Refinishing interior Dulso pieces
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
Refinishing interior Dulso pieces
I bought some new interior pieces about a year ago and the coating on them turned into this sticky mess, just touching it would leave a fingerprint on it. OEM Dulso coated pieces will eventually start to peel. So instead of paying hundreds of dollars for new pieces I'm going to refinish these. BTW I got this idea from JimiHendrix so he should get credit. First you soak the pieces in that Purple Power degreaser stuff from Autozone. I was skeptical it would work but it removes the Dulso without harming the plastic. Then clean with Dawn and water, and finally rub down with a Silicone remover. Next you spray it with an adhesion promoter, I'm using Bulldog brand from Autozone. It's not necessary but should help. Then paint it with a spray can of Plasti Dip. I found it at Home Depot, and it wasn't next to the cans of Plasti Dip so you might have to do some searching. Here's a pic of the piece I'm about to paint, it has just been washed with Dawn, Dulso has been removed. There is no sanding involved here.
Last edited by dan6712cc; Mar 16, 2009 at 01:05 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
The reason I'm using the Plasti Dip is that it looks exactly like Dulso, I was amazed at the pics I saw on here from JimiHendrix. It looks like the same coating with that rubbery texture and color.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,204
Likes: 4
From: Midland Georgia
St. Jude Donor '06
I bought some new interior pieces about a year ago and the coating on them turned into this sticky mess, just touching it would leave a fingerprint on it. OEM Dulso coated pieces will eventually start to peel. So instead of paying hundreds of dollars for new pieces I'm going to refinish these. BTW I got this idea from JimiHendrix so he should get credit. First you soak the pieces in that Purple Power degreaser stuff from Autozone. I was skeptical it would work but it removes the Dulso without harming the plastic. Then clean with Dawn and water, and finally rub down with a Silicone remover. Next you spray it with an adhesion promoter, I'm using Bulldog brand from Autozone. It's not necessary but should help. Then paint it with a spray can of Plasti Dip. I found it at Home Depot, and it wasn't next to the cans of Plasti Dip so you might have to do some searching. Here's a pic of the piece I'm about to paint, it has just been washed with Dawn, Dulso has been removed. There is no sanding involved here.
The Plasti Dip has a dull appearance compared to the Dulso in my car. The shift plate and radio bezel did not match up. I am going to refinish both. I will throw a few pictures on here when I get done. I like the degreaser idea keep us posted on your results.
Last edited by jakers; Mar 17, 2009 at 09:27 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
Are your Dulso pieces original? Just wondering because on three different panels of supposedly Dulso coated pieces on my car they all look different lol. I guess the best way to do this is to refinish all the pieces with the same coating to match right.
BTW to fill those cracks try some Rage Xtreme... or even Rage Gold.
BTW to fill those cracks try some Rage Xtreme... or even Rage Gold.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
I wish I would have seen this a long time ago. I used a little too much carb cleaner and the plastic has cracks in it now. I sanded it good but it's not easy getting in all the cracks to get it smooth again. I may have to buy a new piece and start over using purple power.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
Any auto paint store should have it, only problem is I bought mine in gallon containers, don't think they make it any smaller. But any high quality body filler should work. I like Rage Xtreme because it sands very easy and doesn't get air bubbles in it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
I refinished one interior piece with plasti-dip, the color is about 1 shade lighter than the Dulso coated piece I have. Also the texture is not as smooth as Dulso. However even side by side inside the car it's pretty hard to notice if you weren't looking for it. So if you want it to look exactly like Dulso then don't do this but if your interior pieces were as bad looking as mine and you don't want to fork out hundreds of dollars to just have them start peeling again in a few years you might want to consider this, here are the pics:
Plasti-dip is on the left, Dulso on the right:
Plasti-dip texture
Dulso texture
Close up side by side, Plasti-dip on left
Plasti-dip is on the left, Dulso on the right:
Plasti-dip texture
Dulso texture
Close up side by side, Plasti-dip on left
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
I redid the inner fender walls with 3M Rubberized undercoating spray and I think it looks pretty good but it has a texture to it, plasti-dip would come out smoother. I don't know if it would hold up to all the rocks and junk your tires flick up on the fender walls as good as the 3M stuff.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
Looks real good. 
I tried the purple power on my backup radio console piece last Saturday. It did remove 90% of the factory coating but it took many many coats and leaving it out in the sun for a good while. I had to peel off the factory coating. It reminded me of peeling off old skin after a sunburn. It was a very long process but thats ok because it left no cracks unlike the carb cleaner method. I may still have to sand it lightly though if I can't get the remain 10% of coating off. It was being very stubborn. How easy the coating comes off may depend on how old or worn your factory pieces are.
I think the shifter console piece would have been harder to peel with all the small hard to access areas. I already screwed mine up though with the carb cleaner so I spent most of Saturday sanding it. What a PITA trying to reach all the small areas. I could not find a filler at the time and decided to just suck it up and keep sanding. It is coming along now and I should be ready to paint after some additional sanding with a finer grit. I decided to paint mine as opposed to using the plastic or rubber coat. I think it will last longer and the paint I have is almost an exact match for the factory color/finish.
I tried the purple power on my backup radio console piece last Saturday. It did remove 90% of the factory coating but it took many many coats and leaving it out in the sun for a good while. I had to peel off the factory coating. It reminded me of peeling off old skin after a sunburn. It was a very long process but thats ok because it left no cracks unlike the carb cleaner method. I may still have to sand it lightly though if I can't get the remain 10% of coating off. It was being very stubborn. How easy the coating comes off may depend on how old or worn your factory pieces are.
I think the shifter console piece would have been harder to peel with all the small hard to access areas. I already screwed mine up though with the carb cleaner so I spent most of Saturday sanding it. What a PITA trying to reach all the small areas. I could not find a filler at the time and decided to just suck it up and keep sanding. It is coming along now and I should be ready to paint after some additional sanding with a finer grit. I decided to paint mine as opposed to using the plastic or rubber coat. I think it will last longer and the paint I have is almost an exact match for the factory color/finish.
