So I have my interior semi-apart as I continue searching for my battery drain, wondering how I can refinish the black paint in the interior parts as you can see in the pictures. My very basic questions (this is my first time repainting car trim):

• Do you need to strip off existing paint, if so, what's the process/product recommended to do this?
• How do you clean the parts beforehand, do you use just rubbing alcohol?
• Do people do spray paint or paint on with a brush? Do you need any kind of primer?

From my search on the forum, people like a few different paints (Krylon 1613 semi-flat black, Dupli-Color "satin black", John Deere Blitz black, SEM 39143 Trim Black, Rustoleum Satin Canyon black). I'm planning on trying the Rustoleum Satin Canyon black since it is relatively affordable and available locally.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


peeling paint

paint around air vents is peeling

 

I found this Rust-Oleum product to be a perfect match to the original sheen. It is a primer and paint so it is a one step application.

I stripped off all the original paint, then cleaned with lacquer thinner, scuffed with a grey Scotchbrite pad, taped and sprayed 3 light coats, about 10 minutes between coats.

Take your time and be sure to get into the corners to clean every surface to ensure good adhesion.



53 years of use

Stripped, cleaned, scuffed, taped.

The best match (and I’ve tried several others)

Ready for another 53 years!

 

Wow - nice job on the thin blue taping! And nice results.

 

I did my center panel. Instead of tape on the thin lines, I painted them and then used a razor blade to shave off the excess.

 

I have been doing the same thing on my C3 and it is not the easiest to have it coming out looking like "new". The 1968 has Crossed Flags on the shifter plate and they are hard to clean up and re-paint properly. You can actually buy a new pre-painted emblem if you choose to, I wanted to use the original from the Corvette so I stripped it and re-painted it.

I used a sand blasting system with baking Soda to blast the surface's clean. This doesn't affect the chrome on the material. I have painted mine already and stripped it again as I was not 100% happy with the results.

Having a large TP Tools Sand Blasting Cabinet is a very handy thing when you have an older Corvette. I routinely clean parts that have been removed from the car for any reason and re-paint them before re-installing them. If I don't paint them I can "powder coat" them or "plate" them in another material. Bright Nickel is a much harder finish than Chrome and less likely to corrode. I have done several pieces of trim in Bright Nickel and nobody has been able to point them out. Bright nickel plating adds a Bluish tint to the finish that Chrome doesn't but to a color blind individual I can't tell the difference. I can fix damaged Chrome parts by smoothing it and then putting copper layers down to smooth out the surface again. After a few layers of copper I can make it look like new Chrome. Caswell is the company that sells me the plating equipment. They also have kits to Anodize the Aluminumvirtually any color you want it.

Cleaning off the excess paint on the chrome parts is a bit of a challenge, take your time with a single edge razor blade and don't push hard when doing it. You want to scrape the paint off the chrome areas and not damage the chrome if possible.

The center console on your C3 has bumps on it if it is not from a 1968. Those bumps would make blasting the only way to get all the paint off the surface. My 1968 has no bumps and is much easier since it is smooth. Another one of those one year only items on the 1968...

Before painting the part be sure it is cleaned with something to ensure a good adhesion between the metal and paint. I use something called "PRE" from Eastwood company as the last cleaner I spray on the surface.

Has anyone thought about trying to powder coat the parts and see how that might work? Powder coating is so much harder to damage and scratch. Powder coating would seal the metal and keep it from oxidizing at least.

 

Thanks for all the details with the pictures too 69L88, that black really did come out well. I'll switch to the flat rustoleum instead of satin and follow those directions when I repaint these interior pieces. May be several weeks, need to fix tachometer, speedometer, and a few other electrical items.

 

SEM Trim Black is a well-respected reproduction of the factory sheen. I used it and think the outcome is perfect. Do a search on it and you'll see a number of posts in favor of it.

 

I choose to use hot rod black, it’s catalyst paint, I like the sheen, and the durability.

 

How did you spray it onto the trim parts?

 

If they don't sell an aerosol version, like the Trim Black, you'd need a spray gun and compressor. A small detail/touch-up gun would more than be up to the task and will operate fine off a small compressor.

 

I forgot to ask, how did you strip the paint / using which product/solvent?

 

That Rustoleum Satin Cayon Black is the ****. I did all the plastic interior trim in my beater Colorado pickup, and they’re by far the nicest parts of the truck.

It’s also on lots of engine compartment bits in my C3 and looks great. Affordable, easy to apply and looks awesome. No complaints.

 

Truth be told, I had a small quantity of methylene chloride stripper in a spray can but you can’t buy that anymore.

Most strippers today aren’t worth a damn but I’d head down to your local hardware store and see what they have. The good news is that the paint you are removing isn’t adhered to the parts all that well.

Just take your time and don’t rush it.

 

Great tips already. I got into trouble on the parts that had smooth surfaces on my 71. Would get fish eye defects in the paint even when I would use degreaser and primer/paint combos. Someone mentioned that using a true primer would fix the problem and that was indeed the case. Would have saved me several attempts if I would have just cleaned, degreased, primed and painted once.