Hi,all. I'm restoring a 79 f150 4wd and the dasboard is faded, still solid though. Local Ford dealer said they are obsolete. Has anyone ever tried the so called ' vinyl paints, and if so, does the paint last and how do you maintain the finish ? thanks a lot for any feedback,

 

When I changed the color in my '73 (2yrs ago) from brown to black, I went the cheap way and just used regular spraypaint and it still looks good. Just windex or armourall shines it up. I've seen the dash pads advertised in catalogs like JCWhitney, Dennis Carpenter Reproductions and LMC Truck. I have not personally used one, but have heard they look original.

 

Yup, most of the vinyl paints work well. I have painted a couple of dashes and some door panels with it and they seem to stand up well. You can get the paint in aerosol cans but I prefer to buy it in a can and use the spray gun to apply it. The key to is to clean the part that you are about to paint with the recommended cleaners first. I would suggest that you remove the dash to paint it. You may have to apply the paint in several light coats in order to cover up a change in color or to achieve a consistent coverage over the faded areas.

Later, Steve

 

Thanks for the info, I checked the prices at LMC and Dennis Carpenter's and at 290.00 a pad, I went with the paint. Bought it at a local auto upholster shop and it went on good. Looks like when am done with this truck, I could buy a new 99 2wd with the same money, but I lke the old fords better, just having sticker shock on what it is costing for parts on these old trucks. thanks again,

 

Thanks for the advice, I used the vinyl paint and it looks good, hope it lasts a while till I can get a reproduction unit, appreciate the reply. Wished I had found this site BEFORE I started restoration of this truck. I might have found out from the people that have already retored these old trucks, just how expensive it was going to be, thanks again