Hey guys i have a super faded ashtray in my 1987 TII, i'm wanting to repaint it black, wondering what sandpaper to use (ie grit) and what paint?? I tried some paint without sanding it and the paint didn't stick at all. Thanks.

 

Well, I'd hit it with some 220 grit, then some 400... then paint it... but, you'll have to wear down the stock texture thats on it. I would suggest maybe scrubbing it really well with alcohol or something then try painting it before you start sanding... Just an idea.

 

Sanding? Bah... I just gave it a quick clean and then hit it with a can of semi-gloss black I had in the garage. It matched perfectly and you serieously can't even tell it's painted even several years later.

 

a quick clean with what? paint thinner? what kind of paint do i need, vinyl? plastic?

 

Just use anything really. Its not like you need to run the ash tray through a pressurized car wash and worry about the paint blowing off in sheets. Its just an ashtray.

And to be honest sanding a plastic without proper adhesion promoters can actually worsen the adhesion because it will bring oils in the plastic to the surface. Not to mention that the piece in question is textured, which means the bottom of the texture "grooves" will not get sanded unless you buzz the entire thing smooth.

Scuff with a scotch brite pad and mild soap. Then thouroughly dry the piece and paint with your favourite rattle-can. Done.

 

I just painted my ashtray a few weeks ago. The owner of the car it had been in must have smoked like a chimney - the top of lid was brown.

What finally got rid of the brown was repeated scrubbing with baking soda, a rag and a smidge of water. After that I hit it 2 or 3 times with gloss black Tremclad and it was good to go.

 

I lightly sanded to rmove the surface crap and then used primer then auto gloss black.

 

you shoud have just hit it with some oil would have looked brand new

 

Use this stuff-

It's made for the job. Just clean the surface with some alcohol.

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinyl.html

http://www.duplicolor.com/training/vinyl_training.html

 

ok i have actually done this, i used ammonia to clean it (killed the paint/dye or whatever) by accident

i would just
-clean her off with soap and water
-let it dry
-tape off the button that opens it
-spray paint it

i used krylon black laquer, it provided a finish that exactly matched the dash.
use really light coats (or it will look terrible) and let it dry in between. I think i did about 3-4 coats over a few hours. It has looked great for a couple months now

 

hmm did anyone else notice the FD interior banner on the first duplicolor link

 

Ok thanks guys, you answered my question exactly.

Cheers.

 

you can rub leather conditioner into it, it'll take a bit of time, but it will look brand new

 

...another option; for future refrence to anyone on the forum...

...an MX-3 ashtray is the same as the FC's, but instead of the orange "open" label, it's white...

 

+1. Plastic becomes old and brittle as the oil in it evaporates. Very low viscosity oil is basically what they use at the factory. A common very low viscosity oil is WD-40.

All plastics & rubbers usually contain "plasticizers" to soften them or make them more flexible (not brittle & dull). Plasticizers are nothing more than very low viscosity oil. "New car smell" comes from the oil they usually use on the plastics.

Engineering materials class FTW.

 

On how its made, they said the new car smell comes from the glue they use putting the car together.

 

I didn't know they even used that much glue at all to put a car together. I'm gonna have to trust my professor more on this one. EDIT: a quick trip to wiki says that the smell is a combination of volatile chemics. Makes sense. So it's the plasticizers, glues, paint, carpet chemicals, etc. all put together. I find that more believable.

 

I ran mine thru the dish washer, but left the heat-dry cycle on... completely faded the lid just like the OP is talking about. However, it's absolutely the best way to clean your ash tray.

I'll have to try the semi-gloss black paint trick.

 

clean it with leather conditioner, itll look new again

 

lol a good clean and semi gloss is what I did and ya really wouldn't realize unless you paid close attention