Redoing door panels and other plastic

[WVUFELLA]

heys guys i am gettin ready to redo my door panels. One question is what grit sandpaper would you recommend to use so i dont scuff them up to much ? second question is should i just let the the person who does my interior do them, becuz i am gonna go a lil custom with it  so any input would be nice? how hard is that rattle ccan sem paint or dye to use?? ALso what all products should i buy to use. do i need a primer to help dorwn  out the white?? The original panles i have now are white but it looks like someone pieced it together........  so i want it to go back all black. Is SEM the way to go or is there somethin else better/ cheaper out there? thanks fellas

[Rev-It-Up]

We've talked about this a bit on the board and I beleive the consensus is that SEM is the way to go.  I'd do it myself if I were you...it's pretty easy.  Here is a link that will describe everything you need.  http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=17831.0

[Green Drop Top]

Nearly all E-body interior panels (70-74, consoles, seat backs, kick panels, and misc.) are injection molded from Polyethylene plastic, a very slipery/waxy material which is SUPER resistant to petroleum based products and other chemicals (red plastic gas cans are made of the same stuff). So, paint doesn't stick to it well either. If you do a good surface prep (clean it 20 times over with a GOOD oil and grease remover) and LIGHTLY media blast the surface to rough it up (I use glass beads or fine walnut shell in a blast cabinet on the absalute lowest pressure setting). If you do this the SEMS product should last for many years before it degrades and starts to fall off (which it eventually will as NOTHING sticks permanantly to this plastic! Any paint is simply a topical coating).

Good luck!

[willhaven]

What about dye? I guess that type of plastic isn't meant to be porous in the first place.

[Green Drop Top]

What about dye? I guess that type of plastic isn't meant to be porous in the first place.

That's right, it's a solid material, virtually nothing penetrates into it, not dye, not paint, not gas, not oil, etc.