various interior questions

**LX-i prophet** · 12-10-2002, 10:57 PM

1. whats the best way to paint things such as the door handle slots/covers whatever. i mean, what type of paint
2. can you hook neon up to the small light bar that glows above the radio? it sits there and shines but has no real light to it and serves no purpose. is it possible to snip that off then use the leads to wire in two or three neon tubes?
3. can you buy replacement bulbs for the bulbs behind the gauges. Today i took off the gauge trim to paint it, but before it could dry i had to go to work. On the way home i had my lights on and noticed it looked pretty sweet without the trim but would look better with different colored bulbs. Anyone know what kind they are?
thanks..........

**pmip** · 12-10-2002, 11:27 PM

1. Don't know, I just used cheap normal spray paint for mine, and it's starting to come off.

2. It might be worth a try. It really depends on how much current the neons draw, and what the power wire for that light above the stereo is fused for.

3. I think most of the bulbs in the guage cluster have little condom things covering the bulbs that make it that greenish-blue color, so you can either paint the bulbs the color you want(using stained glass paint) or buy new condom things (supposedly you can buy them at car parts stores).

**AccordEpicenter** · 12-10-2002, 11:32 PM

if you try painting the interior plastic, the paint tends not to adhere really well, so you might have to prime it or somthing

**LX-i prophet** · 12-10-2002, 11:44 PM

ah, naw the bulbs dont have any condom things

on there, theyre just that weird greenish color. i guess ill try paint. thanks for the info guys.......

**Mike D** · 12-11-2002, 09:59 AM

Autozone clerk: Hi! How can I help you?
You: Um.....I need some...condoms...for my dash lights....
*awkward silence*

**RobT5580** · 12-11-2002, 10:28 AM

Pearldrop is the one to talk to on this one. He used a compressor and proffesional paint to do his but the looks paid off. If i remember right he said it never chipped. I tried the SEM brand spray paint from and Auto Body store which is inteded for this purpose and is like $11 a can. It worked very well but didnt stick as well as i would have liked. It is not bad but will chip if hit right. This time around im gonna use my gun and get the right stuff. And prep work is a must and has to as clean as possible so dont just clean it once do it 3 or 4 times.

**Neuspeed87lx** · 12-11-2002, 11:36 AM

well i primed mine ...then put some sort of paint glue on it that makes the paint stick better...then painted it ...it went on nice and smooth and has not chipped at all ... and the lights in muy cluster have those little condoms on them ...there green

**LX-i prophet** · 12-11-2002, 12:33 PM

weird, i have no condoms for my lights. DAMMIT, i want those shits. seriously my lights are just green. i wish i could take a pic and show ya'all. anyways, regular spray paint works fine for the gauge trim, because its never gonna get hit or scratched or anything. it looks ok i did about 3 coats and it turned out well. but i dunno, im indecisive as hell, next week i'll prolly want a diff color. then again, i kinda like the whole NO trim look. its original at least...................

**Chrome_thangs** · 12-11-2002, 05:35 PM

I painted my interior with Plasti-cote vinyl and fabric paint. Comes in a spray can and is easy to use. I got mine at AutoZone, and it looks like it's the original parts were already that color after you use it. The down side is you have a limited selection of colors and it doesn't wear well on fabrics, (seats, door fabric, carpet)

**solbmxaccord** · 12-13-2002, 11:55 AM

i'm gonna check all that out tomorrow about the dash lights and painting the gauge trim...i've never look at how to take it off...so is hard? or just a few screws and it out?

**Love_the_3g** · 12-13-2002, 07:40 PM

i had those same ??? but i went on ebay n bid on vynal sheets n i did the interior n that will never chip the guage lighte i fixed there too i got an indeglow guage kit n now they light up red.....

**Y3G** · 12-14-2002, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by solbmxaccord
i'm gonna check all that out tomorrow about the dash lights and painting the gauge trim...i've never look at how to take it off...so is hard? or just a few screws and it out?

It's pretty easy to get that out. You have to pop out that panel at the top of your cluster(2 screws in there) then you have to pop out the defroster buttons and the power mirror button(and if you don't have the mirrors the plastic insert) there a another 3 screws in there the rest is just simple removal

the best way to make paint the hard plastic is
-go over all the hard plastic with 400grit or better wet sandpaper
-get this stuff called etching primer it bites into the plastic
-sand again(800 or better in case of runs)
-automotive laquer paint(you can get this at a auto paint supply store.they can mix any oem color.they can also put it into spray bombs for you other wise its the paint gun)
-give a few even coats(give paint proper time between coats)
-more wetsanding(1000+)
-clear coat aprox 4 or 5 layers(give paint proper time between coats)
-more wetsanding(1000+)
-buff and wax just like the outside of the car