Anyone Restore Interior Plastic Trim?

Henrius

Active Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2014
Messages
239
Reaction score
83
Location
Atlanta
The kick panels and other plastic interior pieces in my 1972 Newport are faded. The surface of some pieces (exposed to sun) have flaked, giving it a different texture. Some of you do the refurb yourself, but I don't have the time. Are there any paint shops that specialize in this sort of plastic restoration? By the way, I have the same problem with my 1973 Pinto. Plastics and sun exposure apparently do not go well together.
 
Once the plastic dries out enough that it becomes chalky and brittle, which can be color-dependent, no way to get that texture back. One option might be to use some expandable inteiror vinyl (close-match texture/grain, usually with the seat vinyl) and recover them?

If the crazing has not happened, then there are some spray paints for interior plastic items that might be used. Usually DIY rather than "shop done". Used to be "acrylic lacquer with flex agent" for the many GM "paint to match" interior trim pieces or flexible bumper fillers (sprayed by a spray gun, as regular paint would be).

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
somebody else owns a pinto!!!!!
And yes those rattle can interior paint works quite well, I used some on my pinto arm rest/ grab handles almost 15 years ago and it held up a lot better than I thought it would
 
For cleaning, one suggestion from @cbarge is to use Spare Nine -- it worked well for him on his 1969 Plymouth and I plan on trying it on my 1971 Monaco's H6XW interior. He provided photographic evidence for his white interior, but @75LandYacht did the same for gray plastics. I do not know if your trim pieces are too far gone for that, but it's worth checking.

Notes of caution (from 75LY) "do not use it on leather or vinyl / plastic that has been re-colored / color repaired.. it WILL take the color off" and (from @bigmoparjeff) to "use gloves. It'll also take a layer of skin off your hands."
 
Bump ^^^. Spray Nine is an amazing cleaner.. just be aware of its strength.
upload_2021-3-1_0-11-23.png
 
Do you have some before/after pics, and have tips re: how to apply it?
Hmmm, I used it in my 07 Explorer leather seats that I had, didn’t know that the seats been dyed before I got the truck.. used Spray Nine straight out of the bottle. Took the dye right off. I recommend using a wet towel/rag and spray the product on the rag then apply to what you want to clean.. Now when I cleaned the plastic interior panels on my dads 27 yr old truck! I used it straight to the panel out the bottle and it didn’t affect the panes color at all.. the dirt and other stains came right off no issues.. but if your panel has been colored or dyed, use caution..
 
Do you have some before/after pics, and have tips re: how to apply it?
Here’s 1 panel, can’t remember if it’s a Before or After pic.
upload_2021-3-1_12-27-47.jpeg

And here’s the carpet After cleaning. I used Spray Nine along with Tide laundry soap. Again the carpet is (27) yrs Old and it turned out Great.
upload_2021-3-1_12-29-36.jpeg
 
The kick panels and other plastic interior pieces in my 1972 Newport are faded. The surface of some pieces (exposed to sun) have flaked, giving it a different texture. Some of you do the refurb yourself, but I don't have the time. Are there any paint shops that specialize in this sort of plastic restoration? By the way, I have the same problem with my 1973 Pinto. Plastics and sun exposure apparently do not go well together.
To answer the question, once the surface starts to flake, all you can really do is clean them up and/or repaint so they look decent while you look for better replacements.

Some of the harsher cleaning products will probably even do more damage, so I would tread very lightly there.

Plastic degrades from a lot of things... But the sun and heat baking them is what really kills it.
 
When working on cars, I've found that very often we can look to the building trade for a solution and this is no exception. If your plastic has dried out in the sun but hasn't yet flaked off, buy a can of Ronseal (or similar) wood hardener for repairing rotten wood. It has a very thin consistency and you can load on as much as it will take with a soft NATURAL bristle brush. It will soak it up until it reaches the harder material, which is what you want so that it bonds properly. Just let it dry and then you can paint it with your appropriate colour.
Don't let it run down and dry on areas that doesn't need it , its difficult to remove once dry. Its as clear as water. To paint , in the past I've used a regular oil based matt paint, thinned enough to use in a mini sprayer on a warm day and when dry just put a good quality polish on to give it a slight shine.
Get your paint mixed to match your original colour.
It works well if you don't rush it. Good luck.
 
To Old Man's point they make a bunch of things for faded shutters which also get chalky. I used some awhile ago and it seemed to me it was just water soluble clear coat. I bet satin Polyacrylic from Lowes would do it. Test first. I have used a paint additive Penetrol on some old interior plastic that was otherwise not salvageable. Was red but became pink with age and chalky white, especially if you scratched it. Think of Penetrol as a kind of permanent Armour all. It darkens it up as it soaks in and creates a flexible layer. I would test it first and I would use it on my fury if the plastic was bad enough. Some tips - It is oil soluble and takes awhile to dry and is a bit stinky. It does NOT stick well to smooth surfaces and it SHOULD be topcoated with a spray paint because it is not UV stabilized and will discolor over time. I have used it on black bumper covers and vinyl patio furniture to get another summer out of them. Also good for metal/rust prevention but that's another thread.
 
The kick panels and other plastic interior pieces in my 1972 Newport are faded. The surface of some pieces (exposed to sun) have flaked, giving it a different texture. Some of you do the refurb yourself, but I don't have the time. Are there any paint shops that specialize in this sort of plastic restoration? By the way, I have the same problem with my 1973 Pinto. Plastics and sun exposure apparently do not go well together.

Dust to dust once that plastic starts to crumble and crumble it will. My interior guy saw that in my car, particularly the cover over the lower B pillar at the bottom, and he knew of no sure fire way of stopping it and he has done interiors since the 80s. It's like dry skin unfortunately there is no Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion.
 
Thanks for the good information, everyone. My panels are not so bad they they have cracked, fortunately. It would be easy enough to pain, if I could restore the texture. I am a dentist. Perhaps I could make a mold of the places with undamaged texture, and try some if the Ronseal wood restorative, pressing the mold over it to give correct texture. Something has got to bond to that plastic.
 
If you are a dentist paint on some UV resin. Then the sun which tore it down can build it up. As a last resort I guess.
 
Back
Top