I need help!!!!!!!1

[hca]

OKay, this isn't just another interior painting question. I have already successfully painted my interior black on my '88 silverado, but im not really satisfied. I want to smooth it out and get it all glossy looking. but i have one question: how in the hell do you smooth it out??? And i have one question for all of you guys that have smoothed or painted your interiors, exactly what Brand/model of paint and/ or primers did you use??? I did mine with Krylon Fusion and Duplicolor vinyl&fabris. it all looks good, but I want to do a little more. Any help will be really appreciated. I know it gets annoying seeing these questions all of the time but there is NOBODY else to ask, and im only 17. anyways thanks alot guys.

[97OKCZ71]

Hi all,

I have seen a lot of questions lately asking how to paint dashes and the interior pieces of their trucks. I also got a few messages from people asking if I knew or could do a write up on it. I first wanted to preface all this with the fact that we have done it here at my shop before, but I have never done much of the work personally since I am more on the custom leather side of the business. This hopefully will give a somewhat general explaination of what you should be using when you actually repaint your dash. I will also post pictures of one of the show trucks for Leatherseats.com that is quite well-known over in the Knoxville/Tennesse area.

The first thing you want to do is of course remove your dash. This process is slightly different for each of the Chevy trucks and is basically one of those things where you start with the bezel and work your way threw it. The other option here which is perfered in most cases is buying a whole new dash from a junkyard. It can even be cracked if you know how to use a little fiberglass or bondo hair (bondo/fiberglass combo).

Once you have the dash out you get to the hard part of any paint job... the prep work. You basically will start with getting rid of all the bumps and "texturing" on the dash itself. You want a fairly smooth surface to start with. Any bumps or texturing left on the dash will show threw on the paint. You will want to start with Sand-paper somewhere in the 100-200 grit area. You can start with 50, but just for a little while. You will want to move up the grit line with finer and finer grit until you end up with a semi-smooth surface.

After you have completed this portion you are basically ready for the paint part. Lots of people assume that paint is paint, but it is completely false. You will want to use automotive paint and depending on your money you will want to get the nicest stuff possible. Dupont has some of the best paints in the business, but expensive especially for any screw ups. Chromabase is also a good paint to use and a bit less expensive. You should check with your local automotive paint supply shop (not Home Depot). You can bring in the color you want and discuss with them the brands of paints available and so forth. Once you decided they should be able to mix up the exact color you want for you.

Now that you have the paint you have to begin the spray process. This is where the normal do-it-yourselfer might not be able to handle it. There isnt really an alternative to this step besides prepping everything and taking it to a professional painter for him to do the painting (which will cut down the costs of painting significantly). If you have an air compressor then you are half-way there though. You need to get a paint spray gun and a mask from your local paint shop also. With these you are ready to go. You need to find a way to hang your dash and you will want to do it in a clean room with very little air movement. If there is too much air movement then small particles will get into the paint. You will basically evenly spray the dash back and forth without too much overlap. Make sure to keep the gun at an equal distance from the dash and at a 90 degree angle the whole time. If you move angles or distance then they paint when completed will show the imperfections. Let your base coat set and dry. After it has set and dryed take a good look at it from all angles. If there are bumps or particles in the paint you need to wet sand them back out but use a VERY high grit sand paper with water. I would recommend somewhere around 2000 grit with a cup of water. Gently try to pull the imperfections out and when that is complete let it dry then spray again. You will want to do this only for a couple coats. If you coat it too much then the paint will easily crack and pop off.

Once you have gotten the paint as smooth as you want it then you will want to start with the Clear Coating. Clear Coating is the bling bling of paint. This is what makes it sparkle and shine and really look good in the vehicle. This process is the same as the paint process except that Clear Coat you have to pre-mix (some paints require this too). The pre-mix instructions should be available on the can or from the shop you got the paint from. Spray it evenly... wait for it to dry. Wet sand it down to get any imperfections out and then spray again.

Once this is all done your dash is basically done and needs to be reinstalled. This process is good for all PLASTIC pieces in your truck. Vinyl dashes or doors go threw a little different process.

The doors on most vehicles (all Chevy's I believe) are vinyl and with those you will have to rip off the vinyl. Many times this will leave the door weakened and here is where the fiberglass comes in. You will probably want to add a layer of fiberglass all along the door panel and if you want to get really artistic you can make shapes in the door by layering the fiberglass into flames or into custom speaker enclosures and so forth. Once the fiberglass is done you start with prep work and go threw the process again.

When people talk about glassing their interior they basically are removing that first step of preping the actual dash itself and instead laying a surface of fiberglass. After that takes place they still have to do prep work, but quite a bit less then preping the dash itself. This is how people get the custom pod mounts and so forth in their dash. I hope this helps out some. If there are any comments or questions please feel free to add those in. Like I said... I know the basic process and some specifics, but dont mess with it all that much myself.

Oh yeah... the other way to do your dash is to buy vinyl dye spray from SEM and remove your dash and spray it down. This can turn out really well also, but doesnt look quite as smooth and will need touch-up on a regular basis.

Jeremy
www.leatherseats.com

[97OKCZ71]

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