So It Begins.....

Well, I have the straight poop on what seems to be best, which happens to be what most pros use. As some of you know, my car was hit by a truck, I had work done, but (long story short) it took the implied threat of legal action to get him to fix his hack job. In this time however, when i was still chummy with him, we talked a lot about what I had planned for my car and how we could go about doing it.

One of the things we talked about at length was dyeing the vinyl and plastic parts in the interior to match the leather job I am going to get. He was very open as to the brands and procedures necessary to complete such an endeavor. It is shockingly simple and requires very little more than about 20 terry cloths (or a couple of terry mits, yer call), several 3M green scrubbies, and (drum roll please) Mar-Hyde vinyl dye. Yep, cheapo, easily found, Mar-Hyde for autos. These products and some patience should yield a show quality look, or at least dam good lookin at the bare minimum.

The key to a supple finish is mildly stressing the pieces you want to dye to get a good finish. Just by itself this brand can dry shiny and a little uneven. Stressing with the 3M pads hides this undesirable side effect. All the dying process really comes down to is applying the dye in an even manner. I spose I could use a paint brush, but bunching a terry towel and applying as if it were a patina finish seems to leave a relatively even look. At this point I have only dyed a few test pieces to get the hang of the application. I just got one quart of it too, again, so i can learn the process before I attack large dye areas like the headliner.

I have no pics yet, but my brother left me his digital camera, he just needs to send me the soiftware, when he does I will document the entire process for ya'll. From first impressions so far, the hardest part of this job will be getting panels off, dash too, but I've done much of it before save the dash and headliner.

More later....

yea man.. post some pics.... cuz i might ust start buyin me some of that.....
where do you get the "mar hyde" stuff???

I got it from Pep-Boys for $11.99

hmmm...k we dont have that here in Canada.... is that like a auto paint shop?

your general auto parts store, Western Auto, Vans, A-Line, O'Reilly, Auto Zone, Parts America, etc