The Stupid Interior Questions Thread

[Sumbitch]

There is another chemical that you could use, but it's extremely dangerous to your health. It's called 'Xylene' or 'Toluene'. Requires gloves, a chemical mask, & eye protection. It can be absorbed by your skin, & the surface of your eyes. Goes straight to your kidneys & can cause tremendous back pain. Recommend using it in a paint booth.

Used Xylol (same thing basically) for prepping and cleaning DIY roll-on bedliner. That stuff is potent. DO NOT let it get on your skin. Not only is it bad for your health, there is no way to describe the burning sensation it creates. Wear those gloves they use to give cattle prostate exams.

Came on here for a REALLY stupid question but I'm desperate. Cleaning interior plastic (panels, dash, etc.). Played my speakers next to a bonfire that unexpectedly turned into the perfect time for someone (uninvited) to burn a long box full of tires. Needless to say, my interior is practically black and its supposed to be gray. Whats the best method for cleaning the panels? Soap and water? Windex? Another cleaning chemical/material that I haven't mentioned or is often overlooked? I've come to realize if I scrub too hard, the gray paint will come off and show its ugly black underside forever. Thanks!

 

[PossumJr]

My 2 cents would be start with mild stuff like soap and water and work your way up with more aggresive cleaners untill(if) it comes off, and use something like a really soft nail brush or rough rag first then maybe something stiffer if that with the cleaner doesn't work.My go to with anything is Simple Green, try a 5:1 mix with water but I don't know if it would work

 

[great white]

Light soap and water.

Don't scrub if you can avoid it.

Use only the foam off the top of the bucket and wipe with a rag. A medium bristle brush is also a good tool on stuff with grain like the plastic dash.

Scrubbing will drive the soot (burned rubber tire soot is the worst!) down into the cracks and crevices. So will a soaking rag.

Hit it with a strong shop vac and a brush like attachment before you start with washing to pull as much loose stuff off as you can. It will pull soot out of the nooks and crannies also.much easier to get it out while it's still dry and fluffy.

Once you've foam washed it, hit it with the shop vac again once it's dry.

Method is guaranteed to not damage your interior, unless you use a harsh chemical to produce the soap foam. Always test on an inconspicuous spot first.

Repeat as nessesary....It's not as fast as hitting it with a bucket of water and a hose, but it works without soaking or damaging the interior.

For the carpets, i use a carpet cleaner called "little green". Better than most industrial units i've used and it's small enough for you to hold while you move around the interior. Gets things a little wet if you don't move fast enough with it but dries in about an hour if you flub it...

 

[Sumbitch]

Thanks guys! Before asking for help (which I'll do before attempting anything next time) I warmed up my truck and used gritty hand towelettes and it of course smeared. Some windex and paper towel later, there is still a lil bit in the grains but it looks almost like it did before (16 year old truck with occasional wipe-downs).

I still got some soot coming in through the air vents ( literally impossible to drive without my defrost in the morning ) and I'll be sure to use the above advised methods of removal. I never thought of using a vacuum but it makes sense.

Not too worried about the carpeting. Its got a lot of stains from the PO and the driver side footwell is literally matted down to vinyl-like texture. I'll probs just vacuum that. I'm more worried about the dash because I'm not gonna take that entire thing apart just to clean it in the middle of winter.

Needless to say, my music machine is no longer participating in tire-fires if I can help it.

 

[benz88]

Can you change the burnt out lights on the gear selector in the guages?

 

[sewlow]

Yes. Gotta pull the cluster. Easy enough. If your '88 uses the twistlock bulb holders, you're gonna have to get some twistlocks, 'cause the bulbs in the factory twists don't usually come out without breaking, if at all. Ebay.
Hmmm...upgrade? LEDS, but most of those are non-dimmable. Some are, just can't remember the who makes 'em. Someone else here should know.

 

[benz88]

Yes. Gotta pull the cluster. Easy enough. If your '88 uses the twistlock bulb holders, you're gonna have to get some twistlocks, 'cause the bulbs in the factory twists don't usually come out without breaking, if at all. Ebay.
Hmmm...upgrade? LEDS, but most of those are non-dimmable. Some are, just can't remember the who makes 'em. Someone else here should know.

mines a 95 and it seems like theyre behind the plastic on the bottom here from what I can tell

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[sewlow]

You can get that plastic off by carefully releasing several tabs around the outside of it. Have to pull those other bulbs in the twist locks, though. Don't have to remove that soft plastic printed circuit. That's a good pic to use for reference when putting the bulbs back in the right spot

 

[great white]

Yes. Gotta pull the cluster. Easy enough. If your '88 uses the twistlock bulb holders, you're gonna have to get some twistlocks, 'cause the bulbs in the factory twists don't usually come out without breaking, if at all. Ebay.
Hmmm...upgrade? LEDS, but most of those are non-dimmable. Some are, just can't remember the who makes 'em. Someone else here should know.

Unfortunately, in order to dim LED's you need to incorporate a PWM circuit.

Led's don't really dim in response to the dash dimmer potentiometer. What they do is stagger at the min voltage and eventually just drop out. Forcing them to operate at min voltage for too long causes them to prematurely fail. Same as if you get the resistors wrong or are outside of the LED voltage spec, something that happens quite often in and automotive application. This is a lot of the reason why the "cheap" eBay LED's die a rapid and painful death....

The way you get them to dim is with pulse width modulation. What that mean is the module pulses voltage to the led. The LED flashes as the module turns the power rapidly on and off. Less pulses, less flashing. It all happens so fast that your eye only see's less light emitted rather than the flashing. In effect, "dimming" the LED.

I've got the blue LED's and resistors out in the garage waiting for me to finish up the PWM circuit. In all honesty; I'll probably just buy a PWM dimmer and slip it inline with the factory power to the cluster and just have a separate dial for the gauge dimming. Not ideal, but it's the easy way out (and fastest) when you've got more projects on the go than available time....

 

[benz88]

You can get that plastic off by carefully releasing several tabs around the outside of it. Have to pull those other bulbs in the twist locks, though. Don't have to remove that soft plastic printed circuit. That's a good pic to use for reference when putting the bulbs back in the right spot

Thanks! I snatched the pic from the LED guages how to on here haha