Dash pad dillema

[slugish]

Bought a black dash pad from dash direct

* now i want it grey > have had it 6 mo,s or so probably wouldnt exchange it & even if they did freight charges would be too much.

* on label it says " not paintable "

* so i call sem > they said it could be painted ( or dyed ) but all the stuff i would have to buy to prep it & special paint for it would be quite expensive

* has any of you done this & if so did it turn out ok

[PhilaTruck]

Here's one from the FAQ:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=169470

No, I haven't done it.

[bigblock73]

It won't work, the pad is soo flexible and flimsy it'll crack like an egg.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by slugish

.....* on label it says " not paint able "

SEM did not make the dash pad. They do make the product they are telling you to buy to paint the dash pad. If it fails SEM will not warranty the product because the manufacturer of the dash pad states " not paintable ".

I'll let you do the math here...

[mhicks]

The "not paintable" one I bought had an oily film on it. I tried acetone and several other things to get it off so I could paint it. Worked pretty good in most places but still have a few problems with it. Ended up getting another one.

[slugish]

Thanks for your responses. Ithink Im going to have to be satisfied with the black .

[xs-style]

Could always sell the one you have and buy another in your correct color.

[dammitmitchell]

the classic industries catalouge has dash and door pain specifically for vinyl...
my buddy "boejaker" did his and it looks great..

[copperchevy]

You could get it covered. A good upholstery guy can make it look nice.

[slugish]

Originally Posted by dammitmitchell

the classic industries catalouge has dash and door pain specifically for vinyl...
my buddy "boejaker" did his and it looks great..

Yea , but what Iunderstand , some are paintable & some or not > the tag on mine says not paitable . got to be differences in what they make these pads out of.

[Vixvega]

It will look great if you paint it and never ever drive the truck and keep it in a climate controlled 72 degree room. Other than that, experience tells, Save yourself a lot of aggravation.

[LBJ]

May be too late for input. I bought one that said "Cannot Paint" and painted it anyway. the secret seems to be cleaning the tar out of it. I used the SEM cleaner with a scotchbrite pad. Then primed it with the special primer and then painted it with SEM dye. It's been on for 1.5 years so far and good except for some small areas in the creases where I may not have cleaned it good. The bulk of it looks great though. Good luck.

[Captkaos]

Was it the skinned vinyl version or the urethane version that weighs 100lbs?

[slugish]

Mine is urethane Chris , but your post may have been directed to LBJ

[LBJ]

I think they called it urethane. It was fairly heavy. I have the original and it's not the same as the LMC version.

Dash Top made it as I recall. Same as made those crappy door panels that don't fit.

I posted this a good while back. It turned out nice. I like the color better than the original which was brown. I wanted it to match the seats and door panels.

[spudz]

I have painted them... BUT you a good water based degreaser and scuff up the surface... you cant have it clean enough... then get some good fye... Not the cheap walmart crap... good stuff.. and it will last.. It will eventually wear off where you touch it the most... but that could take a couple years..> Then you can always repaint it... I wouldnt be afraid to dye it...