Rewrapping Door Panel fabric sections?

[sewlow]

This is some stuff that I C&P'd from previous postings. Mostly this covers the procedures I've used for dying plastic, vinyl & leather. I'm not much for dying automotive fabrics. Those are, 99% of the time, man-made fabrics, which are petroleum based. Olefin, polyfin, etc. As such, the fibers of those materials are very slick & densely woven. This makes it hard to get each & every individual fiber covered with the dye. It's also the reason why those materials are used in automotive interiors. The very nature of the material makes it almost impervious to permanent stains. Only way that I could see getting a satisfactory finished job, would be to REALLY soak the material with the dye.

You do not have to remove the covers from the seat frames. But, I would remove all the plastic trim, (maybe dye a contrasting color!) & separate the cushions from the backrests, in order to get right in there where the two meet.

I've dyed a lot of interior stuff. I use SEM. Found it to be way better than the Dupli-color.
If you go to that link I posted, you'll find a product called 'Vinyl Prep'. This really helps the color coat sink into the plastic & vinyls. I wouldn't dye anything without using that stuff.
I've never had any dye job, when I've used SEM, come back because of issues with cracking, flaking or peeling.
The best advice I could give you, is to do an excellent prep of whatever you're gonna be working on. Treat it as you would a paint job. Spraying the stuff's easy. Getting it to the point of being ready for that is where the work is.

Dye is NOT paint.
The dye does not sit on top of the plastic, like a paint. It soaks INTO the plastic.
The key to properly dying plastic or vinyl is prep.
I like to scrub down whatever is being dyed with a 10% vinegar/water solution first. This will remove the oils & ground in dirt.
Once they're dry (next day), I'll wash 'em down again, with 'T.S.P'. Paint stores will have this. Comes as a powder. Mix as directed on box. Use a good stiff bristle brush for both of these procedures.
Rinse, rinse, rinse, with cold water. Let sit to dry in the sun, or somewhere warm overnight.
Do not touch anything that is gonna be dyed, after these steps, with bare hands. Use 'throw-away' rubber gloves, or touch only where it won't be seen. The oils in your hands will effect the adhesion of the dye.
Hang small parts on coat hangers or wire.
Several light coats are better than a couple of heavy ones. Drips will NOT be able to be sanded out.
Let dry for at least a day before handling.


SEM's full catalogue.

http://semproducts.com/product-catalog/

Hopes this helps. It's a quick down-n-dirty reposting of some previous stuff.
Ask some more 'Q.'s, if ya got 'em, & I'll try to fill in the blank spots!

 

[sewlow]

Seat heaters...Hmmm...
Not a fan of 'em!



MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A popular feature many of us have in our cars could be leaving us permanently scarred.

Doctors say heated seats can lead to a skin condition called Toasted Skin Syndrome.



It’s not actually a burn, but a rash caused by prolonged exposure to a warm temperature. Safety experts say heated seats average 105 degrees.

People who use their heated seats for long trips without turning them off can develop this. The heat isn’t hot enough to burn the skin, so most people don’t even know there’s a problem.

Dr. Caleb Crestwell, a dermatology specialists, says computers and heating pads can also cause the syndrome.

“We’ll see it in the lower back (and on the bottom) from people using seat warmers in their cars.” he said.

Doctors say people who get the rash most often can also end up with a permanent tint in their skin.



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an "unreasonable risk to safety," according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

 

[AirmanSkee]

Dang.. So there is no easy way to just dye the stock cloth seats I have currently in the truck? Those seats are pretty much mint, after I cleaned them up from the PO.

I'll just do it like a tye dye shirt dang it haha Put it in a bucket with the dye and come back tomorrow.





















Just kidding lol But I love the seats and they way they sit and feel in my truck, the only thing I'd like to change is the color and add heat. I would never leave them on for long, but AK winter mornings are kinda rough lol

I've also seen some places that just do OEM replacement covers for seats. I wonder if those are available for our trucks, and in black?

 

[ChevyBoat]

I could not get the factory fabric up....any advice? I have tried boiling water, acetone, a heat gun and scraper, goof off pro strength, cutting into strips and pulling, everything. It just will not come off. The top part around the handles was easy...the carpet like material around the speakers is what I'm having trouble with. Any help will be much appreciated.

 

[1sickcrewcab]

I know how you feel buddy. I have a extra door panel to test on and for the life of me cant get off the bottom carpet either. Gm used some hardcore glue on these panels. Im thinking of just going over carpet instead of removing it. idk how that would work.

 

[sewlow]

Lighter fluid. The stuff for Zippo lighters. It's naptha, not butane. It won't hurt the plastic. Buy the big can. $5.00?
Start at a corner & squirt the fluid right onto the carpet. A good dose. Let it soak for a bit, then get in between the carpet & the door panel with a putty knife & start lifting it up.
There may be some staples around the edges. A small flat screwdriver can get them lifted, then grab them with a pair of sidecutters & roll them out. If they break off, you can go back & get them out after the carpet is off. Just be careful though, cause those little legs of the broken staples will shred skin as you work at getting the carpet off!
Once you have an edge lifted, then you can squirt the lighter fluid at the point where the carpet is glued to the panel. Position the door panel so that the lighter fluid runs down into the carpet. Keep going at that meeting point with the putty knife.
The lighter fluid will evaporate fairly quick so work 'small'.
Don't worry about getting it all off at once. Anything that doesn't come off in the first round can be removed after you get the majority of the carpet off.
Once the carpet is all off, go over the plastic with some sandpaper to really get it clean. 80 grit works well.

 

[1sickcrewcab]

Thanks for the tips sewlow! Have to try this one day.

 

[AirmanSkee]

Definitely going to be working on this over winter. Got the fabric, need to finish my doors.

 

[Fallsey]

I did mine, so it can be done

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[ChevyBoat]

I ended up taking the redneck way out for the bottom carpet on the door panel. I drilled through the rivets for the speaker covers. Then took a drill with a steel wire brush attachment and took off the carpet that way. Worked like a charm. A lot less of a headache than all the liquids and the putty knifr.