I've been experimenting with ways to recolor faded interior surfaces. Maybe this is something that's already been covered in this forum a hundred times by others, but I figured I'd post anyway.
Today I re-colored the shifter boot, steering wheel center, park brake handle grip and did a test on a vinyl door panel. My interior color is Burgundy (aka Maroon). I used Fiebing's Leather Dye (Burgundy shade). It was absorbed very well by the rubber shifter boot, steering wheel center and park brake grip. Slightly less well by the vinyl door panel but still pretty good. The resulting shade seems to be a bit darker than what I figure the original was, but pretty close. In all cases, the dye did not transfer or bleed onto hands or cloth when rubbed (after it had dried and was buffed). So, it seems pretty stable at room temp. Can't say if it will remain stable at high outdoor temps. Also, can't say how UV resistant it will be. So, the leather dye seems to work very well to convert the fecal rainbow of sun-faded browns, yellows and greens of a once burgundy interior back to something that is pretty close to the original. There is a before/after comparo of the steering wheel center. I forgot to do a before photo of the shifter boot, but it was an awful mix of brown and green before I dyed it. Looks good now, I think. What do you think? Do you have other techniques or products for re-coloring soft interior materials?

 

Seems like a good product!! I typically use SEM Color Coat, which is a spray on dye and it seems to adhere relatively well. But it does not penatrate the surface and actually dye the material. Its more of a durable top coat. Seems that what you're using is actually dying the material. Looks to be good stuff!

 

I’ve had really good results with the SEM product you mentioned. I use it on the hard plastic surfaces. I lay down a coat of SEM ‘Sand Free’ first before I spray the color coat. Not sure how much advantage there is using the Sand Free. A small side by side test patch with and without it looked the same. I was reluctant to use the SEM products on the soft surfaces, as I feared they might not be that durable, especially on high wear areas, or on areas that are frequently flexed (like the shifter boot).

 

Hi Darcy,

I have to try my hand at some interior restorations sometime next year. The SEM spray on hard surfaces and dye on soft surfaces seems to make really good sense.

I've never owned an RX7 with burgundy interior from new. Does the steering wheel centre look more brown than burgundy .. or is that just how the photo turned out?

Keep posting before/after shots. This is great information.

 

The ‘after’ shot of the steering wheel center looks a bit brown in the photo. In person, it is a deep burgundy. It is a little darker than I imagine it was when new. I believe it is possible to make the red tones more prominent by mixing some of the dark red Fiebing’s into the burgundy before applying. I’ve never done that, but the leather shop that sold me the dye says it is a common technique for achieving the desired tone. I will probably try that before I do the doors and inner kick panels. I won’t be dying again for a while, as I have to focus now on getting my dash re-assembled. But when I do, I will post the results.

 

If you do use SEM you need to wash the part and degrease it , then use plastic paint adhesion promoter ( maybe thays what sand free is) If not the paint chips on impact

 

Yep...."Sand Free" is SEM's brand name for adhesion promoter. I agree with de-greasing. Even an oily fingerprint can cause a nasty splotch.

 

Today I dyed the shifter ****. I am happy with the results. This time I mixed 15% Feibings Red with 85% Feibings Burgundy. It seemed to be a slightly better match of shade than when I used 100% Burgundy.

 

Nicely done!

 

Wow, the shift **** camr out darn near perfect! Nicely done!

 

Very interesting. I have take n a different approach, of the 'don't try this at home' type
I've used a torch to make a thin layer of plastic melt gain. It works but it's not immune to risks. I applied it to some other surfaces too.

 

That melting method is clever, I'm going to give it a try. On some spare parts first.

 

The application of heat to softened surfaces is news to me. Thanks for posting. I will definitely try it. I’m thinking about heating and then dyeing or painting - in that order. The heat seems to harden the surface but not fully restore the deep color. The dye/paint should correct that.

 

This is great stuff. I also recommend keywee shoe Polish. That die is just about as good for black and Gray surfaces.

 

Well, I did have a burgundy interior FA back in the early '80s, but damned if I can remember much from back then. I do believe the steering wheel center cap came from the production line in burgundy, as the back side of the steering wheel center cap (where the sun don't shine) is burgundy. It is made from a rubber-like material similar to the shifter boot. Both of them had become brown over the years. And both responded really well to the Freybe dye. If you use the dye, be very careful with it. Always wear gloves and a protective surface that can catch spills. Also, be aware that the dye WILL rub off a bit. So, after it has cured for a couple of days give it a good rub with a soft cloth to take off the residue. Some say that a wipe-down with household vinegar after curing helps to stabilize the dye, but I've never tried that. Good luck.

 

Burgundy is a very hard color to work with. Black is much more forgiving. The wheel cover looks amazing, I wouldn't know it wasn't oem and well preserved!

 

You are right about that, Jarvis. My method for color matching is to mix dye colors to get the right shade. For example 85% burgundy + 15% red. My previous restoration had faded black seatbelts. They responded very well to the black dye. They looked like new when done. There is a risk of the dye transferring to hands and clothes, so be sure to rub off the excess after it has cured. Some say that a bath of household vinegar serves to stabilize and fix the dye, but I've not tried that.