its a 56 ford customline While I have the whole gauge cluster dash piece removed for rewiring and installing new gauges, I noticed the dash was over 1/2 way out at that point. So I decided this was as good a time to remove the dash and paint as any. Not real sure what to use, best way to go about it. the dash is actually in real nice shape, just faded over the years. I could have stayed with it, but being so close to being out as it was, I knew I would regret not taking the opportunity at hand to shine it up. Its currently a dark blue, almost black color, and very dull. Not sure what it looked like originally. Things I would like to know are how to prep it, what to use, do i paint, sand, paint, sand, clear coat? Type of paint, glossy, flat, in between? Would you paint the chrome trim, or leave chrome? Its pitted now, but not unbearable. There is a polished aluminum dash panel going over the gauges to I ordered, will be just the gauge part in front of steering wheel. any thoughts on it? Love to see your results and what you used, how you did it. Thanks!
Same steps as painting the exterior of a car. Lots of good tech on here. Search for paint tech threads.
Painted mine with Acme acrylic enamel (no hardner) more than 22 years ago, and it still looks good. As was quoted previously, prep it just like the rest of the body, and go for it. Also a good time for a two tone job...while it's out.
Been really thinking about a 2 toner, just dont know what colors. This is the interior colors. I guess white seems to be the popular 2nd color on 2 tones. Not sure how white would look though. Exterior is a midnight blue now, but its in poor shape and will one day get a 2 tone job outside.
I found a local shop that does powder coating. I went and visited it, and was quite pleased with the work they do and have done. They said could powder coat the dash and also clear coat it for $120, which includes prep work. Said it would be more durable than a normal paint job and will look as good. I can verify the stuff they recently did looked every bit as good as a normal paint job. Any thoughts on doing the dash that way? I called a couple of paint shops and I would be looking at twice that for painting and clear coat.
I painted the dash and door metal on my 55 nearly 15 years ago using lacquer spray cans from the local auto store. It came out nice enough that I was able to hand buff it to a gl*** like finish. No clear. Cost = $10. I did the rest of the interior in my garage using JC Whitney seat covers and material. The carpet was purchased in bulk at a farm store and hand glued in place. I pretty much did it the way I would have done it if I were a 20 year old in 1962, and it worked just fine for me, plus it has the added benefit of mostly looking like a vintage 1962 interior. Entire cost was way less than $500 for the whole inside of the car, plus a little more for the Moon steering wheel and gauges.
That looks sharp redline, nice work. If I knew I could rattle bomb my dash to look like that, I would do it for sure. Any idea what brand you used? So no clear, man that does still look good.
This is what I used. It is Plasti-Kote "Hi-Performance Cl***ic Lacquer". I bought several cans back then so I would have some for touch up. I just shook it up a few minutes ago after taking the picture and the old can still sounds good. I think this might still be available at Pep Boys or Advance Auto believe it or not (with a slightly different label). I sanded the dash, sprayed it with primer and sanded again. I then applied about 3-5 medium coats of lacquer, allowing some flash time in between of maybe 5 minutes or so per coat. After the material was thoroughly dried for a couple of weeks, I used a little hand compound with a terry cloth rag and buffed it right up. It literally is gl*** smooth. And yes, no clear coat. I don't expect it to hold up as well as a base/clear urethane finish, and frankly it might be yellowed or checking if this was a daily driver that sat out in the sun, but I drive it about 3 or 4 hours a week in the summer and it sits out at rod runs and such. So far, no deterioration. I have had a few minor chips here and there and lacquer is more susceptible to that, but it touches up easily by spraying a little in the cap and just dabbing with a small brush. Worked for me.
Thanks for the info redline, will definitely consider this. Mine will not be a daily driver either, will drive on nice days and will live in the garage. I am planning on a dark charcoal gray color, doesnt look like they have that color though.
If your dash actually removes, it would not cost that much to have a body shop or buddy squirt some actual base/clear 2K paint on it, or even just a colored unicoat (no clear). It would likely be worth the extra bucks just to get a nice durable finish on it. A more professional finish will definitely be less apt to fade or have any problems. But the spray cans will work in a pinch and is still working well for me. I would NOT recommend the powder coat idea. Powder is great for ch***is components and such, but it LOOKS like powder coat when it is done, plus it is rather thick and may not have a "crisp" appearance on your dash features. Powder is used on auto bodies in some instances (certain OEM cars) but there is a LOT of work that goes into making it look smooth and crisp like paint and not orange peeled and thick like powder. I am sure a powder applicator would argue with that, but I work for a company that is involved with the operation in both powder industrial and powder OEM body coatings, and I would not recommend it. The best solution in your case (if the dash comes out), would be to just take it to any body shop and have them paint it with 2K to your color specifications. You will have to decide if high gloss is ok for your dash. Personally, I have no problems with high gloss white (regarding reflections). I like it. But some guys would probably greatly prefer a slightly dulled down gloss to avoid reflections. I think yours would look great in a high gloss dark charcoal.
Redline, been reading up on nason, sounds like great stuff, thanks for the tip. The dash does come out, its already completely out now. I may see if I can find it locally and shoot it myself, I dont think it would be to bad to do. I called one body shop and they wanted $200 to prep and shoot the dash, and then I have 4 sills to do also, another 150-200 for that. I could probably do myself for a fraction. I will call some others today. One thing, should I use a clear coat with the nason? Does using clear matter whether I go metallic or not? I dont have a problem with a high gloss either, especially in a dark color like this will be.
If you shoot metallic, you will be best to clear it. There are several reasons, but one is that it is difficult to hand buff or machine buff single stage metallic. You will buff through the resin into the aluminum and expose the aluminum and then the aluminum can oxidize which looks pretty bad. Of course, it might be ok on the inside of the car. I would probably just go ahead and do base/clear. Then you can buff the clear out if necessary (dirt or orange peel). There are too many tips that can be given that are just similar to regular auto body prep already discussed here on the HAMB and elsewhere. Do some searches or spend some time on the internet and you can learn a ton pretty quickly. Above all, I would highly recommend you spray some practice pieces before spraying your good parts. Make sure you have a technique and paint you like before potentially making a mess out of your good parts. Feel free to send me a PM with any detailed questions and I would be happy to help you out. Good luck!
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