Interior makeover... Opinions please!

[shadrach74]

Just had the interior bits redone in Arctic Silver. I elected to hold off on having the e-brake handle painted and polished it to a shine instead. What do you all think? Should I install it polished?...painted matte black?...or have it done in arctic silver as well? As you can see the top trim piece is already done Arctic Silver.

Look forward to your opinions...

[shadrach74]

...................

[Mark_T]

I think it looks great the way it is. Maybe hit it with clear so it stays shiny.

[Timco]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

...................

Love the silver interior. Mine is stock...

[Porsche Pete]

I Like the look of that...Co ordinated look.. What paint did you use..Just regular car paint and then a laquer??

Think this will be a job for me in spring.!

Polished brake looks good..

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by Porsche Pete

I Like the look of that...Co ordinated look.. What paint did you use..Just regular car paint and then a laquer??

Think this will be a job for me in spring.!

Polished brake looks good..

I know a body shop guy that moonlights. He used solvent based PPG.

$200 to do the the console bits, the door arm rests and the lower door sills. However, I did all of my own prep work which took at least 5 hrs. I'll post pics when everything is re-installed.

[fullthrottle52]

I am thinking of having my console painted also. How did you remove the black outer finish off the plastic to get it down to the shiny plastic underneath? Is there a solvent that works well?

Any help would be appreciated.

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by fullthrottle52

I am thinking of having my console painted also. How did you remove the black outer finish off the plastic to get it down to the shiny plastic underneath? Is there a solvent that works well?

Any help would be appreciated.

I experimented with several solvents (MEK, acetone, naphtha); none of them would remove the top layer without eating into the base plastic.
At the end of the day, I've decided the the best process is to soak the part you're working on in very hot water (so hot that you can barely tolerate reaching into to retrieve the part) for 5 minutes and then rub the "soft touch" plastic with steelwool and or scotchbrite pads.
When you've finally removed all traces of the exterior soft touch, clean it everything with alcohol.

[Homeboy981]

For my project I did it the "low tech" way. I sanded my butt off!

Start with 400 grit and move up progressively to 1200.

TIP: First coat needs to be VERY LIGHT. After 2-5 coats of color and a couple of lacquer, you need to let project "air-out" for 5 days. Then, final wet sand with 2000 grit.

Here's a pic of my project, took a week but love the improvements.


Here's a pic of it installed.


I have an instructible around on this somewhere.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by fullthrottle52

I am thinking of having my console painted also. How did you remove the black outer finish off the plastic to get it down to the shiny plastic underneath? Is there a solvent that works well?

Any help would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by shadrach74

I experimented with several solvents (MEK, acetone, naphtha); none of them would remove the top layer without eating into the base plastic.
At the end of the day, I've decided the the best process is to soak the part you're working on in very hot water (so hot that you can barely tolerate reaching into to retrieve the part) for 5 minutes and then rub the "soft touch" plastic with steelwool and or scotchbrite pads.
When you've finally removed all traces of the exterior soft touch, clean it everything with alcohol.

I saw somewhere it was recommended to put it in the dishwasher to soften it up.

[heliguy]

Timco, clean up those wires !

[thstone]

I commend the huge DIY effort and the quality of the end product. Looks great!

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by thstone

I commend the huge DIY effort and the quality of the end product. Looks great!

That means a lot coming from you Tom!

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by BruceH

I saw somewhere it was recommended to put it in the dishwasher to soften it up.

I tried that with the smaller pieces, but As you can imagine, the console will not fit in the dishwasher. I found that a hot water soak produced even better results because you had the added benefit of working for a bit and then resubmerging a part to reheat it. While waiting for the last one to reheat, I could work on a different one...until it cooled and the I'd resubmerging it and grab another. I need to stress that I used very hot water (I live in an old house with very hot water) so hot that could not stand to have my heads in it for more than the half second it takes to pull a new part out...

[tonycarreon]

my opinion, black. i don't care for the shiny with the silver and black. seems out of place.

[shadrach74]

Thanks for being the lone dissenter Tony. I looked at it in black first (should have photographed it) and I think the polished look works. If I could figure out how to give it a "brushed aluminum" look, I'd try that as well...

[Perfectlap]

The silver is nice. I have it (new never installed Ebay). But I'm thinking of maybe going the Alcantara/leather route for the center console and dash. I'm leaning towards reducing the amount of exposed plastic surface.

Here's an alcantara steering wheel, shifter and e-brake set on a 996 Turbo.