Start Button
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,772
Likes: 17
From: Indianapolis IN
Start Button
I bought a new start button, the paint was worn off before i bought the car.
I wonder if I shoot a couple of coats of some clear lacquer on the new one if the paint will last longer, it should, anybody try this?
I wonder if I shoot a couple of coats of some clear lacquer on the new one if the paint will last longer, it should, anybody try this?
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,502
Likes: 3,629
The problem is that the plastic on the button that the rubberized paint is sprayed on to is not prep'd right for the paint to bond to it correctly.
Clear coat over the factory rubberize paint may hold the paint to itself a little better, but since the rubberized paint itself is not bonded to the plastic that well to begin with, instead of the paint peeling off, it just going to blister up instead if you top clear coat instead.
So on that note, if you don't want to have to worry about the button peeling, then there are the chrome plated start buttons that do not peal, or you can just take your old button, pull it apart to get the rocker section out, oxide blast it to semi prep the plastic, give it a good plastic primer to bond to the blasted plastic, then stealth out the entire rocker with Black plastic dip paint instead.
Same goes for the door release buttons, and on these, after you have painted them, just use a drill bit tip to drill through the paint coating to have the lighted center dot in them.
Clear coat over the factory rubberize paint may hold the paint to itself a little better, but since the rubberized paint itself is not bonded to the plastic that well to begin with, instead of the paint peeling off, it just going to blister up instead if you top clear coat instead.
So on that note, if you don't want to have to worry about the button peeling, then there are the chrome plated start buttons that do not peal, or you can just take your old button, pull it apart to get the rocker section out, oxide blast it to semi prep the plastic, give it a good plastic primer to bond to the blasted plastic, then stealth out the entire rocker with Black plastic dip paint instead.
Same goes for the door release buttons, and on these, after you have painted them, just use a drill bit tip to drill through the paint coating to have the lighted center dot in them.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 461
From: Southern Utah
The previous owner may have been one who pushes the button way too hard. Some have pushed the button hard enough to push it through the dash. I have 65,000 miles on mine and the buttons all look new. I would just keep this in mind and leave the button alone, it will probably outlast your ownership of the car.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,502
Likes: 3,629
The previous owner may have been one who pushes the button way too hard. Some have pushed the button hard enough to push it through the dash. I have 65,000 miles on mine and the buttons all look new. I would just keep this in mind and leave the button alone, it will probably outlast your ownership of the car.
Have found when installing the start buttons, they are a tight fit, and on some, you have to start one side in first, to get the other side of it to snap in correctly. I state this, since if you install the wrong side first in on some dashes, the other side of the start button will not snap in correctly, and allows the starter button to be pushed through the dash very easily.
Also, if you do pop the bezel out to change the starter button, make sure that the temp sensor is in the socket for it when you put the bezel back on. To check to make sure that it did not fall out and in the voids of the dash instead, just shine a light through the vents for it to see if its still in the socket for it.
As for popping the bezel out, here you go (it's out far enough at the 31 second mark to replace the starter button).
