I'm very interested in painting parts of the dash, doors, and other parts of my Tib..however, I was hoping I could ask some of you who have done this before a few questions. Exactly what types of paint did you use for the job? I was planning on using some of the SEM paint, but I'm not sure what type of it I need for the best results (I will prolly go with white for the color). After you took the dash/door pieces off, did you prime it with anything at all? Or did you just start spraying it on? About how many of coats of the paint (and then the clear coat) did you have to apply to the parts? After the clear coat is on, is it easy to scratch or damage the paint once it is installed back in the car? I know white might get dirty easier, but I just don't want to have it full of scratches after a few months. Does anyone know how long a paint job like this will last in the car...the last thing I want is for it to fade, crack, or peel on me. Having to redo the parts would be a huge pain, and after awhile it could start to look pretty messy I think. Sorry for all the questions, just trying to make sure if I do this, I get it right the first time. Thanks!

-Hans

 

Zup dude. Maybe I can help answer at least a couple of questions for you. Basically alot of people that have done this usually just use regular good ol' cheap WalMart spray paint. If you do that, just make sure you get paint that's gloss and not flat. I've painted a few Tib owners interiors and they've used the basic spray paint. I myself actually loaded up my spray guns and used professional automotive paint. So it depends on how professional you want to get with it. You can get a very good quality paint job for your interior parts with spray paint by doing the correct things.

1st, when you take everything out, make sure you use a good wax/oil remover to clean everything. If you don't have anything like that laying around..then you can use some good old dishwashing soap and and warm water. Make sure you clean the parts very very good, and let everything air dry fully.

2nd, you don't have to spray primer on the parts, but it definitly helps and makes things easier for the paint. Get some good quality sandable primer. Spray on a couple of light coats making sure everything is covered evenly. Wait for it to dry, and lightly wet sand the parts so it's nice and smooth.

3rd, take your paint, and just like the primer, apply thin coats at a time. After a few coats, let it sit and make sure it's fully dried. Preferably over night if possible. Once the paint has cured and is dried 100%, lightly wet sand it so it's smooth.

4th, take some good quality gloss clear coat and apply 2-3 thin coats, wet sand after it dries, and let it sit and dry fully. After it dries, take some good polish, and shine up the parts real good, and install everything back in.

These steps don't really apply to everyone, because some people will tell you that wet sanding isn't necessary, nor letting it dry over night before adding other coats of paint. It just basically depends on how fast you want it done, and how good of a quality you want. Always remember...you get out of it what you put in. wink.gif Good luck with it, and have fun!

 

Thanks man for the great tips! I deffiantly want to do this job as professionally as possible so I will get the best results. Just have a couple last questions for ya if its not too much trouble

When you mention wet sanding, what exactly does this entail? Do you just wet the pieces and lightly sand them down until they are smooth? If so, is there a special type of sandpaper (or grit #) needed to do this best? Or is wet sanding something else? Hehe

Is there a certain type of polish you would recommend for use at the end?

And finally, if I pretty much follow your guide exactly, how long would you expect a paint job like that to last? This shouldn't scratch or peel too easily should it? I'm going to try to find the best automotive paint that I can for the job since that should make a big difference. Thanks again for all the info!

-Hans

 

Hey man, I just painted some of my interior this morning. Kind of half assed it and it still looks great. I put on about 4 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear coat.(didnt wash the parts good enough, and didnt wet sand). In hindsight I would say make SURE you clean the pieces your doing to perfection because the oil thats on it prevents the paint from sticking. And I should have sanded it to but unless your really looking for and lumps or runs you cant see them. It took me about 10 minutes to get the peices out and maybe and hour to paint and they should be left to dry for probably atleast 3-5 hours but mine only set for about 2 hours. Now im just hoping nothing starts to chip or peel. Happy tuning smile.gif smile.gif

 

for the interior painting, what grit # should I use for sanding? get back at me.

 

Anwhere between #400 and #1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper will work. Use a #400 or so for the primer and go up in number for each different type of paint. Ending with #1000 on the clear coat wet sand. Since you're probably going to use automotive exterior paint, then just wax it like it's the outside of the car. If you have a buffer and some buffing compound that would make it really shiny. Good Luck. I'm actually in the process of re-painting my interior right now. I half-assed it the first time and decided to do more and do a better job (hopefully). wink.gif