Painting Dash?

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Low 89

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So, tomorrow I plan on removing my dash as well as most of the interior plastic peices. I've read countless articles on how to sand the dash properly. The part that I'm having difficulty with is naturally, paint. I've read that I should do everything under the sun. What do you think is best when it comes to painting the interior peices? I plan on doing this all myself, so any help will be greatly appreciated.
 

1500SS

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I just did mine, from brown to red. I'll get some pictures up if i can after work. What i did was completely removed everything but the main dash itself (glovebox, all vinyl pieces, gauge cluster, gauge cluster hood, etc.). Next:

1. Clean entire dash with soap and water. Cleanliness is key to a lasting, quality job.
2. Scuff dash top to bottom with red scotchbrite pads. The order doesn't matter, just make sure you get everywhere de-glossed so the paint will adhere.
3. Clean entire dash with alcohol, by wiping it on then wiping it off with a dry towel before it evaporates. Alcohol floats contaminates to the surface of the substrate so it must be wiped clean before it dries, or the contaminates will settle back into the plastic.
4. Mask accordingly, if the dash is going to stay in. I would recommend this, as I have removed the dash from several 88-94 trucks and it's a total pain. I painted mine in the truck and it looks factory.
5. Clean any areas with alcohol that may have been touched while masking. Alternatively, wear nitrile gloves.

You're now ready to start the procedure. I did mine in halves so it would be more manageable, I sprayed the passenger side from the radio -> right, top to bottom.

6. Spray the section being refinished with adhesion promoter. I used Dupli-Color plastic adhesion promoter, it can be found at most auto parts stores. 1 can was plenty, and I just sprayed 3-4 light coats allowing each coat 5 minutes to flash.
7. Spray the color on. I used SEM Color Coat, which is all I'd ever use. It was a factory match for gloss, tint and it's extremely durable. It can be found online and is pretty expensive, but it's worth every penny.

After the SEM went on, I let it dry for about 3 hours. The SEM color coat dries in about 10 minutes but I wanted to let it cure a little more before I shut the doors into the sides of the dash. It still looks as good as the day I painted it and it's about a month old. Remember, in any paint job it's 90% prep, 10% skill. If you've got any questions I'd be glad to help. Good luck!
 

Low 89

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Okay, I'll have to remembe that paint product. As far as removal of the interior trim and such, I have everything out minus the a-pillars. any idea how to get them off? I got three or four of the upper clips off, it's stick near the bottom.
 

1500SS

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They're tricky, what I did was make sure the top and sides are unclipped then pry the side that runs into the kick panel on the side of the dash free, grab it at the base and pull the whole pillar towards the center of the truck and up. I broke a piece of the tab off (see red outline) before reinstallation because it makes it way easier and won't chew up the new paint. Also, some pics of the refinish. Also ignore how terrible the door panels look, especially the plastic part that connects to the dash, they were blue and I painted em to get by until I can put my power stuff in. :drunk:

Hope this helps, and good luck.
 

Low 89

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Thanks for the tip, I'll have to try it out once im out of class. The biggest PITA for me is going to be pulling the dash, which has to be done so I can sand it smooth. I plan on doing the trim first, that's why the pillar has to come out now. Thanks for the assistance!
 

1badgmc

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If you're planning to sand it smooth and paint it to match the truck or whatever color, then 1500SS's process isn't really applicable here.
 

1500SS

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Agreed. If you're gonna sand it smooth I would use 320-400 grit on a long block, then lay down your color. It'll probably be much easier to do out of the truck, too...
 

Sully

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i am doing a similar project as 1500SS. I want it to look factory just not the damn burgundy color that the truck came with. I'll be doing the entire interior. Any thoughts about the upholstery on the door panels? Ive done the plastics numerous times on different vehicles, but the door panels are going to look like crap if I dont get those little sections done as well.
 

jkeenanjr

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I painted the entire interior of my truck but I can't seem to get anything to stay on the lower half of the door panel (the softer, squishy part). Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
 
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