Door panel dying

[JJH Jimmy]

I have been waiting 16 months for door panels that I purchased from USA1 and they keep pushing the date out every time a call for an update. Needless to say I am pissed and I will never order a thing from them again. I want to cancel my order so bad and tell them to stick it but I really need some door panels.

With that said I do have a nice pair of blue OEM panels that I pulled from the pick and pull a while ago and was thinking of trying to dye them charcoal. I have dyed plastic before using the plastic adhesion promoter and dye but I have only dyed the same color as it was originally. I really don’t want to ruin a nice set of blue panels if the results are not going to be good so Does anyone have experience dying blue panels charcoal? How do you think it would hold up? TIA!

[rwjtexas]

My thoughts are get some old panels from a pick and pull no matter the condition and buy a can of the USA 1 color you need and try it... the most you will spend maybe 40.00 (20 for the paint and 20 for the door). If it does what you want then the 20 for the paint is not wasted.

I know you said you would not order from USA1 again, but I have had really good luck with my orders coming in on time. The Paint should not be an issue.

I am getting ready to do just that to some dark color A Pillar post and cover them in the Mystic which was the interior upper color on 84 - 86 Blazer's ... I will post some pictures on my efforts. Probably in a week ...

Others on this site have a lot more experience and can provide a better answer.

See this Post ... it should reassure you ...

Dark Saddle 73-74 Dye / Paint
72 Malibu

[Pontiac1976]

As said you can dye, but with dark colors you may have touse more spray coats get to light color show right. Key is to clean panel mean time use extra time on the most touched places and any place that hold dirt or spills and the edges. Use a directed. Start light coat on edges any places have more wear as your first hazing let flash. Then do the panel thin coats as directed until you get coverage it you make to many coat after you will start to lose you texture of the parts. good luck take your time. (it can never be to clean.)

[Pontiac1976]

If working with sun dried dusty you with have to lightly remove any on that there two ways you can start to lose your texture with both. (Clean, clean) You can take a heat gun to lightly burn & melt the top you will need Lost's of practice working with this how hot how close to get and fast to move(you only want to burn0.001mm and melt 0.002mm to 0.004mm). Textured sanding pads light grit sand hand (Clean, clean) as directed for spraying is the same, but you may want to one extra coat if the has no textured left down 1-2mm under the texture. If you're a real crazy about trying to bring back some of the texture before you spray that coat you can take a small scribe and draw the lines in the area's you want and they need to be 1.5mm to 2mm depending thick you want the texture, many need to be as 1-2 how fast light the coat is cover the scratches but show as texture lines. (Lots of test practice be for doing good parts you want work with.)

[LS short box]

I've changed interior plastic colors on a number of hot projects. The big thing is the cleaning before painting.
Scrub parts at least 3 times with warm water and Dawn soap. Rinse with water. Change soap water between each washing.
Then three washes with wax and grease remover. Do not use lacquer thinner to clean it just moves the silicone around on the part.

[rwjtexas]

LS Short Box .. do you have a particular grease and wax remover that you use ?

[TKCR]

I’ve dyed my door panels from Burgundy to Charcoal. And also other parts, changing colors.
Clean, clean and clean with Dawn Dish soap. Then I use the SEM Plastic Prep. Once using a green scotch pad, and then again and wiping with a tack free cloth. The idea of these steps is to get the parts looking like there’s a dry haze to them. See the pics for examples. The door panel on the right is after the plastic prep stage.
Then spray with SEM Adhesive Promoter followed with a light coat of the new color. Let that flash. Then add light coats, drying in between, until you’re happy with the coverage.
Now the last 3 pics started out blue, and they were changed to Carmine Red.

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by rwjtexas

My thoughts are get some old panels from a pick and pull no matter the condition and buy a can of the USA 1 color you need and try it... the most you will spend maybe 40.00 (20 for the paint and 20 for the door). If it does what you want then the 20 for the paint is not wasted.

I know you said you would not order from USA1 again, but I have had really good luck with my orders coming in on time. The Paint should not be an issue.

I am getting ready to do just that to some dark color A Pillar post and cover them in the Mystic which was the interior upper color on 84 - 86 Blazer's ... I will post some pictures on my efforts. Probably in a week ...

Others on this site have a lot more experience and can provide a better answer.

See this Post ... it should reassure you ...

Dark Saddle 73-74 Dye / Paint
72 Malibu

I already have the dye and I have a couple junk panels in saddle I may just do a test spray on them. Thank you!

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by Pontiac1976

If working with sun dried dusty you with have to lightly remove any on that there two ways you can start to lose your texture with both. (Clean, clean) You can take a heat gun to lightly burn & melt the top you will need Lost's of practice working with this how hot how close to get and fast to move(you only want to burn0.001mm and melt 0.002mm to 0.004mm). Textured sanding pads light grit sand hand (Clean, clean) as directed for spraying is the same, but you may want to one extra coat if the has no textured left down 1-2mm under the texture. If you're a real crazy about trying to bring back some of the texture before you spray that coat you can take a small scribe and draw the lines in the area's you want and they need to be 1.5mm to 2mm depending thick you want the texture, many need to be as 1-2 how fast light the coat is cover the scratches but show as texture lines. (Lots of test practice be for doing good parts you want work with.)

Thanks for the detailed write up. That is a lot of good info!

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by LS short box

I've changed interior plastic colors on a number of hot projects. The big thing is the cleaning before painting.
Scrub parts at least 3 times with warm water and Dawn soap. Rinse with water. Change soap water between each washing.
Then three washes with wax and grease remover. Do not use lacquer thinner to clean it just moves the silicone around on the part.

I agree that it is all about the prep. Thank you!

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by TKCR

I’ve dyed my door panels from Burgundy to Charcoal. And also other parts, changing colors.
Clean, clean and clean with Dawn Dish soap. Then I use the SEM Plastic Prep. Once using a green scotch pad, and then again and wiping with a tack free cloth. The idea of these steps is to get the parts looking like there’s a dry haze to them. See the pics for examples. The door panel on the right is after the plastic prep stage.
Then spray with SEM Adhesive Promoter followed with a light coat of the new color. Let that flash. Then add light coats, drying in between, until you’re happy with the coverage.
Now the last 3 pics started out blue, and they were changed to Carmine Red.

Wow! You do great work! It makes me feel better that you have had success doing a color change. I may just go for it as soon as the weather here cooperates. Thank you!

[JJH Jimmy]

Well it looks like I will be dying the panels I got from the pick and pull. I responded to the email USA1 sent me back in January that said my panels would be shipping in April or May asking them for an update and they had a real pissy response that said “as previously stated they would ship in April or May and you can cancel the order if you wish”. I responded that it is April and that is why I am asking. I also pointed out that I was also told when I ordered them in December 2021 that they had a 12 - 16 week lead time, I was told in May of 2022 they had an August ETA, was told in September they had a December ETA and I was told in January 2023 they had a April/May ETA. Their customer service responded that my order has been cancelled and I would be getting a refund! Wow! Unbelievable! So I guess no door panels for me. I think I have been black listed!

I have bought probably $3k worth of parts from them thinking that they have superior parts but I found out all of their stuff is the same crap (which cost more) that all the other vendors sell except for their door panels (apparently) and their dye. Their dashes are nice but they are just dashes direct dashes that they dye in house. I guess if I need more dye I will have to have a buddy buy it for me because I don’t think they will sell it to me. Haha!

I will update this thread when I dye my panels and let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for reading my rant!

[Dead Parrot]

Go for it. Many years ago, I had a Camaro with light blue interior, very similar in color to the blue parts in TKCR's post above. Oddly, I found some Pull-a-part parts that were a near color match for the red parts in the same post. Painted them blue using rattle can paint from a body shop. Those parts were still looking good many years later when I traded the Camaro off. I am sure I did some cleaning but probably no where near as much as is now recommended.

Do the prep work recommended above, paint/dye as desired and you will probably be happy with the results.

[JJH Jimmy]

Got my $18.00 door panels dyed. I think they turned out good and they are correct for a Scottsdale without the door pull straps which I personally don’t like anyways. Plus I got my $600.00 from USA1 back in my pocket.

The steps I took were 1. Wash with dawn dish soap 3 times. 2. Wiped down with SPI water based W&G remover 3 times. 3. SEM plastic adhesion promoter and then 4 light coats of dye.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by JJH Jimmy

Got my $18.00 door panels dyed. I think they turned out good and they are correct for a Scottsdale without the door pull straps which I personally don’t like anyways. Plus I got my $600.00 from USA1 back in my pocket.

The steps I took were 1. Wash with dawn dish soap 3 times. 2. Wiped down with SPI water based W&G remover 3 times. 3. SEM plastic adhesion promoter and then 4 light coats of dye.

Awesome Job!

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by TKCR

Awesome Job!

Thank you!

[Pontiac1976]

They turned out ok, Great Job

[wazzabie]

How well are these dyed door panels holding up? Any scrapes or pealing of the paint/dye?

[JJH Jimmy]

Originally Posted by wazzabie

How well are these dyed door panels holding up? Any scrapes or pealing of the paint/dye?

They are holding up great. They look as good as the day i dyed them.

[Shifty One]

Nice work....come do mine now....

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by wazzabie

How well are these dyed door panels holding up? Any scrapes or pealing of the paint/dye?

Same with all the ones I have done. It’s all about the prep. If they are cleaned and prepped well, the dye will last. Now if something should scratch them, it will come off. But they can be touched up should that ever happen.
In the 10 years that I had my truck, with all the interior parts dyed, the only part I ever had to touch up was the kickpanel. And that was only once. My foot/shoe would constantly rub the kickpanel. When I drive, my left foot is constantly moving. Like fidgety. So once in 10 years I thought was pretty darn good.

[VWNate1]

Looks like you did a very good job there .

Thanx to all who chimed in when I was doing used cars I too had the clean, clean some more and then clean again before I'd get a good result, mostly I was doing color changes on junk yard panels and seats that were in good shape if not matching color .