upper and lower peices. The hardest part was aroung rhe gauges. It also did a great job on the lenses.
It did a good job on the ashtray lid with out taking everything apart. It doesn't dry like wax does so no white residue aroud the frim.

 

Armstong or Toyvet1, do you have pictures of your finished shifter consoles? They sound like they came out good.

:yesnod:


[Modified by 69stingray, 5:34 PM 7/6/2002]

 

no tool needed?

 

Maybe a small screwdriver or punch to push on the center pin.

Also look at the way the spring attaches before you remove it. Took me awhile to figure out how to rehook it.

 

I didn't actually paint my center console but have done numerous other plastic pieces. I would have done mine but the smoker who owned my car used the whole console for a butt holder from what it looked like. Evidently he would let it burn out on its own. I'm surprised it didn't burn to the ground.


[Modified by Armstrong, 2:40 PM 7/7/2002]

 

Sory I don't have any photos, Just piture your console with a high gloss finish. Not orignal but looks good