Hi guys,
Now, I'm not saying it's the "perfect" or the "best" way, you decide, but this is how I did things and I hope it comes in handy to some of you. Some may want to do theirs in leather with custom stitching. I chose paint as I'm not a fan of leather all over the place, seats is fine but I prefer the raw factory panel look myself, more tasteful. I used
spray paint,
not dye. Carpet can be dyed and is up to you but panels etc IMO are best painted. It's a 3 step process. Once the panels are removed you degrease and clean them, I used a purposely made interior spray can, spray and clean. After it was degreased and dry I used interior spray can primer. I had my door handles covered in leather, a real tight fit as they are the single hardest wearing part (except for the seats and steering wheel). I had a custom black steering wheel made and custom black leather seats made as well. You can decide on the best route to take for your project in terms of the seats and steering wheel. I also had my factory seat belts re-webbed by a professional shop. Down here it's not a procedure done by any shop for insurance and warranty purposes. It's safe to do but not common, I was lucky enough to know the seat belt guy so it was a cash job.
When spraying, give the panels a nice even coat (as you know) and allow them to dry (10-15 minutes in a nice warm area is heaps). You want it just a "tad" wet to allow them to really bond together, similar to spraying a car. Then finally it's time to spray paint. Make sure you use SATIN black. Not flat or gloss. Flat looks grey and gloss makes everything just look cheap and nasty, like shinny plastic or something lol. I knew this going into it but you may or may not and it's worth mentioning. My dash stayed in place and took a while to mask it, it's a RHD custom fiberglass piece that was FAR too risky to remove, I would have removed it if it were a stock plastic LHD unit like you guys have but it worked out well, just took longer and was accompanied by more french words than normal.
Removing the panels is easy following the manual in most areas to be safe and didn't take too long, but I made sure I took my time and labeled everything (wiring & screws). Anyone can strip an interior quickly, but those guys are the ones who take twice as long to put it back together as someone who took the time to label everything.
The brand of paint I used is called
Septone and it's Australian made and really good shit. It's labeled:
Vinyl & Plastic Paint. I don't know if you get that particular brand up there but if you go to any reputable auto store and seek their advice on a preferred brand they'll point you in the right direction. You want: degreaser, primer and the color spray (3 different cans). I went through roughly 20+ cans lol. But I did 4-5 coats per panel for that full black effect. I sprayed the back carpet tray panel under the rear window black and it came out great, I recommend the same. The headliner and sun visors were re-done using a similar fabric to the stock pieces but obviously in black. If you need any more help, just ask or visit:
www.carlwalski.com/Batram1.html and the links below should also help. Converting all my interior to black was one of the best mods I have done to the truck......hopping in from an all black exterior into a grey/silver interior just didn't feel or look right lol. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Carl aka Carwalski
THE BATRAM
Vinyl & Plastic Interior Spray: http://www.septone.com.au/detail.asp?item_cat=&item_number=209&page_num=1
Primer Spray: http://www.septone.com.au/detail.asp?item_cat=5&item_number=204&page_num=2
Grease Remover & Cleaner Spray: http://www.septone.com.au/detail.asp?item_cat=5&item_number=216&page_num=3
