Gen 1 Dash Refinish

[Larry94]

Has anyone refinished their Gen 1 dash? I can't find any information when I search the forums but presume someone must have done it by now. Mine is scratched and I was looking for suggestions on how to refinish it. Original appearance isn't a necessity.

 

[IEATVETS]

Kind of dark but you get the picture.

 

[tim721]

my dash was all scratched up as well when i got it. this was one of the first things i did to the car. my radio surround bezel piece was cracked so i had to buy another. other than that black paint did the trick.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The paint itself was cheap & makes a huge difference. I don't remember exactly what I used but i can check...

 

[Bill B]

I stripped mine and painted it to match the exterior. I'll post a pic tomorrow.

 

[ROCKET62]

You mean like this:

Not a very technically demanding job, but it takes a lot of elbow grease to prep the old dash. SOS pads, fine sandpaper, etc. Someone mentioned a paint stripper to strip off the old gray stuff, but I wasnt able to find anything. Powertools, ie dremel also dont work and cause gouges. Take your time and have plenty of cold 12 oz. beverages handy. I just used plain old Krylon primer and satin black with satin clear coat. Painted the bezels Viper Red with paint from paintscratch.

 

[ruckdr]

IEATVETS,
I see from you picture posted here that you have red seat inserts; it appears to be cloth - is it??
I am looking to do cloth inserts in my seats, and was wondering if you were able to obtain a high UV resistant material to prevent sun fade.
Thanks,
Later,

 

[Larry94]

To all:
Thanks for the suggestions. The results look great. The consensus seems to be prep and paint.

 

[IEATVETS]

IEATVETS,
I see from you picture posted here that you have red seat inserts; it appears to be cloth - is it??
I am looking to do cloth inserts in my seats, and was wondering if you were able to obtain a high UV resistant material to prevent sun fade.
Thanks,
Later,

No they are not cloth it is Venzano's handy work.

 

[Yves]

AFTER :

 

[Bill B]

Here's the pic.

 

[got one]

Seriously...what prep work was involved...was it just shooting it or did you have to do anything. How long did you let it cure??? ETc.

 

[Bill B]

The prep is a pita. I just sat down and wet sanded the dash pieces. Then I shot them with PPG that matched the car and clear after. You could do this just as well with spray bomb if you don't have the tools to spray it. Or you could have a body shop do it.

 

[obaa996]

I posted about using the paint stripper. I used Easy-Lift-Off (ELO) from Polly S; I got it from a hobby store. It's used to strip paint from models without harming the plastic underneath; you should be able to find some equivalent at a good hobby store. The original coating is pretty nasty stuff, because it melts into a gummy goo. I basically applied the stripper, covered it with some plastic wrap (the stripper flashes off quickly otherwise), and used a small scraper to remove the bulk of the coating. Then re-applied and took the rest off. Finally a third coat to remove the final bits. Its a major PITA, but a lot easier than sanding (which I tried first), plus I didn't damage the original plastic surface in anyway.
Good luck!

 

[Bill B]

Good to know about the stripper. I was afraid to try it. The sanding took about hours, as you said a major PITA!

 

[melialayton]

I just removed the dash and took it to a local paint & body shop... they charged $150 for everything (stripping, paint, etc.)

removal took about 20 minutes

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[RedEnuf93]

Mine is the red one..