Whats the best way to paint the interior panels?

[Lonely SOl]

HI I want to paint my interior panels same color as the car. I dont want to die because I want to have smooth and shiny finish just like the outside. I have tried to use resin on plastic dash and that wont stick, tried bondo, but it dont stick either. What is the best way to do that. Also how do people make fiberglass dash?

[gthompson97]

scratch up the dash just like you would a car, with some sandpaper. Also you need to take off all the protective shit on the dash like mothers and armor-all with a wax and grease remover. use a fiberglass filler and basically bondo the dash. sand it down until you have a very thin layer over the dash so you get your smoothness. prep it like a normal car and paint away.

[mike@af]

You need to use some plastic degreasers. Bondo body filler doesnt stick to plastic anyway.

[evansdad]

so dont use the bondo? how do you get the smooth look? can i get the plastic degreaser at any auto parts store?

[Lonely SOl]

yea I tried the fiberglass filler but it doesnt stick to it, it comes off it. do they make any special bondo to stick on it. Are you talking about short strand fiberglass, I tried that i also tried resin. WHat else can I try, I am basically out of suggestions

[TheSilentChamber]

the best way to do it is to sand the texture off of the plastic. This is a bitch to do because the plastic gets fuzzy. You can sand it by hand with 80 grit to remove all the texture then wetsand with 200g then 400g and it removes most all of the "fuzz". You need to follow that by an adhersion promotor then a good high-build primer. After you have a good build of primer you'll need to hit it with 200g and 400g again. After that paint as you would anything else.

[Lonely SOl]

sounds good, is is hard as hell to get all the scratches off the dash and also what about the vinyl covering it. DO I take that off and expose bare plastic. I am just afraid to rip the vinyl off without being sure it will work thats why I havent ripped it off yet. But so, thsi would work ur saying?

[TheSilentChamber]

well vinyl is a differnt story, this method as discribed doesnt work word for word for vinyl covered plastics. There is a few things your going to encounter. 1) your going to have lots and lots of tiny holes to deal with, this is because all the factory vinyl is vac formed onto the panel. These holes are small enough that they can be filled in with a body filler without any problems. 2) The panels were made to fit together with the vinyl on them so if you assemble them together without the vinyl there going to be smaller and may have small gaps in them, this can be overcame most of the time by carefull mounting and adjusting and such, and isnt allways an issue depending on how your stuff is made and put together. 3) Irregularities such as the plastic going from smooth to textured, granted your going to be sanding it but I just dont want you to strip it and be shocked by what you see. Basically the process is the same just with a few indefinate added steps.

Striping the vinyl from the stuff is pretty easy also, most of the time you can take a putty knife and get it loose around all the edges and scrape the entire thing off in one piece. Once the vinyl comes off its an ugly sight, theres padding and god awful colors of glue. Now put on your respirator and bring out the acetone and scuff pad (scotch brite pad). It takes it off pretty easy with a little work. Even though your going to be sanding it, I allways like to start on something thats clean. Make sure to do this in a ventilated area, and wear gloves.

[Lonely SOl]

okay sounds good so far so after I get all the vinyl and glue off, will the bondo stick to it to make the thing smooth or just prime it and fill it up with primer

[TheSilentChamber]

refer to post #6

[Lonely SOl]

so it doesnt require bondo at all then

[TheSilentChamber]

nope

[Lonely SOl]

so I guess let me get this straight so I dont screw it up. First I take the vinyl off then take all the glue off with acetone then after all of the glue is off then sand everything it off until it is smooth and (woiuld it be better to add bondo) then with 400 smooth it and then 600 and then prime it.

[TheSilentChamber]

Get bondo off your brain! Yes do that but sand with 200 and 400 to smooth it.

[Lonely SOl]

lol iight man thanks for helping I really appreciate it