Dash Resto Questions

[70charger2006]

I am in the process of trying to figure out what to do with my dash bezels and woodgrain. They obviously both need restored. The instrument bezel seems to be in good condition and all I would need to do is repaint it. The radio bezel seems to have a little bit of warping and would also need paint. The glovebox bezel has a couple of broken studs on the back and a piece of the chrome trim plastic missing on the side. Is it worth restoring these plastic bezels? If so, how hard would it be to do yourself? Also, what kind of paint would be a good choice for the chrome?

Now with the woodgrain pieces, what is a good way to clean them up? They are actually in fairly good condition with only a couple small scratches on the instrument cluster section. Of course I want everything to look as good as possible, but of course prices of new parts play a big factor and I am trying to keep as much of the original pieces as I can.

Any Suggestions







I suppose if I choose to go with buying new pieces I could probably sell my old ones. I am just not sure of what they could sell for?

[469 runner]

I tried repainting the bezels on my '68 Charger.  I was never happy with the results.  I sent them off to Performance Car Graphics in Fla.  They were replated in chrome then detailed in black where appropriate, also the lettering was redone.  A first class job.  Nicer than the originals, nicer than the repros too.  I'm sure they can do nice work on the woodgrain as well.

[70charger2006]

I tried repainting the bezels on my '68 Charger.  I was never happy with the results.  I sent them off to Performance Car Graphics in Fla.  They were replated in chrome then detailed in black where appropriate, also the lettering was redone.  A first class job.  Nicer than the originals, nicer than the repros too.  I'm sure they can do nice work on the woodgrain as well.

I have them doing my instrument cluster now. I asked them about the woodgrain. They don't restore them anymore. I am just debating if I should go ahead and buy the repros or work with what I've got.

[Dino]

If you're good with paint then you can redo the bezels yourself, if not then have a pro do it.  I'm redoing mine, the whole thing was spray painted black.  I will be using spazstix ultimate mirror chrome to do the trim.

As for the woodgrain, it may be cheaper to find someone who's good with an airbrush to do touch ups, then seal the whole thing in satin clear.

[440]

Careful when using Spaztik Mirrachrome or Alclad II Chrome.... As soon as you clear over them it it goes satin. You also have to make sure there are absolutely no scratches or they will show up. 

[Dino]

Careful when using Spaztik Mirrachrome or Alclad II Chrome.... As soon as you clear over them it it goes satin. You also have to make sure there are absolutely no scratches or they will show up. 

I read about that but it seems spazstix has their own clear.  It needs to be a waterbased clear or it will indeed dull the chrome. 

http://www.spazstix.com/xcart/10900-ULTIMATE-CLEAR-COAT-AIRBRUSH-PAINT-2oz-FOR-MIRROR-CHROME.html

http://www.spazstix.com/xcart/10909-ULTIMATE-CLEAR-COAT-AEROSOL-PAINT-3.5oz-FOR-MIRROR-CHROME.html


I'll still use a few different clears over a scrap piece before I do the actual bezels. 

[richRTSE]

Dino, I'd like to see some picts when you get them done. It would be nice to find a cheaper way to restore them than sending them out or buying new. That parts store chrome spray paint sucks.

...maybe start your own thread...I bet it would work for the armrest bases too....

[440]

I can post pics of a center A/C bezel that I had done with Alclad II. It looks like a shiny silver but not chrome, dulled by the clear I think.

Here's a good article on the Chrome paints currently on the market... Pretty tricky to get right so it's a good idea to get the process right on test pieces before you paint the actual item...

http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic638256.htm 

[Dino]

Rich I will definitely post the entire walk through.  It'll be a while though.  I'm redoing the cluster before the painting because it's a bit cold to paint right now.

440 I think the trick is to first get a glass smooth surface and paint it with gloss black.  Instead of spraying the chrome over it as you would regular paint, it needs to be sprayed in a mist.  I have used something like it before a long time ago in the body shop an as long as you followed the instructions it came out very very nice.  There's a few videos where you can see people spray it and it looks excellent!  Entire r/c bodies look like they've been chromed.  I agree that your clear may have dulled it, there's a lot of reports of people having that same issue.  Don''t worry I'll be doing plenty testing before doing the bezels.  I want to do those only once.

I will be using an airbrush though, I don't think you can get it as nice with a spray can.

[440]

Yes, RC bodies come out like chrome but are painted slightly different to hard plastic. Much easier in my opinion as they are painted on the inside, The lexan (polycarbonate) body itself acts like the clear, paint your chrome, back with black, all done.

Plastic trim is much more tricky to paint as it requires more steps. Surface prep with a black acrylic base coat are definitely crucial prior to spraying chrome. The lighter/finer the spray the better the finish, at least with an airbrush you have more control over the paint. Using a spray can would be like trying to paint the Mona Lisa with a fire hose of paint as most of the paint itself would be wasted. The last step would be to definitely use an acrylic clear, an enamel based clear would most certainly react with the acrylic paint. Try to find the clearest acrylic clear you can which would go a long way to maintaining the clarity of the chrome. In my opinion the best way to find the best clear would be trying a test patch on polished aluminum, if it clouds it then it's no good