Lost the text with the pic's
Not a lot of choice here in Aus for colours.
Went with the Duplicolor Burgundy and it is a little more Purple/Pinkish.
The glove box is original and yet to be changed.
As stated lighting changes the look far more than it does to the naked eye.
As the only original panels alongside this will be the lower side panels it will not be too obvious. Crash pad will be carpeted so that will not show up too much either.
NOTE, this went over a Beige coloured dash
Cheers Steve

 

First thing, awesome post and great information! I'm always scouring the forums to get notes of what I can do to make my truck better on my own. (Of course with help from y'all) My door panels are whitish/pink because of the fading.

Secondly, is this paint that Diesel_Brad and Lariat 85 the same thing? Trying to learn which paint to look for when I refurbish my doors at some point.

One question to people that have redone their interiors. About how many cans will it take to do both of my door panels?

 

Thanks, Little brain fart on my part as I was looking for "trim code" and not "body".


So when the chart has "red" I would not know what color red till I try and match it with the can. I see posts for different reds but Gary's chart only has red how did you come up with what color red to use?

Dave ----

 

Hope that answers your questions
Dave ----

 

Thanks guys. I'm glad some of you found this useful and I appreciate any and all additional info. and resources that folks want to add. Some great tips and pointers have been posted already. Thanks!

I definitely don't mean to suggest that one cannot obtain actual Canyon Red... I am just trying to keep costs down, and I did not feel like the hassle of chasing products that are chronically out f stock... especially not knowing how much of it I will need, possibly having to make multiple orders or risk having a bunch left over. What surprised me is how close the Napa Red actually is to Canyon Red. Without holding them side by side I don't think anyone would ever be able to tell the difference.

One question that is not very well addressed in online threads is how much paint is required to do an interior? Hopefully I will have an answer when I am finished. My truck is a crew cab, but I will try to keep track of how many cans I use on the rear door panels, B pillar covers and extra headliner trim... the rest being identical to a single cab. I got very lucky. I bought a near complete red interior from a member here to replace my poor condition tan one. The only items I will need to re-color completely are the dash pad and the driver side rear door arm rest. Everything else will be red over red.

CMHII: Thanks for the tip on the WD40 to remove the windshield glue. I will give it a try on my next day off and report back. If it is oil soluble perhaps a citrus oil remover like "Goo Gone" would be effective. I just remember the stuff being very stubborn when I got it on my hands and tools.

Pebcak: The paint Diesel Brad linked is SEM brand paint custom mixed by the company LMR (Late Model Restorations) which caters to Mustang restorers. Lariat 85 had his mixed by a local paint store, but it is also SEM brand paint. Same stuff but custom mixed by different suppliers.

Blackduck59: Do they not sell or distribute SEM brand down under? I had to find a local dealer as it is not available just anywhere. If not, maybe an auto body shop could mix you some out of whatever brand is available there. I really do not care for the Duplicolor burgandy and hopefully you can do better than that for a match. Neat RHD dash

85MOTORSPORTXLT: Thanks for the interior pictures! Very nice looking truck inside. Glad someone has some restored Canyon Red interior **** to share in this thread on the subject....

Although not paint related (but still interior related) has anyone restored the 85/86 XLT style carpeted map pockets? The pair I received with my interior have badly warped backings and I am debating whether or not to use them. My thought was to re-mount the fabric onto new backing... masonite press board or similar material to replace the original cardboard. I also wonder if mine could be steamed and pressed flat again. Anybody ever do this? I have a pair of the hard plastic style map pockets also (in dark blue unfortunately) but after finding out how easily they break I am thinking the carpet ones would be better for the way I use my truck. These trucks don't have much storage and I'd like to have map pockets.

 

Did you find the Interior colors page?

 

Right now I think I'll do the whole door at once. That way the doors will match when open and that no one will be able to really see the difference once the door is closed.

 

There've been topics about all the paints before. I've heard good and bad about SEM and the quality of the colors. I'm about two steps behind you with the work. I'm still lurking here and there gathering all the information I can before ending up with an uneducated guess and get a purple"ish" color.

 

^^^^ What he said.

 

Ford F843,
Thanks, will go hit the local auto shops again and see if I can find anything close to those codes. Just went by the catalogues they had and the Reds were very bright Red.
As for coverage a few coats on that dash, several coats on 2 bucket seat trims and the can is almost empty.
As for the windscreen sealer I used the cheap degreasing oil we get in a Pressure Paks. Depends on where you are if this is still environmentally allowed.
They have virtually cut out the bulk supply of good degreaser
Cheers Steve

 

SEM is good quality stuff. You really don't need to worry about that. The negative stuff you read online is IMO attributable to:
-Incorrect/inadequate surface prep
-Incorrect plastic prep or adhesion promotor used for the type of plastic
-Incorrect expectation about opacity/coverage

 

The following link I found of someone redoing the exact doors I am.

Door panel restoration

I'm at the point where I need to collect the materials and then the paint that is the closest match. I've just researched too much and have seen too many bad results.

 

I would follow the instructions provided by SEM and use their suggested products. I don't think using their soap is critical, but I think their surface prep solutions and their adhesion promoters are the best way to get good results. The cans are not cheap but it is a lot less expensive than a mistake and a ruined interior part. I know people use other cleaners and solvents to prep the plastic, but to me it's just not worth cutting corners. If you have not seen this yet, you might like the SEM ColorCoat instructional video: .

 

Thanks guys for the links guess I just don't look enough.


I have used SEM on another project and have not had any issues.
It is all in the prep.....clean, clean, clean and clean again.
I used soap & water and scrub brushes and the last is a degreaser.
Dave ----

 

I restored the front half of my brother's Taurus SHO a few years ago, 4 pages of pictures & descriptions here:

I agree with the book, this is best done with two people - Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum



In my opinion, SEM is the best available and proper preparation is crucial.

I guess the big question is, how much of an **** perfectionist are you wanting to be?

Don't expect the Ford factory paint codes to be of much help today; these trucks were built 30-some years ago before computers were as prevalent as they are today, and this information was contained in paper manuals/books back then.

I ended up comparing offerings from a few local paint supply stores (places that supply paint & products to auto body shops) and got my SEM Color Coat color-matched and custom mixed; it's not inexpensive (about $75/quart) but I got exactly what I wanted.

What cleaners you need and the process you use will depend on what sort of dirt & contaminants need to be removed, do your homework and talk to the guys at the paint shops about that.

As for adhesion promoters, I used a third-party product recommended by a few shops (I think it was a Bulldog product) but I don't think you will be disappointed using SEM's recommended product, either.

I already had an air compressor and got some low-volume, low-pressure spray guns from Harbor Failure designed to do trim work, they were around $13 each and don't break the bank (details in the thread linked to above).