need some help...

[seanski]

i hate to make another interior paint thread, but i did a search, and could not find the information i needed...

what is the best way to mask off parts of the dash that should not be painted? esp clock, vents, and the open/close vent wheels? or can they just be removed? i have an xd2. any suggestions?

[reddragon]

The best way would be... "carefully"

If you're doing the dash, remove it and take off everything on it that you don't want painted.

Use quality masking tape to mask of the areas you don't want to paint. Larger areas can be covered with plastic and masked at the edges.

[seanski]

do all of the vents come off though?

[mlumz]

vents on top can be removed

[seanski]

sweet thanks :D

i'm going to paint it gloss black (color match to exterior) with a couple coats of clear, and eventually the armrests as well... i'll post pics of results :tongue:

[Tommy]

I hate to quote you're sig...but

"shhhhh...don't ruin it for him, He'll figure it out eventually..."

it seems very appropriate. The last thing you want is a super shiny black interior.

1: - Itll look like crap even with the best painting skill
2: - If you have to ask how to tape off something, i doubt you really have the skill to tackle such a large piece, expecially since im assuming you're going to rattle can it.

but hey, its you're car...

dont paint anything inside the car. If you want to paint the dash, you need to remove the dashboard.

[seanski]

i was never planning to paint it inside my car, i just wanted to know whether the vents were permanently attached to the dash or not. i can mask them off if they are, i just wanted some pointers from people who had done this before and had run into issues that you find out after you start, but i guess im on my own...

i see your point about the shiny black though... if you have any suggestions on color, i was, and still am all ears... i have black exterior fyi...

[Tommy]

You can do black, theres not issues with that, but you should do it in an OEM type color and shine. If you do high gloss, it will be 2x as difficult and it will be hard to keep the shine.

check out SEM's line of vinyl paints. about the best stuff you can use if you're going to tackle such a project.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autobodydepot/sealcoat.aspx#

what color is your dash now?

[seanski]

right now my dash and interior is charcoal.

i wasnt going to use ultra high gloss, just adhesion promoter, then duplicolor topcoat, then duplicolor clear. it is color matched to exterior as far as gloss goes

not too many coats of clear, just enough to give the black a little protection from dings and such, to keep it looking good

[rckozma]

Don't forget that anything high gloss on the dash you will have a lot of glare from the sun.

[Tommy]

right now my dash and interior is charcoal.

i wasnt going to use ultra high gloss, just adhesion promoter, then duplicolor topcoat, then duplicolor clear. it is color matched to exterior as far as gloss goes

not too many coats of clear, just enough to give the black a little protection from dings and such, to keep it looking good

matching the gloss to the exterior would be difficult, and pick up lots of glare. SEM finishes are similar to factory colors/finishes. You dont need a clear coat whether its gloss or semi- or matte. It adhears to the plastic.