Well I've done quite a bit of searching and it seems that oven cleaner or a hobby paint remover product is the most effective way to remove the "sticky" film in the 93 interiors. It seems every thread I found tiptoed around the best way to remove the film or prepare the surface but never went into great detail about it. I wanted to get an opinion from anyone who has went through this.

I took all of my "black plastic" out tonight and fooled around w/ it momentarily before turning in. I tried some paint thinner and it removed the film after some pretty hard scrubbing - I can't imagine putting that kind of elbow greece into scrubbing all of the plastics - I had just assumed drop the mother load on new pieces if it requires that kind of labor.

So, with that said, does anyone have any suggestions? I am looking for a stock finish and would absolutely love it if i could just remove the film and just go back with "bare" plastic without having to repaint the trim with something else that's not going to last when seatbelt buckles, rings, keys, etc. bang into it.

I'm actually prepared to paint it all but wanted to see if anyone had any good experiences with just removing the film and not repainting everything. I guess the worst case scenario is you repaint it all and if you need to touch it up - just mask the hell out of the area to be touched up and do it "in place" in lieu of ripping out all the fragile plastic and respraying it. I am sure that everytime something is removed - a new rattle is created.

 

Don't use paint thinner on plastics, it will probably ruin them. I sanded my door plastic and a/c panel using a coarse grit working up to very fine grit then just used krylon plastics paint and they turned out pretty good. I still need to do the gauge hood and surround yet. Considering how much the parts can cost even used, I'll spend the time. For the kick panels, rear panels and everything else behind the seats I just used a couple coats of the krylon paint and those turned out really good too. If you want to go really extreme you could talk to Gordon (gmonsen) about what he did with his, but it was very expensive.

 

Thanks for the response - I wasn't sure how sandpaper would work based on the "gummy" feel that this film has. I guess some trial and error spent on some smaller pieces will probably be the thing to do before screwing with the pieces that are in better shape. I can see that patience will be key in this whole process...

I did buy some krylon plastics paint and refinished my driver door storage lid with that and it looked great except it was noticeably shinier than the rest of the trim - I haven't looked to see if they have that available in mutlipe sheens. Some semi-gloss in that paint would probably look great if available.

 

I got the satin black finish and it is definitely darker than the original finish but it's not overly shiny. And yes, it takes a lot of work and sandpaper to get down to the plastic. If I had a sander to get the easier spots then it wouldn't have taken as long. At least when you get down the to plastic and start on the finer grit paper it doesn't take as long to do the piece.

 

use the duplicolor plasticoat its a rubber base and matches the stock interior color quiet well. search under interior paint you'll find the post.


Jeff

 

sorry I quoted the wrong stuff. the stuff you want is made by performix plasti dip multi purpose rubber coating. you get it at home depo and it matches the 93 interior very well and fills in scratches so little sanding is needed. just scuff it up with a sponge scrubber and paint. great results and easy to use

Jeff

 

search under the thread ( The answer to peeling dash panels) you will find pics of all the panels painted in the plasti dip stuff.


Jeff

 

To remove the finish use aircraft stripper.

 

Is that a hobby paint stripper? I tried sandpaper tonight and that is a nightmare. I'm in the Southeast and it is super humid and the sandpaper clogs up immediately and really just makes a big mess. I've been using a fine steel wool and that seems to do better because it doesn't clog. I know that traditional paint stripper pretty much pits and dissolves these type plastics. I plan to go by hobby lobby tomorrow and see what they have to offer in the stripper category. Thanks Purer.

In the midst of stripping that "coating" off, I can't help but wonder what moron decided to use that finish on the interior of such a great car without some R&D. Obviously it only took one year for Mazda to wisen up.

Hey Jeff - thanks for that link to that thread. I failed to search the tech forums. I'm going to see if our Lowes/Home Depot has that paint and give it a whirl. It looked like some people had great luck with it and some didn't... I hope the high humidity in this area doesn't contribute to the bad results people have had.

 

good luck.

Jeff

 

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/interior-panel-removal-791899/

 

When I did mine I actually used acetone and I bought a 10 pack of the green dish scrubbies. It does scrub off with a little effort. I didn't let it sit on the plastic very long and washed it off with a mild dish soup and water. It does take a while but it's not that bad. After the old stuff is all off I lightly sanded it and sprayed it with flat black bumper paint. It's been 2 years and it's still good.




Hope this helps.

 

Just finished doing this same thing. Everyone with scratchy plastics need to do this mod, it changes the interior dramatically. I did it at the same time as the hardbodeez/hyperite gauge mod.

Remove all plastics, inside door panels, etc. that are scratched. Sand with lite grade sandpaper (I used $3 testors multipack). Rub remaining rubber off with wash cloth + acetone. Sand a little more till smooth.

Buy black plasti-dip in the spray can ($6 at most hardware stores). Do 3-4 coats. 30 minutes inbetween.


Sorry I have no pics, G9 is broken, but I definitely recommend the plasti-dip over normal paint.

 

Nero, wow! that looks good!

 

Nice looking plastics Nero!

I just picked up my acetone and plasti-dip during my lunch break. I may try a small piece in the next day or two but I bet it's too damn humid here for this stuff to work properly. It's 73% humidity now.

Thanks for the help/tips guys.

 

+1 for nero looks great . how big of a job is it to take out the dash panels?. I've done the doors and my next step is the console.

Jeff

 

Thanks guys. Ya it takes a bit but once it's finished it looks a thousand times better. You have to take the dash panels out in order. There should be a couple how to's on where the srews and clips are. I believe you have to take out the the main gauge cluster panel and the shifter panel to get at the heater panel. I remember the gauge one to be a bitch. Just remember to pull it straight towards you (not up) with a bit of force to get it out. You also need a heat gun to remove the heater panel back lit dials (the off-1-2-3-4 etc...). Here's some more pics when I installed a start button and removed the chrome rings off the gauge cluster.

 

very interesting thread... makes the interior look a 1000x better

 

Looks great, how did you remove the chrome rings?

 

Nero...
Those are the BEST looking plastics I have ever seen. I dont know what it is but they look so freaking clean. At first I wanted black plastics with a shiny finish but screw that. Im going with flat black bumper paint.

 

That looks amazing!!! I'm going to do that to mine when the time comes...

For reference, this is what my mint plastics looked like. Nero's looks almost exactly the same

 

Where in Canada are you located nero?

 

I'm in Calgary, Alberta.

 

Wow, that is an awesome good Nero. Best looking plastics I have seen.

 

love the push button start. How easy is that to do?