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Restoring: Painting Your Interior
If time and sun damage have taken their toll on your interior's plastic parts, you're undoubtely wanting to remedy the situation. Short of replacing every single panel in your car with those from a donor car (and hoping everything matches in the process), there is a simple and effective way to spruce up or change your interior color completely.
From the factory, almost all of your plastic interior panels are molded in a particular color. When scratched the color still shows through. This is a big advantage for durability and longevity. But you will need to use interior paint to cover up those panels. Some of the paints will even work on fabric (check with the manufacturer to confirm).
Before diving into this subject we must be brutally honest about interior paints. They work well...if the part is not in a high-use area. Sill plates and kick panels are constantly getting punished by shoes and as a result, they may need touched up every year. While not a major issue, it still is something that you need to realize. Remember that the paint simply sits on top of the stock panel; the color underneath is different from the top color in most cases. So a scratch or nick will show another color beneath it. There is no way to eliminate this so you will have to learn to just live with it. Always get more paint than you need for just these instances.
There are several different brands of interior paint/dye on the market today:
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Left: The first type is interior trim paint made by SEM. You can find this brand at automotive paint stores or through the Eastwood Company. It is not cheap paint but is of very high quality. They offer about 32 different interior shades, which is a big plus if you're trying to match the stock color or maybe a sample of new seat material. In the last decade we've used plenty of SEM paints and can report that they truly do withstand the test of time. They are lacquer, which means that they're flexible and that drying time is very fast. This is why they're good for interiors. If you need a good color range, this is the paint for you. A 12 oz. can usually costs about $10 US each. You'll probably need a good 10-12 full cans to do an entire interior.
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Left: Similar is factory-style restoration paint from companies such as Latemodel Restoration Supply. The cans are about $12 US each (close to $20 US/can each with shipping) and best of all, they carry a fair amount of all the factory colors used in Fox Cougars and Thunderbirds, plus other Mustang-style colors that we never had. Paint quality is outstanding...you will probably not find a better matching paint, nor a paint that lays flat and even like this. Again, a good estimate for an entire interior would be 10-12 full cans.
Factory colors for our cars:
1983-86 Canyon Red
Vinyl: MET-FV14 / Lacquer: MET-FL14
1987-88 Scarlet Red
Vinyl: MET-FV23 / Lacquer: MET-FL23
1983-85 Charcoal Grey
Vinyl: MET-FV19 / Lacquer: MET-FL19
1986-88 Smoke Grey
Vinyl: MET-FV24 / Lacquer: MET-FL24
1985-86 Regatta Blue
Vinyl: MET-FV37 / Lacquer: MET-FL37
To order visit 50resto.com or call 1-866-50RESTO (1-866-507-3786).
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Left: The second type is another interior lacquer spray paint made by Bryndana under the name Molecubond or Colorbond. What makes it different is the company's claim that it bonds at the molecular level, hence the name. We found some online and after receiving three test cans of various colors, the first thing we painted was a plastic steering wheel center. After the paint cured for a day, we attempted to scratch it off with keys---and the paint stayed put. It works really well on the rubbery interior parts, like armrests, door pull straps, etc. and it works equally well on hard plastic surfaces. The only downsides are their limited availability; limited color palette compared to SEM; can size (6 oz. can vs. a normal 12 oz.); and price (~$12 US per can). NOTE: The company has changed the name of the product recently. Click the Bryndana link above for more up-to-date information.
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Left: The third type of interior paint is automotive interior lacquer, and it can be mixed up by your local auto paint store. Common name brands are PPG and DuPont. Say you went to a used car lot, the Ford dealership, or maybe even a salvage yard, and found an interior color in a different vehicle that you really liked. You can take that car's interior code from the door tag and walk into the parts store. They'll match up that code to a year and color, then mix up however much you need. Even if you can't get the code they have huge paint chip books that feature interior color samples. You can browse to your heart's content and pick out that perfect color. Now keep in mind that auto interior lacquer is usually sprayed with a spray gun, and pints and quarts that need thinned or activated are the norm in this realm. If that's out of your league, some shops offer to put mixed-up paint into a spray can for you at a relatively inexpensive price. That would be the way to go, especially if touch-ups are ever needed. We have used plenty of PPG interior lacquer before and it works very well. Pricing depends on the color and what goes into making it, but a quart has typically run about $20 US. To do a whole interior you will need 2-4 quarts.
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Before you go spraying away, you do have to know about prepping the panels first. Most hard plastic panels are ABS plastic, and all feature a grain embedded into the panel. If your panels have a lot of nicks or scratches, you'll have to fill those in first or they'll show. Body filler is commonly used; however, a smooth spot in the middle of a textured panel looks pretty noticable. A simple vinyl repair kit usually has grain samples that you can press into the still-wet body filler to simulate the grain; even if the match isn't perfect it's better than nothing. Sometimes it's easier just getting a better panel from the salvage yard. Your call there. Rubbery parts that have broken or are torn can sometimes be fixed by the same aforementioned vinyl repair kits. Again, it may be easier to start with a better replacement panel.
Once you've got all the panels removed, you will need to knock down the shine a bit in order for the paint to stick. Using 600-grit sandpaper or a red Scotch-Brite pad, gently sand all panels (wet or dry, whichever is more comfortable to you). Remember to sand in just one direction; overlapped directions will show through and look bad. Once you're done sanding, clean all panels with Simple Green or similar degreaser. Everything must be very clean in order for the paint to stick. Once dry, you're almost ready to spray.
 Prior to paint we'd highly recommend using an adhesion promoter on the panels. This is a clear substance in a spray can, and when applied to the plastic, it stays a bit tacky. Basically the adhesion promoter will lessen the resistance between the new paint and the plastic. Some plastics do not hold paint well, like the polypropolene used in your radiator overflow bottle, and can actually resist the paint or make it bubble or "fisheye". This promoter prevents that from happening. Once all panels have the promoter applied, then it's time to spray the color coat.
Several thin coats of paint work best. Do not let the paint get too thick or it will run and give you headaches. Just be patient and make sure that the paint dries enough between coats (also known as a flash time). When you're done painting, let the panels dry at least 24 hours before using them. Usually 48-72 hours are optimal. Topcoating is usually not needed.
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