Does anyone know how much it would cost to change out the dash to the black harley davidson dash?

I can get a black carpet kit, and I am having the seats leathered, so just painint the side plastics is all that I would need to change I think.

Thanks

Chris

I have a 2001 X

 

How much does a can of black spray paint, a roll of masking tape, and some old newspapers cost? In fact, with that new "Fusion" spray paint made specifically for plastics, it should hold up quite well. That stuff worked great on some window shutters and a couple plastic lawn chairs I painted.

My ol' F350's dashboard was blue, and I changed it to black simply by painting it. Never did peel or scratch through 8 years of use.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Fusion paint. I was afraid of scratching through it and having to sand it down and do it again. Push comes to shove I will but getting the tape out.

But for the more expensive route, nobody knows what the dash costs?

Chris

 

It's harder to paint factory plastic, especially if it's new, than you might think. The out-gassing and the heat flex will make the paint look like junk in one summer. The film that gets on the inside of the windshield is mostly plastic out-gassing from the dash and cabin trim. Nice stuff. If that's on the windshield, imagine how much gets in your lungs (or your kids' lungs) ... marvelous. I read a report suggesting you should open the doors and stand back for two minutes before getting into a hot car just so the gasses in there can rise out and escape. My '97 sports car smells like leather in the sun while the new SUVs smell like plastic (even though they've all got acres more leather than the sports car.) Nasty stuff.

Anyway, back to painting plastic cabin trim. You have to sand it back, prime it with a sealer, then go for at least two coats of auto-trim paint. And let it sit for at least a day or the cabin will absorb the paint smell and it will take months of driving around with the windows cracked open while the smell goes away.

I've used something from a local paint shop by 3M that was great. I changed some bland two-tone grey/black into all black but the different materials (soft vinyl and hard plastic) still gave it a nice two-tone effect, just much less boring. Still a really messy job, you have to take every trim piece out and you have to worry about breathing gear -- those chemicals will kill brain cells faster than a Vodka bath.

This is a great time to upgrade speakers and wiring as well as plaster in some Dynomat (I used "Brown Bread" because it was a lot cheaper for the size of job to do an SUV.)

I really dislike the "design by committee" boring beige of the Excursion cabin trim. I was thinking of getting an upholstery place to do it in a combination of black or dark-grey leather (just glued to the existing hard plastic trim) with some custom work to create a useful console and a flip-up monitor (for DVDs and navigation) in the top of the dash. There's also some good, thick stick-on aluminum facia stuff that works well. I've seen this done on some show cars and the result can be subtle and the X won't end up looking like "oh, was this a show truck years ago?"
There's a few Web sites with replacement molded carpet and leather seat covers. I'd be tempted to replace the front seats with something more comfortable rather than just fit the leather. I was also thinking of getting the upholstery shop to cut the third row seat (to make it much thinner) and mount the seat on a storage box (but retain the rollers and tumble fold mechanism.)
Well, as ever, my list of projects and ideas far exceeds the scarce few hours I find to actually get stuff done. I'm just glad I have the Sirius S50 in there for long drives. The kids get mesmerised by the DVD in the back seat and the dogs have enough room to stretch out -- and that's another great thing about ditching some of the cloth and fabric and getting leather -- it doesn't hold the dog hair.

Cheers,

 

My ex is a 2001. So its not exactly new. I have 200sq ft of fatmat. I guess its like brown bread, I got it off ebay. I have a buddy that did his sub with it, I he likes it, so when its the cheapest out there, that what I bought.

How much sanding? until its smooth, or until its just a little scuffed. what sealer did you use?

MOST IMORTANT!!! how durable is everything? door panels getting kicked and sill plates blimbing in and out. cups sweating in the heat? I do not want to do it and have it peal the first time someone touches or spills on it.


Thanks
Chris

 

I guess Fatmat will work fine. I sanded just enough to be sure I had a fresh surface, maybe should have taken a little more off. And durability wasn't a problem, but I'd put leather in "touch" points like handles and arm-rests.


Fatmat sounds like it's as good as any of the real sound deadening materials. As long as it's easy to handle and apply. The trick is to avoid any gaps -- the instructions suggested that a hole any larger than finger would allow a lot of noise through.
I did a supercharged V8 SUV because it was getting way too noisy between tires and blower and exhaust. Quite effective, much less drone, but still noisy.
For sanding, I used a soft hand block and a course grit and I probably could have taken off more but I didn't want to mess up the texture and end up with a botched job. The important step is cleaning -- don't leave any dust. I had an air supply, but I also used a 3M product. I can't remember any of the product names but they were all simply named like "plastic primer sealant" and "plastic cleaner" etc.
The dash was fine, it was just a machine grey and looked great. The doors were fine as I recall (no kicking, though) but I remember putting leather handles around the door grips because I didn't think the paint would survive being on a handle -- it was a professional upholstery place that did the leather accents. At the time, they seemed expensive but I bet by todays' prices, it was a bargain and they used great leather. Again, that's the trick to make sure they use a thick leather that hasn't been scuffed smooth (which is actually what the factories prefer and is meant to be more expensive) so that the leather matches the plastic trim texture and doesn't look like bloody vinyl! : ) I already had black cup holders in plastic and I had already put in metal door sills. I really don't think the paint would survive "high wear" points.

 

I had a dash replaced in a 04 Super Duty through insurance, I think they billed for a little over $1700

If you paint your dash, that would be a great time for a new windshield. Call a guy out to pull it, then have him come back the next day (drying time) to install a new one. Might cost a litte more for another trip but it would be much easier to paint. That way you can mask off the rest of the interior to keep the smell and overspray out.
I have used a paint adhesion promoter before called "Bulldog" on exterior parts - worked great, the paint never peeled and seemed not to even chip. Dont have to sand at all, just has to be clean

 

Dont use Fusion paint!! I use it on the side plates of my Dirt bike and it does scratch very easy!! I just repaint them after every ride. Not something you want to do with the dash or side panels!

 

dirt bikes have the abs plastic that is next to impossible to paint. Have you tried Bulldog on that bike?

Go to a professional automotive paint store and see what they would suggest. They will have all stuff you need, such as interior plastic specific.

 

Just in case it's not clear, you really have to remove whatever parts you paint. I'd say the Excursion looks like it comes apart pretty easily, but I'd budget on ordering at least some clips for the reassembly -- these things just seem to be designed to break. If you miss clips or use bent/broken clips, things will rattle and squeak ... even more than they do already ... : )

 

Stumbled across this paint:
http://www.dieselmanor.com/Accessories/FIP_paint.asp
while I was looking at what this bloke has done with his Excursion -- lots of good ideas and he's not finished:
http://www.turrisimotorsports.com/ga...ions_index.htm

 

Thanks for thew help guys. I bought some fusion, and I am testing it on a few extra interior pieces that I have. If it turns out, I will be continueing on. If not, I will try that other paint.

I will keep you all posted. thanks

Chris