Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Topic: Learn me: painting interior trim pieces. (Read 1563 times) previous topic - next topic

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

January 10, 2019, 07:55:54 PM

I have never painted or dyed any interior parts. Since it is proving difficult to turn up a decent pair of blue a-pillar trim pieces, it may be worth giving a shot. Muttwood is working on boxing up a pair, but continues to forewarn me about the cost of shipping :yikes:

Let's start with general info.

Assuming there are special/different paints for interior,

What products have you used?
Who has the closest color match?
Where do you buy?

From there I would imagine there are instructions on the product to follow. What about prep? Mild de-greaser? Dish soap?
Looking for some advice from those of you who have traveled this path before.

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #1 – January 10, 2019, 08:13:41 PM

K, I've done this plenty of times. There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution but the prep is pretty much the same with all panels:

- Scrub with soap and water, and a mild bristle brush
- Wipe dry
- Optional: wipe with a chemical (acetone, lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol) * (proceed with caution!)
- Wipe down with alcohol or prep-sol
- Spray on adhesion promoter

On the chemical thing, some panels can take it, some can't. Might want to test on a hidden area or bad panel first. Sometimes the grain can kind of melt. Lacquer thinner is the strongest, then acetone a little better. Denatured alcohol is rather mild and can be used even on plexiglass.

After the adhesion promoter is dry, then it's ready for paint. There's a lot of different kinds out there now. I kind of covered that on the site here:
https://www.coolcats.net/restoring/interiorpaint.html

The Colorbond paint is what I used in the convertible, and even painted the steering wheel with it. It's holding up incredibly well but every once in a while, there are some touch-ups needed on higher-wear areas. No big deal. They've got a TON of colors available.

However, for the '84, I had the factory color made in PPG interior lacquer, then put in a spray can. That is an awesome way to go, and beats having to use paint in a spray gun. It's holding up great. If you need an absolute color match, that's the way to do it.

If I were to do another car, I'd try the SEM paint because they make great stuff. Duplicolor seems to be good as well, and has a wider color range.

I am a bit leery of the LMR paint because, even though they list some of our interior colors, the color's end result is far from factory. Like, in a lot of cases it's not even close. A lot of Mustang owners have made note of that as well. It's nice paint, and it's great to have that option, but the color match is buyer beware.

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #2 – January 10, 2019, 08:19:57 PM

Thanks Eric, I just got done reading the interior bits on CoolCats. Good info!

Also from the Google:
https://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?11357-Does-anyone-have-a-color-breakdown-by-year
https://www.semproducts.com/product/color-coattm-aerosols/15043

I looked at the ColorBond site real quick and didn't see an OEM match listed for Shadow Blue interior. I'd like to find a (very)close match as I only want to paint the a-pillar trims.

What about clears? Definitely not gloss, but have you used a satin, or low luster clear on any of your panels?

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #3 – January 10, 2019, 09:12:14 PM

Colorbond deals with later-model OEM colors so I doubt they'll have anything that's an exact match for Shadow Blue. If it were me, I'd try an auto paint shop and see if they have SEM or the Duplicolor line, as you're more likely to find an off-the-shelf blue to match.

Like I said, worst-case scenario, you can get the actual Shadow Blue mixed up and put into a can.

For the gloss, it's satin/low luster out of the can. I haven't done any clears over interior paint at all.

Give me a day or two, I might have the panels you need. Pulled from an '88 Blue Max Cougar, IIRC they were in good shape.

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #4 – January 10, 2019, 09:16:10 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats;468484

Give me a day or two, I might have the panels you need. Pulled from an '88 Blue Max Cougar, IIRC they were in good shape.

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #5 – January 11, 2019, 11:08:25 AM

The problem with these things is that they are 52 inches long.
Shipping goes up at the 48 inch mark.

If found a 33% discount coupon through FedEx for the door panels,

I will keep working on this.

The funny part is, the red project car has the same parts switched out to grey.

They need to be red !

So Eric's advice is really appreciated !

Learn me: painting interior trim pieces.

Reply #6 – January 11, 2019, 12:07:01 PM

I've done it quite a few times, with generally good results. I've used both the SEM and Duplicolor stuff.

You may have to do as Eric suggests, and get a custom can or two mixed up. Even then, you may still not have a "perfect" match, due to ageing of the other panels and just general differences, depending on lighting.