nunchuckgun

k so i just picked up an 87 rx7 a few days ago, now a lot of people know how some of the 80s sports cars came with some colorful interiors....well this is one of em, straight up ugly baboon ass red interior....i need this shit gone, im gonna buy some new door pieces and stuff like that but the only thing i dont know how to do is take the dashboard out....im thinking of attempting to paint it while its still in the car...my current interior is pretty much shit so im not worried about getting paint on anything other than the cluster, idiot panel, wheel, and windshield.... anyone got any method they think will work good? ive looked up a bunch of interior painting write ups so i know how to prep an paint but im a complete newb with a spray can...


i know im gonna catch a lot of flame for this but just keep it to a minimum please?

rflynn1

A buddy of mine had the same color on his GXL. Pretty much you need painters tape, and some patience. Check out T.A.P.E or Sherwin Williams on VB Blvd, they have plenty of spray options to choose from, and plenty of colors. Good luck.

nunchuckgun

yeah so you know what im talking bout then haha, i just want it black and im assuming they have that ill have to check it out, did he spray the dash while it was in the car??

rflynn1

Yeah he sprayed while it was in the car. You are going to need some tape, I say painters tape (blue) because it's great for delicate surfaces, and those that are freshly painted. One roll should do the job depending on how worried you are about getting spray where its not supposed to be. To be on the safe side I woud take the seats out, I imagine they are cloth since I don't remember the 87' having a leather option. The seat removal will take all of 20 minutes. Cover the carpet and the rest of the floor with a dropcloth or newspaper, then tape off any surface around the dash that you are concerned about. I imagine you are already on rx7club, I always see black interior pieces going for pretty cheap. Good luck again

GreatShamanGT

Just cover everything up with some newspaper. Then just sand everything you want to paint down. Don't use paint thinner, that stuff is bad for the plastics. Used it before for my dash and it didn't turn out too good. Remember primer, and then paint. I think the best looking paint is the Krylon flat black. Make sure you apply it evenly. Before you start painting your own car, try painting something else, and see if any of your painting causes streaks, etc. Just practice until you get an even coating on w/e you're painting.

nunchuckgun

appreciate the help ppl, yeah flynn im not worried about the seats, like i said the whole inteiror is fucked the seats are really beat up so im gonna swap em out im not really worried bout destroying them, and yeh im on rx7 club but i read up on a dash removal thread and the guy said it takes about 6 hours.... i might spend that much time painting it so why not just leave it in the car.. now some things said to use rubbing alcohol before painting and some said to use soap an wash it....which one you guys suggest?

bbsIx

id go with the alcohol then let it air dry.

Niburu

you are actually best off not pulling that dash out of the FC
everyone I've talked said they couldn't get it back in right without removing the windshield

so far all the suggestion have been good, just take your time

nunchuckgun

oh wow haha, thanks, and bbs the only thing im worried about if i use alcohol is all the dust in the car and all the pollen outside right now sticking to the alcohol which would just force me to do it over..

Fabrik8

Pollen isn't going to stick to the alcohol, it will evaporate too fast. If it does stick to the alcohol, it will only be stuck until the alcohol evaporates, and then the pollen will be the same as if it just settled out of the air like usual.

Pollen will, however, stick to the wet paint quite well unless you have a fairly controlled environment to paint in.

You should do both, soap/water and alcohol. The soap and water gets the bulk of oils, dirt, etc., off of the parts, and then the alcohol removes any finger oils and residue from the soap. You could also use acetone or an auto body degreaser/wax remover if the part you're painting can handle being wiped with a more aggressive solvent. Rubbing alcohol by itself isn't that great, it's much better as a final wipe after something else has done the dirty work.