How To Dye Your Classic Car Dash Pad
We get a lot of questions such as, “How do I dye my Mustang’s dash?” and “I can’t find this color for my GMC, how do I dye the dash to match?”. The process can seem daunting at first with the possibility of ruining a brand new dash pad. This guide is for spraying a dash and not necessarily dyeing it’s material. If you are interested in dyeing it we recommend checking out our friends at http://www.justdashes.com/. Below is a process that works great as illustrated in the video below by our partner Mustang Connection, If you want to cut to the chase feel free to read on.
Results Only As Good As Your Cleaning Prep
This first step is the most important. Our dashes are shipped with a mold release film which acts as a protectant and gives the dash more of a shine. Cleaning this off as thorough as possible is crucial to get the dye to stick. Dawn dish soap with warm water and/or simple green works great. To know when your dash is cleaned enough, try testing different areas by sticking a piece of painters tape to it. If all areas of the dash allows the tape to stick, then you are ready to prep the adhesive.
Prepping For Adhesion
The next step is prepping for adhesion with some light scuffing with a mild scotch brite pad. Not aggressive enough to leave any visible scratching or marks. The spraying with an adhesion promoter such as Dupli-Color Automotive Primer Adhesion Promoter or SEM adhesion promoter. Make sure to coat the entire dash pad.
Spray Time
Check the instructions of the adhesion promoter your using. Like in our video for example, Dupli-Color adhesion promoter recommended to begin painting within 10 minutes of applying. The types of sprays vary but a highly recommended brand is SEM Color Coat. To match your color we recommend finding a location near you or contacting SEM with your interior color to get a color mix. Again, the SEM color coat spray isn’t a dye but a flexible coating. We have had many customers use these products with great results.
More Information
Below is a video that covers using SEM products more in depth and the process of spraying a door panel.