Hi everyone,
I have used my 88 GXL to move things I never should have done! The worst was putting a landscape timber through the windshield!

Anyway, how do I find the proper rattle can spray paint to restore the interior plastic parts to their original color? Besides the scratches there are sun bleached areas that need to be restored also.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

 

Sorry to know about the windshield. If someone got hurt or the car was knocked off the stands it was sitting on you would have another level of pain to deal with.

As for the interior pieces, you are in luck, this thread might be good for your situation.

https://www.rx7club.com/build-thread...hread-1125737/

The interior peices are in the beginning.

There is one more on here for restoring to Maroon that is very good too. I am having trouble finding it.

https://www.rx7club.com/search.php?d...%20restoration

It seems like people use either vinyl dye or paint.

 

I like the idea of using a dye instead of a spray covering, a dye will permeate the plastic where a spray will put a top coating on which might peel off in time.

What do you think!

 

on the 1st gen cars i've had great luck with SEM stuff, easily went 10 years

 

This thread completely slipped past me. I remember seeing it once and thinking I would respond later but then never getting to it. Meanwhile my build thread was already mentioned here.

There are a few lessons I've learned about the interior paints that you might find useful. I used to call them dyes (because that's what's on the can) and it sort of looks like dye because it appears to "soak" into the surface as it dries, but it is in fact paint.

First, I don't think there are any correct matches out there for the stock colours other than black. This wasn't a problem for me since I wanted the black interior, but if you want to keep a maroon, blue, or grey interior then that will be a lot harder.

Second, the SEM is really the best stuff. I went with Duplicolor for other reasons which I'll get to. But the SEM can definitely has a better nozzle that lays down smoother and makes a finer mist. You do pay quite a premium but it's worth it.

Third, the glossy colors are the only durable ones. I went with Duplicolor because they offered a matte black. It ends up being more of a satin finish than matte, but I'm very happy with the outcome. Unfortunately I think whatever component in the paint makes them glossy is also what makes them durable because the matte definitely isn't as sturdy. It isn't a problem on most plastics but in areas where prep work is difficult or the surface was already in poor shape, the paint has a tendency to flake. It's been a problem in the corners of the door cards near the handle cup.

Lastly, it's all in the prep work. Everything needs to be 100% clean and free of dirt and grease. Particularly parts that have been wiped with armor-all in the past. I scrubbed the parts with purple degreaser (diluted in water), then rinsed, degreased again, rinsed. I used a fine bristle brush to make sure I got into all the textured areas on the surface. For most parts that's all they needed, but I also used very fine grit sandpaper on some parts to try and break any shine and give some extra surface area to the paint. I'm not sure if that helped at all, but if you sand too far then you damage the texture so I recommend against it unless you're experiencing adhesion issues.

Hopefully that's helpful for you. If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I might be able to offer some advice.