1998 Super Cab 4 cyl 5 speed Red

I love my truck, and I want to drive it for a long time, one problem, the crud brown interior! I comprimised when I bought it and now have serious regrets. I can't stand the color inside. I am willing to do almost anything to change the color to grey. Can I find a salvage ranger and do a complete swap? Can I paint all of the plastic parts, then do the carpet myself, swap some grey buckets for my split bench, and have a pro do my headliner(I have no experience with upholstery)? Anyone else attempted to completly change the color of their interior? I'm handy enough that door panels don't scare me, I could do those. As far as painting and stuff goes, I have no problem doing things a piece at a time. In fact I have to have my truck for work so it has to be drivable 5 days a week. I already searched the forum and had trouble finding specific info on a total color change. If you have answers to any of these questions or can point me to threads that do, any help is appreciated! Thank you, these forums have been so helpful to date I anxoiusly await your response!

 

being it's a 98..i doubt a donor vehicle is going to be easy to find...but it's a good way to go. I've painted body interior parts before..and they actually come out good. So painting the plastic is an option...what i would do is go to a junkyard and get a interior plastic trim piece and practice painting on that. Then when you are comfortable with it..go to town on yours..piece by piece. You can always order aftermarket carpet set for your truck from JC Whitney. I think they even sell headliners now also. with a little time and effort you can do it.

 

Thanks, I didn't even think of it being such a late model that wrecks might be hard to find. I don't mind the idea of painting, but I'm worried about the dash. Will I be able to remove and replace all the ugly brown components without any experience or special tools? What kind of paint should I use? I have access to a pnuematic spray gun, so I am not limited to off shelf spray paint. Also what kind of plastic is it? I figure I can find plastic scrap from different vehicles, maybe. Thanks for your help.

Great links: www.tirerack.com www.thezeb.com www.cardomian.com

 

Here is link to a really good plastic paint you can get locally. Nice newer ranger seats from a yard run about 150.00. Headliners are not hard to change on a ranger. Find the right truck in the right yard and you can make a deal for the whole interior. Anyway here is the Krylon paint.(it really is great stuff).
http://www.dickblick.com/zz014/11/pr...m=0&ig_id=6372
Dave

 

I would try the junkyards first, the interior was the same for quite a few years and there's also the Mazda you could steal it from.

 

Horrible crud brown? I thought it was called "Prairie Tan"?

 

It shouldn't be that hard to find stuff in a junk yard, I have a 1994 and when i wrecked it and went searching for a new bed, I had very little trouble finding a part, now price was another problem but if I can find stuff for a 94 ranger, I'm sure you may be able to find a 98, bc a lot of my options were 98-02 rangers, but I wasn't sure if the lines would line up right, so I found a 93, knowing they were the same body style, but yeah, I would definately look through a junkyard.

p.s. I hate my tan too

 

Rangers are #1 in sales for compact pickups for 16 or so years or so; with that in mind you should and will have no problem finding totalled ones to supply your parts needs. A 98 is now 7 years old so that's plenty of time for many a person to "wipe em out". Seven years old is hardly late model these days, it's mid life. I would suggest painting items that don't get a lot of hand wear and replacing items that do get worn, such as armrests and things of that nature. And then, for the parts, there is car-part.com

 

Roger that! All are welcome suggestions, really assures me that many options are open. And yes they should have changed the name of that color to horrible crud brown, it looks dirty all the time imo. But that is funny, I didn't know the name of it, prairie tan, was that it, eeeewwww, it's just bad. I got a real good deal on the truck so color was secondary. Really did not want a red truck but I have grown to like that, just not the inside. I like the idea of swapping as many parts as I can, doing the carpet and headliner myself, yeah cool, do the door panels with some nice vinyl(sp?), drop some 6 1/2" cdt audios in there, yeah, all grey with red and blue neon (big KU fan) and an Infinity basslink for the back, satallite radio, duece duece rims, all right I got carried away there!!!! Thanks for the tips!!!

 

In the 70's, that interior color was often named "buckskin". Very popular color interior color. So was gold color paint, which has been making a comeback the last few years.

 

I've never been a very big fan of the gray interior on my 98 either. Always thought the gray was just too light. A nice mod thought, if you are switching out interiors is going with stuff from exporers. Like power leather seats and even some of the consoles/dash if you get really into it. Have not done it personally, but have always wanted to, just don't have the money. People on here say most of it bolts right in. Black Leather seats....ahhhhhhhhh.

 

Krylon has a paint in spray bomb that I have used that is made for interior panels. It is called fusion, and works well. try a test color match, the cap color is ? Be careful to clean the parts with soap and water, and then use a enamel reducer or pre cleaner to remove silicon ,wax, or armor-all. If you dont follow this tip, you will get "fish eye" where the paint pulls back from the contaminate. If you get a mixed matching paint, add some fish eye remover to the pot befor spraying. Good luck