[dtompsett]

Hey Everyone. I was wondering, Has anyone tried to paint their center console? or the outside mirrors? I have an '88 Fox GL, In the dark red, and I was thinking about painting the center console red to match.
Would I need to sand it? Or should I just leave it, and be happy that I will have two extra consoles for my car?
Any advice would be great.

 

[Ponyboy Curtis]

Re: Painting Center Console? (dtompsett)

My opinion is that it would look odd all smoothed and painted, no matter what color. (I shudder when I peer through the windows of some of the local Honduhs and see yellow or red paint globbed over everything plastic in sight.)
What I suggest is painting it with the type of paint that dries with a slight texture. Even the local wal-mart should have a selection of these paints; most of them are for exterior use and as long as they say they wont harm plastic then its all good.

 

[92foxrox]

Re: Painting Center Console? (dtompsett)

I like the matching console and carpet setup for smooth purposes, in some ways. I think that your model may have came with the black or brown carpet, and I think that red would probably make it stand out too much. Do you have a black console, or brown, or grey?? I would go with the basic black sans pearls carpet for starts, if you don't have it. Then maybe a black console, just cleaned up real good and a good coat of silicone.
I am waiting on a shift boot from Brazil, that might work to spice up the interior some for you. Anthracite (Scott) says his is great, but it is grey. Hmmm. Maybe dye the dagum thing. We'll see if we can get it in black. Working on an e-brake cover in the same leatherette material. I got the demo version of the shift boot, was the wrong size bottom, but seemed like a decent piece, and Z says that the new one he is offering is nicer. Scott above seems to agree.
Mirrors, I have seen painted mirrors fly by me at a high rate of speed. I have always wanted to paint the trim and mirrors body color (on mine, silver), because that fly by mentioned above had been done that way, and done very well.
Spraycan jobs in red I think will look just like that. See what the pros say. My current concern is the fact that I use liberal silicone, and I hear that it is hard to remove for painting. So my trim may undergo some Plasticcote paint in black, and if I don't like it, it will become like Adams. I have used Forever Black, and I like it also. Due to my aforementioned use of slicone, though, I can't seem to get it "right". Maybe when I pull everything off, it will work better.
Good luck, and tell us how it went. You guys up by Adam have some interesting setups on your Foxes.......
LP
Silicone mad and getting madder all the time.

 

[Vee Dubb]

Re: Painting Center Console? (dtompsett)

Here is what I have done for interior plastics:
door panels on ford pickups, 3-guage consoles for A1 Rabbits, etc, I sand it down good, smooth or not, and shoot it with a coat of "rock guard". It gives a texture like rubberized undercoating, but dries nice and hard. Then, after that cures, I 'scuff' it with scotch pads and shoot it the color I want. Remember, if there is any flex in the plastic piece, you will want a paint that can also flex. I was mixing my own paint and shooting it from a jam gun, so I mixed in a flex agent. The ford door panels I did (on a friends diesel rig) still look good, and that was done back in '93. So the wear factor or crack/peel/flake factor isnt an issue. And this is a 1 ton work truck that gets ALOT of abuse, put it this way, the guy who owns it is named "cowboy". No S#!t

 

[vwcabby]

Re: Painting Center Console? (dtompsett)

you goto your grocery store and get one of those plastic scrubbies you would use on your dirty dishes. make scrub every part of the console. soak it in hot water for about 15 mins to get all the dirt and stuff off. dry it. Spary it with flat red. then get a clear coat and spray it on for protection. thats how me and my friend do it.

 

[Vee Dubb]

Re: Painting Center Console? (vwcabby)

quote:[HR][/HR]you goto your grocery store and get one of those plastic scrubbies you would use on your dirty dishes. [HR][/HR]​

That is basically what a scotch pad is. Works great. And yes, a good soap and water wash would be enough for prep, assuming you let it time to dry. Paint and water do not mix.