best interior dye?

[johnnycharger]

Hi guys
I need some help (nothing new).I need to dye some of my dash parts but I can't find a good color match. My interior is T4 tan (70 charger se). I have tried SEM camel and saddle. One is too light and one is too dark.
Any suggestions? 

[Mike DC]

 
SEM is willing to sell their colors in raw cans (to spray with your own paint gun), so you could buy several of their colors and custom-mix them.  And somebody around here recently said they even supplied a sample to SEM and got a custom mixed batch of the stuff. 

With all those options I would do whatever it takes to use the SEM stuff.  I've used a bunch of vinyl paints by good brands and nothing else comes close to theirs.  Everybody else's vinyl paint (DuPont, PPG, parts-store aerosol cans, etc) is enamel-based.  I think SEM's is lacquer-based which just seems to work better for the purpose.

[johnnycharger]

Hi Mike-thanks for the tip unfortunately I don't have a spray gun setup I was really hoping to find something in a rattle can. What colors are other people using to match the tan? I don't know how many panels have been replaced on my dash or in the car but it seems like all the Browns are a different shade even the panels on the doors.

[johnnycharger]

I really like the color of the dash pad or the trim around the ashtray and vents the armrest is sprayed camel.

[Mike DC]

 
The various interior parts weren't all matching from the factory, they don't all fade the same way, and some of them may have been sprayed with color by the factory or previous owners.  After 40+ years the brown shades throughout the interior are not likely to match very well anymore unless the car has been time-capsuled away most of those years.

The factory built colored interiors with the dashboard areas a bit darker & flatter than the rest of the interior (seats & side panels).  The headliners were sometimes but not always lighter than the main seat/side shade too.  The factory did this stuff intentionally but the degree of difference between the shades was inconsistent.  Some cars looked almost uniform throughout the interior and others had 3 obviously different shades. 



My own '69 Charger came with a factory Saddle Tan interior.   1969 Mopar Saddle is similar to your 1970 brown color but a bit closer to the SEM Camel shade.  Anyway, on my car the factory built the 3 shades of "tan" so far apart that the dashboard is dark brown and the headliner is a buckskin beige.  (SEM Bluebird Brown and SEM Light Oak are tolerable matches for these dark & light shades.)

[bill440rt]

If you can get your hands on some original paint chip charts, many times on the back of them they will have interior color codes.
I actually prefer the PPG vinyl color dye better over SEM, to me it is a superior product. SEM is just more convenient because it comes in a rattle can. I wouldn't use the DuPont stuff over vinyl, but over hard plastic parts it works well.

[johnnycharger]

Thanks for the good information guys!

[VegasCharger]

I used SEM rattle can. Scrub with Ajax/Comment with Scotchbrite  rinse, dry. Do it again. And again to the point that you only see clear water falling off from the rinse. Sun dry then a quick swipe of a lightly soaked lacquer rag. I mean very light so that it doesn't melt your vinyl piece. You'll probably see some residue of color on the rag. It should evaporate quickly if you had your piece warmed up by sun light. This will give it some sort of a tacky surface so that the dye will adhere better. Some say not to use lacquer and they're right if you're going to use it as the main source for prepping. Anyway continue by applying a thin coat of color let dry for 15 min. Then a second coat let dry for 15 min. And a then final coat. It may depend on what color transition you're doing that may require more coats. Usually 3 coats will get it done. I went from maroon which was previously white to black. Oh and let it dry for a long period of time before installing or putting wear & tear on it. Lot of labor and patience. Here's an example of one of my turn-outs.

[johnnycharger]

Wow! Great write up! Thanks!

[Lee A]

Johnny charger that is the color I want to paint my dash the metal part or the frame what is the code for that or mixture

[johnnycharger]

The only color code I am sure of is the SEM "camel" I sprayed on the armrest.

[266mopars]

I am not sure of color match but I used the duplicolor vinyl spray and it worked fantastic on armrest and sunvisors plus it was only 7.99 a can.I also used it the door windlace and it looks like new.