Plastic Refinishing Question

[lueckel_17]

Hi,

I am looking to refinish the plastic in my '72 convertible. I have removed the rear quarter panels and am planning to remove the snaps and all attachments. I would like to repaint them black instead of the red they are now. They have been previously painted and I am looking for recommendations on how to prep them for paint. The previous paint is starting to chip and I want to ensure that my new primer and paint sticks.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

find a local shop that can strip them by soda blasting. This process is pretty gentle on the substrate, but removes everything.

 

[sdstang]

If they are weathered the texture might come off easily I had that happen to one of mine and I can tell you that the vert rear trim panels in good condition and unmolested are hard to find. Also, the repro's done look like the originals. Good luck.

 

[Boss1Ray]

I searched this site for interior plastic paint and found tons of great info here:

http://is.gd/9qK1zc

Ray

 

[Mister 4x4]

rofl

Google search with tons of 7173Mustangs links. Classic! ::thumb::

 

[72Bossclone]

In my 72 fastback someone had painted my rear trim pieces previously with cheap black spray paint to refresh them very sloppy and full of runs. What worked best was the take a green scotch brite pad and some lacquer thinner and cleaned all the old stuff off, then it resprayed them with a light coat of black lacquer spray paint and for 6 years they look very good yet only flaked the paint in 2 spots around the screw holes. I'm planning to redo them this spring in colorbond or sem interior dye.

 

[Boss1Ray]

rofl

Google search with tons of 7173Mustangs links. Classic! ::thumb::

Eric - even YOU can do it!!!



Ray

 

[Austin Vert]

Hi lueckel_17,

The interior vert quarter panels were made of fibreglass /gelcoat. With age and weathering, the original finish can and does go powdery and brittle, and breaks down.

If that's the case, trying to apply paint over that substrate is a nightmare, with limited results.The finished job can end up looking like a two bob watch - (cheap and nasty) Your problem will be what condition the panels were in before the previous owner sprayed them. If the substrate was poor, his paint really can't be painted over by you. You will continue to get ongoing paint probs.Stripping his paint off can present big problems if the substrate was in poor condition to start off with as well.

I was confronted with this same problem on my '73 vert.(stuffed original powdery panels), and decided to get my local trimmer to select a colored vinyl that matched my off white interior and apply it over the panels instead. The end result looks fantastic and very classy. This approach is a much better way of dealing with this problem than painting them i feel.The labor and materials came to around $300.00 total and was worth every penny. Definately worth thinking about,as a better way to go about this problem.

It's a pity old stingey Ford was too cheap and nasty to do this when they made these cars in the first place.(just like the stingey way the trunks were finished off as well with no trim work provided)

Greg.

 

[sdstang]

Hi lueckel_17,

The interior vert quarter panels were made of fibreglass /gelcoat. With age and weathering, the original finish can and does go powdery and brittle, and breaks down.

If that's the case, trying to apply paint over that substrate is a nightmare, with limited results.The finished job can end up looking like a two bob watch - (cheap and nasty) Your problem will be what condition the panels were in before the previous owner sprayed them. If the substrate was poor, his paint really can't be painted over by you. You will continue to get ongoing paint probs.Stripping his paint off can present big problems if the substrate was in poor condition to start off with as well.

I was confronted with this same problem on my '73 vert.(stuffed original powdery panels), and decided to get my local trimmer to select a colored vinyl that matched my off white interior and apply it over the panels instead. The end result looks fantastic and very classy. This approach is a much better way of dealing with this problem than painting them i feel.The labor and materials came to around $300.00 total and was worth every penny. Definately worth thinking about,as a better way to go about this problem.

It's a pity old stingey Ford was too cheap and nasty to do this when they made these cars in the first place.(just like the stingey way the trunks were finished off as well with no trim work provided)

Greg.

[/quot

Greg

Can you post some pi s. Just want to see how they handled the armrest part.

Jim

 

[OLE PONY]

Hi lueckel_17,

The interior vert quarter panels were made of fibreglass /gelcoat. With age and weathering, the original finish can and does go powdery and brittle, and breaks down.

If that's the case, trying to apply paint over that substrate is a nightmare, with limited results.The finished job can end up looking like a two bob watch - (cheap and nasty) Your problem will be what condition the panels were in before the previous owner sprayed them. If the substrate was poor, his paint really can't be painted over by you. You will continue to get ongoing paint probs.Stripping his paint off can present big problems if the substrate was in poor condition to start off with as well.

I was confronted with this same problem on my '73 vert.(stuffed original powdery panels), and decided to get my local trimmer to select a colored vinyl that matched my off white interior and apply it over the panels instead. The end result looks fantastic and very classy. This approach is a much better way of dealing with this problem than painting them i feel.The labor and materials came to around $300.00 total and was worth every penny. Definately worth thinking about,as a better way to go about this problem.

It's a pity old stingey Ford was too cheap and nasty to do this when they made these cars in the first place.(just like the stingey way the trunks were finished off as well with no trim work provided)

Greg.

Sounds like a good alternative. How about posting a picture of vinyl covered panels.

 

[OMS]

Hi lueckel_17,

The interior vert quarter panels were made of fibreglass /gelcoat. With age and weathering, the original finish can and does go powdery and brittle, and breaks down.

If that's the case, trying to apply paint over that substrate is a nightmare, with limited results.The finished job can end up looking like a two bob watch - (cheap and nasty) Your problem will be what condition the panels were in before the previous owner sprayed them. If the substrate was poor, his paint really can't be painted over by you. You will continue to get ongoing paint probs.Stripping his paint off can present big problems if the substrate was in poor condition to start off with as well.

I was confronted with this same problem on my '73 vert.(stuffed original powdery panels), and decided to get my local trimmer to select a colored vinyl that matched my off white interior and apply it over the panels instead. The end result looks fantastic and very classy. This approach is a much better way of dealing with this problem than painting them i feel.The labor and materials came to around $300.00 total and was worth every penny. Definately worth thinking about,as a better way to go about this problem.

It's a pity old stingey Ford was too cheap and nasty to do this when they made these cars in the first place.(just like the stingey way the trunks were finished off as well with no trim work provided)

Greg.

71-3 interior panels were plastic - not fiberglass

 

[Austin Vert]

Sorry Don,

It appears you're correct. I was wrong, the originals were plastic. (cr*p plastic that did not stand the test of time it would seem - but then again, what plastics do anyway?)

That being so, my advice still holds true for trying to refinish the broken down original finish on these interior panels. Thanks for the heads up.

Greg.

 

[jhawk635]

I was confronted with this same problem on my '73 vert.(stuffed original powdery panels), and decided to get my local trimmer to select a colored vinyl that matched my off white interior and apply it over the panels instead. The end result looks fantastic and very classy. This approach is a much better way of dealing with this problem than painting them i feel.The labor and materials came to around $300.00 total and was worth every penny. Definately worth thinking about,as a better way to go about this problem.

:worthlesswithoutpics: