Painting Dash and inside components?

[shaddr3]

I just bought a CRX and i'm planning on buying the Black Widow Body kit. I also have ALL of my components now for an air suspension setup (Air Cylinders,1/2 valves, 2 Viair 550C, Billet Chrome Air tank...). Well anyways I want to know what kind of paint and what are the steps of the process to paint your dash and door panels. I have not found any guides out there on how to do this. I'd go with red for the dash though. I'm buying new seats and getting the whole interior carpeted. I ordered 2 Sun Visors with 6" Screens, a 7" motorized dash dvd player/radio, and a rear view mirror with a 2.5" tv screen. Yah so i'm decking this CRX to its fullest potential (Sorry for you stock fans out there ). But anyways, does anyone have any links or advice on paint or how to do it?

[civicHatch]

Thats the worst idea ive ever heard. Paint it black. NEVER PAINT YOUR INTERIOR PANELS SOME BRIGHT RETARDED COLOR, mabey highlight some parts eith red for that jdm look. Keep it clean. I cant stand 4th gen show cars, 4th gens are not show cars, buy someithing newer, a 4th gen should be kept clean. Poop cars suck. Do some engine work first before you worry about your interior color. plus itwill crack and chip anyway.

[whobeyoube]

if you really want to do it there is a company by the name of SEMS, they produce a line of vinyl and rug interior paint, it comes in spay cans and is rather easy to use, some automotive parts stores carry it, or i'm sure u can find it online. this product is oem approved and has been on the market for years but usually only car dealers use it. good luck bro hope it helps out.

[PhReAzE]

Its getting hard to find in Canada, I was looking around when i was doing mine, and apparantly it is no longer sold here becasue they refuse to put french on the label, what a joke

[shaddr3]

I want to do it, no matter what anyone says, wont change my mind. Its just an opinion. I have NO intention of making the car for speed, just style. I'll look around for some of that paint, thx!

[POScar49]

put on a remote controlled lambo door kit while ur at it oh, and dont forget the sounds!

[shaddr3]

Originally Posted by POScar49

put on a remote controlled lambo door kit while ur at it oh, and dont forget the sounds!

I was going to buy the kit a few weeks.Changed my mind, got bags instead.

[ci5ic]

Originally Posted by civicHatch

...I cant stand 4th gen show cars, 4th gens are not show cars, buy someithing newer, a 4th gen should be kept clean...

Well, they're not race-cars either... But this forum isn't about what 4th gens were "meant" to be. This is about what people do to them... not just repairs and the like. To each their own, and I'd hate to see him change his mind just because you don't like it.

Painted some of my trim, and the only time I've had a problem with it chipping was because when I had the body work done, the bodyshop threw a bunch of car parts inside the car and one of the pieces got paint scraped off of it. If you do it right and don't do it half-assed, it should be fine.

I used regular krylon, but if I was going to do it again, I'd want to get some Krylon Fusion...

Here's the exact process that I used:

PAINTING INTERIOR PIECES:

Here's the exact process that I used, and my interior came out looking proffessional. Hope it helps.

Materials/Tools required:
-- Primer.
-- Krylon Interior/Exterior paint
-- Clear Enamel
-- 320 grit sand-paper
-- Rubbing alcohol and Q-tips and/or cotton balls
-- Masking tape (also good to have masking tape with attached drop-cloth)
-- Various sockets/screw-drivers, etc. for removing pieces

A few words about technique/safety:
-- When spraying your primer, paint, or clear-coat, be sure to keep the tip of your finger out of the spray. Having your finger in the way will cause paint mist to build up on your fingertip, and the airflow will blow the built-up paint off your finger in the form of little droplets of paint. If these drops land on the piece you're working on, you might as well start over, cuz they look like crap. The same thing happens if you use a plastic pistol-grip attachment on your spray cans.
-- I can't say enough how important patience is. If you rush, you are going to make mistakes, and if you don't fix the mistakes (which is a huge hassle), you'll have a horrible looking interior. So it's best to just do it right the first time. Do whatever you can to avoid over-spraying the pieces. Personally, I smoked A LOT of cigarettes and drank A LOT of beer between applications, just to keep myself from using too much paint all at once.
-- I made the mistake of painting all my trim outside on my back deck. For some reason, bugs were really attracted to my paint and clear-coat, and kept landing on the pieces. They'd get stuck in the wet paint, and some of them are still visible in the finished pieces. If you have access to a well ventilated garage or paint-booth, I would highly recommend using it.
-- If you follow these steps, you'll end up with a durable, professional looking painted interior.
-- If you plan on painting your entire dash, or your gauge cluster cover, a really light color like white or bright yellow, be aware that on sunny days, it will be reflected onto your windshield, and in my opinion is a bit distracting, and can make it difficult to see sometimes.
-- Always spray paint in a well ventilated area.
-- This process is only meant to be used on plastic pieces. I have no experience painting vinyl-covered surfaces.

The Process:
Remove each piece that you want to paint (consult manual if unsure how to remove pieces).
Use the following process on each piece you want to paint:
-- Wash with soapy water to remove built-up dirt and grease.
-- Sand each surface you wish to paint with 320 grit sandpaper.
-- Swab each piece with rubbing alcohol to remove any left-over Armoral, finger grease, etc.
-- Wash again with soapy water to remove rubbing alcohol residue.
* at this point, be sure hold the pieces by the edges, or by surfaces that won't be visible. This is to avoid getting greasy finger-prints on the prepped surfaces.
-- Mask off any areas that you do not want to get paint on.
-- Apply 2 coats of primer. I used Rustoleum Primer.
* When I refer to "coats" I actually mean LOTS of really light applications of primer/paint. remember to take your time, spray a little bit, give it a few minutes, spray again, etc. Do whatever you have to in order to avoid soaking the pieces. You'll just get runs and sags like crazy.
-- Primer dries pretty quickly.
-- Once each coat dries, it's a good idea to lightly sand the primer with 320 grit paper. And sand after the 2nd coat as well.
-- After sanding each time, wash the piece again with soapy water to remove sanding dust.
-- Apply 3-4 coats of paint. I used Krylon Interior/Exterior paint from the local parts supply chain.
* Again, remember to take your time applying the paint. The Krylon takes a lot longer to dry than the primer does, so give it a bunch more time.
-- Once the paint has completely dried (I would give it at least 24 hours to be on the safe side), apply 2-3 coats of clear enamel. I used Rustoleum Crystal Clear Enamel for this.
* Same process as with the primer and paint steps.
-- Let the pieces dry again for at least 24 hours before handling. It's the most frustrating thing to spend all this time and energy on painting the pieces, only to put a fingerprint in them or scratch them with a screw-driver trying to install them while they're still a little soft. BE PATIENT!

[90civicrider]

I painted my whole interior. Turned out awesome.
I've never had a problem with chipping, it just gets crazy dirty. I have to clean it like once a week.
I can also hook up body kits if your in the market. check out my site and email me www.DecepticonRacing.com | [email protected]

[Bilson8tor]

^^^ exactly wat mike said

i used krylon fusion and it kicks ass! i get asked about it all the time...

[Hilikus Funkin]

Im doing my whole interior black black black. Goes good with my car. By the way dude that NIIIIIICCCCCEEEEE......... I want an interior that looks like that...

[whobeyoube]

nice thread ci5ic, just remember shaddr if you lay the paint on heavy though without proper prep it lifts (or flakes) very easy just from even say hot sun exposure, the sanding of the peices is very important to adhesion especially before the first coat of primer, and make sure that u buy a sandable spray primer. besides from that ci5ic is the man,lol.

[crxhf19]

The correct way to paint a dash imo is to not use walmart "rattle cans". if you want your dash to look smooth, first sand it with about 220 grit paper and then clean it real good with lacquer thinner(sorry about the spelling) Then i would use some high build primer, something like k2. but you have to have a paint gun to do it this way. spray your primer until you sand it and your dash is smooth as glass. Then go to the automotive paint store and get your favorite color and paint. It is good to add flex to your primer b/c it gives your paint a little bit of room to move without chipping. your dash will look like fiberglass if it is done correctly

[Bilson8tor]

Originally Posted by crxhf19

The correct way to paint a dash imo is to not use walmart "rattle cans".

i used krylon fusion from walmart and it worked great...

[90civicracer]

My buddy with a '92 Prelude Si painted some of the accent pieces in there (not the whole dash) with the Krylon Fusion from Wal-Mart and it turned out great.