I like the Black/White combo look that the car has. White is just murder to keep really clean. And it doesn't look like anyone every really pulled the panels and put a lot of effort into cleaning them, so I'm removing years of grime. In the end the panel comes out looking okay, but it takes a lot of time to get there. It's never going to be anything above driver quality due to the damage the panels have sustained. Here is a close up of 2 sections of the driver panel before it was cleaned (same image as the Before picture but at 100% and cropped):
Afterwards the color is more even, so they are harder to spot from a distance. However when you're actually in the car, they are so close you see them especially the larger scratches. It's the same effect I get when I wash the car. Because I'm looking at each and every imperfection up close, it's a little depressing. On the plus side, the driver's panel (and possibly the driver's kick) are the worst 2 in the car. The passenger door has a lot less wear. And all the seats are in very good shape with only a few scuffs, no tears.
One of my friends mention possibly using a plastic/vinyl filler product and attempting to fill the large areas and re-grain them. If it gets to that point, I'd probably rather pull the originals and store them and install the repops. I'd rather not mess up the originals.
It's a good winter project and I can spend a few minutes each day on a panel and then go do other stuff while it dries. Everything other than mineral oil is safe to use indoors. Of course my basement is now covered with the interior bits of the challenger.
