CUTLASS Interior refresh project

Thanks 69hurstolds I grabbed that one as that was a smoking deal. UC645 ...as that I secured a second switch I may try that laser engrave route. I also like the idea of just repainting the letters on both pull handles...and ideas on how to freshen the black on em?

I’m assuming you only have the one in the car, so…

I’d progressively sand it up from 1200ish to 2500 if you can get your hands on it and polish the 2500 grit scratches out by hand. I’ve tried that with some more modern ABS with decent results, but I polished those pieces with a Dremel. With the age of the plastic you’ll be working with, polishing by hand will avoid the risk of burning it accidentally.

If you’ve got some other parts around, when in doubt, test the method. The back of your parking brake release handle will be a prime area to test
 
Thanks 69hurstolds I grabbed that one as that was a smoking deal. UC645 ...as that I secured a second switch I may try that laser engrave route. I also like the idea of just repainting the letters on both pull handles...and ideas on how to freshen the black on em?
If you clean it with Denatured Alcohol it'll remove all the oils and skin cells, and I've found it to often leave black plastic looking brand new. If not, spray that sucker with black interior paint before brushing on the white lettering (paint pen?). Or applying decals.

The alcohol removes lettering from other things so I wouldn't be shocked if it stripped the white.
 
If you clean it with Denatured Alcohol it'll remove all the oils and skin cells, and I've found it to often leave black plastic looking brand new. If not, spray that sucker with black interior paint before brushing on the white lettering. Or applying decals.

The alcohol removes lettering from other things so I wouldn't be shocked if it stripped the white.
No joke..I have not been able to find denatured alcohol for like last 18 months..something about new regulations all the hardware stores tell me. I used to use it on my nitro rc helicopters as it cleans up amazing and isn't bad on plastic and such. I may just have to clean real deep, shoot black like you said and repaint the letters. 🤔
 
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No joke..I have not been able to find denatured alcohol for like last 18 months..something about new regulations all the hardware stores tell me. I used to use it on my nitro rc helicopters as it cleans up amazing and isn't bad on plastic and such. I may just have to clean real deep, shoot black like you said and repaint the letters. 🤔
Well that sucks. How 'bout naphtha? I often use charcoal lighter fluid for cleaning and it's safe on nearly every single plastic. I don't think it'll remove as much as the alcohol though.

Edit: Found on a luthier forum

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For the price it might be worth to grab on if these. Save u on time and $ on other items to restore yours.

That is what's up. I might just get on that brand new one. Funny thin is...my Cutlass has no emergency brakes at all. With hydraulics we remove them as the cable becomes and issue when you lock up the rear. So I could just throw that in and be set...hood pull is a different story..obviously that works lol.
 
Came across these doing some web searching.



If these will work these are good prices and will save me some time and labor.
Thoughts?
 
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Emergency brake release handle for Cutlass is GM p/n 563732. Fit's 1979-1988 Cutlass G-body. (78 was a different p/n) You may have missed the thing about each G-body seems to have their own p/n release cable for some reason. I don't know the actual reason, but it's likely due to the location of the handle on the dash, meaning the length may change a bit between brands. Note the other parts are the same across all the G-bodies. If you don't care if it works or not, then likely the other ones might suffice, but not sure if they'll hook up properly.

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Thanks 69hurstolds. I did miss that somehow. I appreciate you guys ALWAYS looking out! In looking at mine today part #11 is very easily removed...so may just try to refresh it first..what they heck right.
As for today, got the column back in! Looks pretty good and thanks for the advise to pull it vs try to paint it in the car. Everything back functioning as it should!
Waiting for my new RCA cable for my amp to arrive tomorrow...then will be tucking all the wiring, cleaning it up and putting underside of dash back together. Then if all goes as planned, new carpet will go in!
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New steering wheel arrived today too! Gonna look much better with the darker mahogany and the chrome spokes! Sadly, this one arrived with a chip in it...had it not been right on top of the spoke...I wouldn't care..but its too visible...so going back and getting a new one shipped.
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Stinking chip....smh...
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More to come! Thanks for continuing the journey with me fellas.
 
If you clean it with Denatured Alcohol it'll remove all the oils and skin cells, and I've found it to often leave black plastic looking brand new. If not, spray that sucker with black interior paint before brushing on the white lettering (paint pen?). Or applying decals.

The alcohol removes lettering from other things so I wouldn't be shocked if it stripped the white.

No joke..I have not been able to find denatured alcohol for like last 18 months..something about new regulations all the hardware stores tell me. I used to use it on my nitro rc helicopters as it cleans up amazing and isn't bad on plastic and such. I may just have to clean real deep, shoot black like you said and repaint the letters. 🤔


Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has been made unfit for human consumption by adding chemicals, making it unsafe to drink.

In other words, it's alcohol with nasty additives. try using nail polish remover

A suitable substitute for denatured alcohol, particularly for uses like cleaning or dissolving shellac, is isopropyl alcohol (IPA), specifically the 99% or 91% concentrations.
 

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