So, I have a dilemma and a question. I am switching to a black interior in my 81. I have a "wood grain" panel on the doors that I think looks kind of tacky, and I have switched out to a cluster and bezel from an 86 XLT that are the burled wood grain ( not sure on the exact name). I am trying to decide how I want to accent the new door panels ( trust me, replacements are needed). I am torn between finding a sheet that is a close match to the wood grain or a nice leather or synthetic leather covering for the inset of the door panels. If you vote for the wood, kindly advise on a wood and stain to best match please. Thanks.

 

None of the above. I vote for something like a brushed aluminum. I would have said black, but if you already have a black interior then you need some color on the door.

Your bezel is called, oddly enough, Burled Wood. IMHO it wasn't Ford's best idea new, and fades to purple in most cases after 30+ years. Again, if you didn't have a black interior I'd suggest getting the Custom, or base-level bezel that is a black pattern. But, with a black interior you need color on the dash as well as the door. How about spraying the bezel a brushed aluminum look to match aluminum on the doors?

 

Not a bad idea, and slightly cheaper as I can cut the panels with plasma at work. But I'm not that big on shiny stuff. Had a Harley once. It took a week to polish.

And the sun out here is brutal most days. The black is going to be enough of an oven. Any other thoughts?

 

Paint. Pick a color you like and paint the bezel and plasma-cut aluminum to match. But, that's the key - the doors and the instrument and radio bezels should all match IMO. They did originally and I think it ties things together.

 

I was looking at a new bench that had graphite accents. Might look good if I put that paint on the centers and bezels.

 

What's your body color? If it's bright it will probably be too much to use. A darker gray would probably look nice.

 

Currently faded blue but I am painting it Highland Green. This is a restoration and modification project. I decided on a Bullit theme for it.

 

Green might look ok inside. Is highland a darker green?

The colors I picked out for my redone interior are a dark gray highlight (dash pad, door accents, and seats) with everything else black. My exterior is going to be a silver/ light grey or white.

 

Highland Green Poly is a dark green factory color from 1968 available on Mustangs and Fairlanes that was made popular by the Steve McQueen's Bullit. The 68 Stang had the green paint and black interior. The car chase is still among the top ten in history.

For your truck, I think the silver or a Tungsten like color would be best. I like dark interiors for dark paint and light for bright paint.

What about using the body color as an accent? It would be a but tougher as SEM does not readily offer a green flexible coating, but would it look good?

 

I own a 69 Super Bee, which uses the same rear view mirror as the Charger. When I used to drive it I expected to see McQueen and his Mustang in the mirror! I love that movie.

 

Have you considered vinyl wrapping your panels?
They have all kinds of sheens, plus metallics and patterns.

I'm sure there's a learning curve but I've seen some work that is amazing.

 

Good point. A guy was selling a carbon-fiber overlay on CL recently and had some neat pictures of how it could be used. But, not having used it I'm at a loss as to how it is applied. For the bezels with the raised edges does the overlay have to cut precisely and laid down in? Any idea on how it is adhered?

I'll Google it, but thought you might know.

Edit: This site has a how-to that helped me. Looks like the stuff comes with an adhesive backing. Might be able to lay it on the bezel and then trim, but that will cut the bezel to some extent so cutting the vinyl before installing would probably be better.

 

if you could do a brushed copper that might look good

 

Me too! Fantastic classic film.

Many years back I went to a Smashing Pumpkins concert, and they opened the show by dropping the whole arena into darkness and quiet with an empty stage. Then after a few minutes the sound of a rumbling v8 cruising around gently gets louder until all of a sudden the huge backdrop screen lights up with McQueen looking out the window of the stang - and the chase scene erupts at full concert volume. Once the Mopar crashes and the big fireball goes up, the stage lights came up as the band burst into their first song.
To say I was chuffed that night would be an understatement

 

Don't you just cut it to size with the backing paper on, then use a light spray of a weak soap solution to wet the surface and lay the vinyl on without the backing paper. You can move it around as necessary and you then work it down with a squeegee to remove the air and solution from behind it. Let it dry and voila