Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics painting the ENTIRE dashboard, not just the panel

Alright we've all seen the custom work that many have done on the main plastic dash panel and I like it. But I want to take things a little further...

What would it take to turn the tan interior of my SVT black? So far I know the route to take for the Seats and Carpet. But I'm at a loss as how to get the dash board painted or dyed black along with the door panels. Just for the record, I'm dead serious about doing this so help from the big boys (aka Terry Haines, Chris Hightower, Street Concepts and other interior experts would be appreciated). Of course all other input is welcome to, I just need to make this happen.

i did it w/ the interior paint from autozone and it worked great , just be sure to clear coat it or it will chip , ill have pics soon.


96 gl red w/ black and red int. 17"konigs , intrax springs (cut coil off front )
tinted windows , touring spoiler , ford 9mm wires, cta intake, custom dual ext. audio/video system

You definately need to clear coat. One of my friends just bought a Honda Civic SI and the person who owned it before him painted the dash black, and it is now chiping so bad that he has to replaced anything that was painted as it is such a pain to get off.

what color did u paint yours? doesnt ford have some type of paint for plastic or vinyl?

The chipping comes from the surface not being prepped correctly, not because the lack of a clear coat. Trust me, custom sterio installers do it properly all of the time. The shop I used to work for used "Marhide" brand spray stains for vinyl and leather to match any interior color or to custom colorize any interior. To go black from tan will be a piece of cake, most likely 1-2 coats will work. Marhide also makes a surface prep chemical to remove all silicone type enhancers such as Armor All. Fisheyes will result if not prepped properly and getting rid of those is next to impossible. Even works on carpet and fabrics. Also available at paint shops.

There's also a totally custom way you can go do change vinyl and leather to a totally custom color. Dupli-color makes a urathane bumper primer that goes on clear. When it dries to tacky, spray the first of 3 color coats with ANY exterior spray paint including factory color exterior paints. The bumper primer keeps the paint from cracking and keeps it flexible, even in extreem heat. I have a friend that we did his interior in red metalic on his soft vinyl dash pad, looks killer and has survived two years in Iowa cold harsh winters and hot muggy summers.

if you look in the summit racing catalog they have this dye that can be used on anything except for metal i think...works really well my friend used it in his altima
probably alot cheaper than paint too...and i bet it'd look better

Thanks for the info everyone, bnoon especially. brad do u think this is something that one should tackle on his own or leave to the car audio installers for a professional job? I did a few quick searches for the Marhide products and didn't find anything so maybe you could steer me in the right direction.

I wasn't even aware that car audio installers did this type of work. How much should I expect to be charged? i'd appreciate any info you have, thanks much.

Mostly the car audio guys do it when they make custom door panels for a sterio install or something. We had a couple of cars that wanted a direct match, so we had to dye everything the same color. I don't know what they'ed charge for just the dye portion of the work, probably by the hour.

I think it's something you can do if you have any spray can skills. As I said, be SURE to prep the surface right. You can probably find some spray dye at an auto interior shop and they'd be able to give you tips about their brand of product too. If you use any spray detailer for your vinyl, be sure to prep it twice just to be sure...

exactly what I wanted to hear, thanks for the help. all black interior here I come...

Me too, someday...