When it comes to re-painting interior plastics, the 80-86 Bullnose forum has some of the best write-ups and informative threads on the web. I am so glad I found these (threads) and read them before starting my interior refurbish. What I wish to contribute here are a few things I have learned that may be helpful to others who are working on Canyon Red interiors (interior color code "D").

From my initial reading it seemed like there was no stock color match for Canyon Red (from any paint company), only a few custom mixes for 80's Mustangs... the problem being that mail order aerosols have ridiculous shipping charges, and the availability of the custom colors is sometimes sketchy. Both of these are very unattractive drawbacks when you don't know how well it will cover, how many cans you will need, or if it is even the right color (before you order enough to do the whole job).

Soooo... since I plan to repaint everything, I decided instead to try some "close" colors that are available at local retailers. I tried the cheapest first, Duplicolor "Burgandy" HVP110 fabric and vinyl paint from Autozone. It is a high quality paint with great coverage, fantastic opacity and it is an absolutely horrible color! It is far too purple, and lacks the warmth of the Canyon Red. It has a flat, chalky finish and reminds me of very dark blueberry yogurt. The tonal value (light/dark) is correct but the hue is way wrong. Even if your taste varies from mine and you like the color, it looks atrocious next to the carpet and fabrics. Nice try but $8 wasted... sort of... (keep reading).



My next try was SEM ColorCoat Napa Red 15273 from a local auto paint supplier. Not cheap, but not mail order expensive either. I have read all the threads about it being too dark, way too dark for most 80's red interiors. Indeed, the internet pictures I found made it look like an extremely deep plum color. But I thought the hue was more like Canyon Red and I took a gamble thinking it might at least play nice with the carpet and fabric colors. To my surprise it came out extremely close to the color of my non-faded, molded red interior plastics. Canyon Red is ever so slightly more brown than the Napa Red, but I saw far greater variation between interior pieces than between the Napa Red and the piece of sheltered seat trim I was using as my Canyon Red color standard. The finish has a nice semi-gloss luster that looks identical to the original molded plastics. Napa Red probably isn't going to blend in with a 30+ year old fading interior if you want to color match a single piece, and it may not satisfy a high budget restoration, but I think it is perfect for a guy like me who just wants quality stuff that looks nice and isn't a nightmare to source.



Now for the "bad" news. The Napa Red ColorCoat is not very opaque. It goes on translucent, and while a single medium coat seems fine over red parts, be prepared to apply several layers of the stuff if you are doing a color change. But wait... remember the can of blueberry vomit from Autozone? It is very opaque, and one medium coat of Napa Red over top of it yields the desired results. This is how I will re-color my perfect tan dash pad to red. Depending on how many parts you need to re-color, this may be a money saving option since the Duplicolor covers in one coat and is less than half the price of the SEM.

I did notice some conflicting information about which kinds of plastics we have in our trucks and which adhesion promoters to use. I did my own acetone test and found that the only plastics that reacted were the brittle pieces: A-pillar covers, dash face, ash tray and glove box lid. The A-pillar covers are the only acetone sensitive plastics that are molded out of matching colored plastic. The dash pieces are painted, but both the paint and underlying plastic become soft with the application of acetone. For these I bought SEM sand free adhesion promoter. I have not tested it yet, but I will try it on a spot behind the instrument cluster to make sure I like the results. For the rest I bought SEM's regular adhesion promoter for plastics. Since it even claims to work on glass and chrome, if the surface is clean the paint should stick.

I don't have any finished results to show yet. I still need to order the SEM soap and the SEM plastic prep and vinyl prep solutions. More plastic adhesion promoter and more Napa Red now that I know it will work. Doing this job correctly is not inexpensive... but I have done enough junkyarding to see the ghastly things that happen when people just grab a rattle can and go for it.

I do have one question perhaps someone can answer. My A-pillar covers have some of the horrible black windshield glue on them. Since the plastic itself dissolves in acetone, what can I use to remove the black gunk without harming the plastic?

Edit: Lighting is EVERYTHING when it comes to photographing color. Note that the piece of seat trim is the same piece in all photographs and did NOT receive any paint. Now that all the photos are displayed in one post the results look deceiving. I will follow up with better images of the Napa Red vs. Canyon Red. The important point is the relative appearance of the two within the same photo.

 

Another shot in direct sunlight... Capturing this is very difficult!

 

Thank you, Jonathan!

 

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BOOM
https://lmr.com/item/MET-FV21/84-86-...Interior-Paint

 

Yup. It's still OUT OF STOCK. Been that way for quite a while now...

 

Great Post 834 - nice write up thanks for sharing.


It's this kind of stuff that makes the forum such a good reference, learning from the people that have been there / done that.

 

Great post, Ford F834. Thanks for sharing.

My own interior is Canyon Red (Trim code D) in my 1985 F150 Lariat. I personally love this shade. It's like a dark red/orange/brown combination...very unique. It goes great with my Medium Fire Red (Trim code 51) exterior color.

I went to my local PPG paint store and had them mix me up a batch of SEM Canyon Red last Summer when I repainted my own interior. It wasn't cheap, but it was a *perfect* match. This stuff works FANTASTIC!

 

Did you ask to be notified when it cam back in stock?

NO?

Well if you did you would of had it by now

 

True - but it's always good to have options. Like that 834 shared a bit of research on other off the shelf solutions that work well too.

 

Excellent info! Thanks!

 

Try WD-40 for the adhesive. It shouldn't affect the plastic, but it should cut through the adhesive.

 

First thanks for the write up.


If you are changing the color on a light color part to a some what darker color you may want to paint it dark (black?) first kind of like what you are doing.
If the parts you are painting are a mix of light & dark colors it is best to get them all 1 base color before you paint it the final color so they will all match.


Now I have a question? Where are you finding this trim code? I have checked both 81 trucks I have and don't see it on the door sticker.
Dave ----

 

That is some great information! My 85 bronco has canyon red interior. The only dry rotted part is the the top of the door panels, so I cleaned them with some soapy water, then I used Mothers "Back to Black" and it works great! It takes off all the oxidization, and brings back the color. The only thing that people complain about it is for a couple of days the interior has a banana smell to it. The kick panels were the part that got changed the most. I couldn't be happier with the finish. I used it on the seat backs, console, quarter panels, door panels, and dash. They all match perfectly!

 

Dave - Decode your certification label here: Certification Label - ???Gary's Garagemahal. The body code is what you are looking for.