I am about to do an interior of a 71 Cuda. I have never used vinyl dye and wondered if some of you thst have could give me some tips and recommendations. I seem to keep seeing SEM as the brand of choice. Also, what do you all think of the panels I have at present. Will they really clean up and look close to new after being dyed, even the hard plastic parts. Does the dye really penetrate these? Are they too rough? I just hate to spend the $ on new ones. Thanks for your help.

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The restored panels I have seen looked nicer then beat up originals but the new color only makes the scratches and gouges in the grain harder to see. It does not "repair" those flaws. Depending on the condition of your originals and/or the level of restoration you want to achieve, you may want to consider metro panels, they got good reviews on this board. Good luck with your ride

I redid some blue plastic in a gTx. A local NAPA mixed the paint/dye because SEM had nothing close. They were the darker blue so you might be able to match yours in a can. I bought a quart and used a spray gun. It turned out good, with no signs that the part had been "painted". My plastic was all in good shape with no deterioration to begin with.

take your fingernail and run it backwards across the panel to be painted.

If it digs in , find different panels.

not to knock SEM but DuPont Vinyl Dye is the best out there. a little expensive and you have to use a gun to apply it. just get the color code for that blue and any dupont jobber should be able to mix it in your choice of gloss, satin or flat. however the key to a pro job is the laborous cleaning and prep work under the dyed panel. good luck IMHO the satin finish is closest to OEM.

Prep is king!

I used Dupli-color on some of my blue panels to turn them red.

I thoroughly washed them down with soap and water on BOTH sides to get all the dirt off. I then used wax and grease remover and finally a good adhesion promotor.

I tried my best to scratch the stuff off in an inconspicuous place and couldn't do it!

Yeah anytime you paint/dye something you have to prep it well to get good results. I used DuPont Pla-Stick on my plastic parts before spraying, and always wore surgical gloves to keep things clean.

OK thanks. Did you guys use spray cans or shoot it from a sparay gun?

I used a gun

I used a rattle can from Year One for this console and I could not be more pleased..It looks absolutely perfect...It had faded into a teal grean color and it was horrible...

number 340....costs about 16 bucks a can..

Thanks!

Thanks . Anyone else?

Deltron® 2000 (DBI) Interior Color was developed for interior and underhood color matching purposes. It is mixed directly from the Deltron® Mixing Service. DBI must be reduced with the appropriate DT Reducer and does not require clearcoating.
http://catalog.ppg.com/viewproduct.aspx?productid=5692a2ee-faad-49f0-a3d9-7850f6bad41e

Any color you want.
Don't forget to prep properly.
Use proper safety equipment and ventilation!!!!

I've used all sorts of vinyl dye. I prefer the Dupont and PPG dye sprayed through a gun but I have also used the SEM, Dupli-Color, and Plastic-Kote brands in an aerosol can and have been pleased with them too. Mo-Paints also makes a good aerosol spray that matches nicely. The higher priced stuff seems to last longer than the cheaper Plasti-Kote and Dupli-Color stuff. But... as mentioned already numerous times..... PREP work is the most important thing before you do anything. Another thing that is equally as important as the prep work is the application method. When spraying it... with a gun or a can.... apply with MANY light coats. Do not flood it on in one or two coats. Applying very light coats will give the dye a chance to soak into whatever it is being applied to.

Justin
"CornDog"