DIY: Painting interior Instrument Panels

[yrsdrgn]

I'm pretty sure there is a DIY about this but I haven't seen a really detailed one maybe because so many people are use to doing this themselves but for people who are new to it (like myself) this is a bit more detailed.

Start by ripping the interior panels you want to paint. I wanted to get all the silver pieces and the gauge cover so that's all i removed. For the left and right side panels (the ones with the emergency flashers and the passenger lights) I yanked on the bottom first and worked my way to the top. Some force is needed to un-do these but it doesn't hurt the car at all.


Next up I prepped the panels by wiping them down with a paper towel and isopropyl alcohol and then wiping it dry with a dry paper towel.



Then i used 400 grit sand paper and lightly sanded down my pieces. The only piece i showed in this DIY is the air vent panel but do likewise for the other panels you might want to paint.

I once again used a paper towel and alcohol to get rid of any material that had been sanded off. After that I used a tact cloth (usually found at Kragen or Autozone or some place) to wipe my piece down to pick up any excess residue that might have been left over.

Now it's ready to be primed. For my pieces i used Duplicolor Truck and SUV primer but you might want to use something else if you like. Just and even coat say 6-8inches away from the pieces and let is dry for a minute or so then go at it again. I sprayed three layers onto my piece and ended up with this.

I let it sit for about 3-5 minutes or so then i began to spray it with the color that i wanted to turn the panels into. For my pieces i used the Duplicolor Truck and SUV Mariner Blue M paint. Do the same thing as you did with the primer. Spray even layers along the surface of the piece, let dry and layer again. I did about three layers on this piece also and ended up with this.


Last but certainly not least is the clear coat. I used the Duplicolor Truck and SUV clear coat since Kragen didn't have the smaller can for autos. Same process as the last two and by the end of everything i ended up with this. The first photo was taken without flash and the second with flash.


I hope this was helpful to anyone who is thinking about painting their panels for the first time.