Repainting the inter

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GP403

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Repainting the interior HOWTO

Finally got around to removing all of the interior pieces (well most of them so far) in order to repaint them. They're pretty faded, some to the point of being almost grey in color instead of the original dark blue. So I'm putting this as kind of howto article.

What you'll need:
  • Philips screwdriver
  • Big Torx head for seat belt bolts (don't have exact # atm)
  • SEM color coat aerosol paint in the correct (or close) color
  • Soap/water/rags to clean the parts
  • pliers for bending pins around and such

You can start pretty much wherever you want, just start removing the plastic parts you need to paint. On my Grand Prix these are:

  • T-Top latch points (if equipped)
  • A-pillar trim
  • Piece that goes in the corner of the dash 1/2 way down the front of the door jam
  • Kick panels
  • Shifter boot bezel (or console parts if so equipped)
  • B-Pillar/inside back of door piece
  • Top and Bottom rear inside panels
  • Top of windshield trim
  • Top of rear window trim
  • Bottom door panels (mine are two piece, YMMV)

Removing most of this is pretty straightforward, with the following possible exceptions:

  • Be careful removing the pieces that go into the corner of the dash, they're wedged in there kind of strange. They come out easier than they go back in, but if they've become brittle they could snap in half on you.
  • Be aware that the trim piece above the rear window has a hard plastic clip in the center of it holding it up. I broke this clip removing mine, so be aware.
  • I haven't yet figured out how to get the rear panels out. :roll: It looks like I'm going to have to remove the rear seat to get them out. I may even need to remove the front seats in order to unhook the seat belts at the floor to run them through. These I'll be doing last :D Also be careful, as you might catch the top panels on the headliner if you're not careful, and maybe tear it up.

You might want to get some baggies to put screws in and label them, I didn't and I think I've forgotten where some of them go! :(

Once you've got them out, clean them. Get as much of the dirt and treatments (like armor all etc.) off of them as you can. I used some simple green and a rag and soft brush. Be careful though! Some of the parts, especially the A-pillar trim may start to flake off and even come off in pieces. So be gentle. :D

On the door panels, remove the armrests, switch trim, etc. Mine have a chrome ring around the bottom carpet section which is held in place by a bunch of bent-over metal tabs, take this off too, unless you'd rather mask it off. My GP has a fabric on the top panels, I don't think this is the case on all of the G-Bodies though, so you may be painting the tops as well. If your fabric is faded you can use this same paint to freshen it up a bit.

Paint! Be sure to shake the living daylights out of the cans, as this stuff apparently needs to be mixed up rather well. Work in light coats (you guys know how to paint stuff, right! :wink: ) It dries quickly, like in 10-15 minutes, so its not as bad as it sounds. Some areas that are particularly faded might need a lot of coats, or if you're altogether changing colors. The A-pillar and 'dash-corner' parts were especially faded on mine, along with the rear panels.

Be sure to work in someplace well ventilated, because this paint has some nasty fumes! :lol:

Once I get the rear panels out I'll try to post some before and after pictures to show just how badly faded out this stuff can get from the sun. My rear panels have a nice dark stripe where the seat belt rests.
 

76Eldo_convertFI

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jul 29, 2005
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Las Vegas, NV
Re: Repainting the interior HOWTO

GP403 said:
It looks like I'm going to have to remove the rear seat to get them out. I may even need to remove the front seats in order to unhook the seat belts at the floor to run them through. These I'll be doing last :D Also be careful, as you might catch the top panels on the headliner if you're not careful, and maybe tear it up.

Yep, the rears gotta come out to remove the lower panels. Had to do that on my 85' Regal to pull a couple of wires into the trunk for a remote trunk latch and deck lid pin for my alarm. Not bad though, only a couple of screws and it's out.

Seatbelts, it's easier pulling the bolt side through the seat holes, but I think that the latch can be forced through if you take your time. I found this out when I pulled my bench seat and tried to mount some 55/45 buckets. Took an hour to pull the bench but it went back in in 1/2 the time.

I found out that bench equiped cars don't have the inner (near the hump) seat track mounting brackets & bolt. Went to a boneyard and bagged a set from a bucket doner by drilling out all the spot welds. Since I don't weld, when I get around to installing them, I will braze them in at all the drilled spot weld holes and around the perimeter or the brackets.

When it's done, I'll post some pics.

Good info on the trim painting. Be carefull with what you use to clean it. Some strong cleaners take out the oils in the vinyl and can cause cracking down the road. Best thing I've found is a weak warm solution of Simple Green, towel dry & follow up with an alcohol wipe just prior to painting. Keep you paws off the stuff (wear rubber gloves) because your fingers put oil back onto it and the paint won't stick. Thin coats are the best, too heavy and the texture gets lost.
 

GP403

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chev malibu

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Aug 7, 2006
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B.C.
I know that this original thread is a bit old, but I thought I might add to it for any newbies that are scratching thier heads wondering how to deal with that old chalky, oxidized, sun bleached hard plastic trim.

My 1980 cpe has seen 26 years without a roof over it's head, so the hard trim really took a beating. :( Like GP403 my navy blue interior (some, not all) had turned a sickly grey. It was not only faded grey, but was chalky. I could run a finger nail across it and raise a cloud of dust. :shock: It needed more than just painting!

Believe it or not, I ended up after a bit of experimenting, using a power drill, with a light wire wheel chucked to it. I mounted the drill in a B&D Workhorse, and then locked it on. I slowly drew the plastic trim parts over the wire wheel, like you would if you were buffing, on a buffing wheel. The dust flew, so wear eye protection and a dust mask!

As the old texture finish was brushed off, a new textured finish appeared. Now nice and dark blue. The wire wheel put a texture back into the finish. If you are careful, it can look pretty good when painted. Tight areas that you can't get withe the wire wheel, I used a dremel, with a dremel wire wheel. A wire detail brush works good too.

Once all the oxidizing was brushed off, I sprayed SEM Plastic Prep, on the part, gave it a wipe down, then a serious rinse under the hose. After it dried overnight, I misted on a couple of coats of SEM trim paint. It came out looking like new. I was very impressed. :D

This SEM paint can also be used on soft vinyl, and faded carpet. I will report on the carpet results, but as the soft vinyl was still in excellent shape, I don't have to bother with it.

P.S. those Torx bolts that hold the seatbelts in are a major pain to remove. The bottoms of them project under the floor, so you can wire brush the rust, and spray some penetrating oil on them, to help removal, but they are TIGHT!

Hope this helps someone.

Bill
 

87GP

Greasemonkey
Jul 15, 2006
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Many of those dried up chalky interior trim moldings are available as new repro items. Check out places that sell monte carlo resto parts. Most trim parts are interchangeable. True it can get expensive replacing everything, but it's nice to know that if one or 2 pieces turn to dust in your hands new ones can be had w/o searching boneyards for more of the same old dried out trim parts.

www.dixiemontecarlo.com has every trim part in most colors. I plan on replacing all my 78 el camino trim.
 

79GP6.6L

Greasemonkey
Jul 7, 2006
218
0
0
Upstate NY
I wish someone would reproduce some model specific (GP?) interior parts for those of us who would like to keep the same style of door panels. Since I don't think anyone does, though - thanks for all the refinishing tips!
 
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