My 73 F100 Ranger has green door panels that seem fairly hard to find, mine also have the chrome on them.
Both are in fairly decent shape other than slightly faded and one has all the clips busted off of it so it rattles. I would like to find a good used one then I could drill holes for my trim to transfer over. I am just worried these panels won't take well to being painted?
What is some prep work that should be done to help in the process? I found some rust oleum paint at walmart that is supposed to be for plastic and is very close to the correct color. Thanks for any help.

 

I had some red ones that had been painted that color . Thought about doing it again , But I found some good used ones the brown color I wanted on e-bay and bought them . Then I sold the red ones ,making my cost for the brown ones $10.00 , much less work than painting the red ones.

 

proper prep work is key. You will want to get a paint that is made for plastic trim.It is available at most good parts store.Wipe the panel down really well with a grease and wax remover especialy the "rubber" door handle/armrest.When you paint the panels I would recomend a few light coats of paint instead of a couple of heave coats.

 

The key is to use the proper material, and you won't have any problems. As c.I.nye said, preparation is extremely important. I'd start by washing them thoroughly with something like simple green. Rinse. use a grease and wax remover to clean them up. Next step is us an adhesion promoter followed by the proper dye.

DO NOT USE SPRAY PAINT. you're right, it will just peel off in a short time. There are specific materials made for dying plastics. Usually they will have a kit that will include the adhesion promoter. Any major auto parts supplier should be able to point you in the right direction.

I believe the "clips" that they used were Christmas Tree clips that slide into a slot in the back of the panel. If the slot isn't damaged, you can find these clips on the help rack at the auto parts supplier.

If 1 or 2 slots are damaged, but the rest of them are in good shape, you might be able to stop them from rattling by using 3M two sided tape. I've used it for everything from holding trim in place, to holding cat whiskers in place. Make sure you get the good stuff though, there are a couple of different qualities out there.

 

I haven't ever found any dye that was the correct color. Thats why I was considering spray paint that is supposed to be for plastic. Will that not work either?

I may try the 3m tape on the door panel that has busted clips, almost all the slots are broke from the po.

 

The "spray paint" made for plastic is actually a dye. And if it says that it is made for plastic, it is the correct stuff. Again, the key to using is the preparation. Clean it, degrease and remove wax, use adhesion promoter then spray. You may want to check out Eastwood for their products.

The tape works pretty well. If the panel stays in place pretty well, and the only problem is the rattling, then I would think the tape would work. A lot cheaper than having to replace your door panels.

 

I used Krylon for plastic on some door panels and it has held up very well. I cleaned the door panel with some greased lighting first which worked very well and then washed it with soap and water and let dry. I made a template out of thin cardboard for the trim piece and then placed it on the panel and marked the holes to drill.

 

I bought some Krylon Fusion paint for plastic at walmart. The closest color they had to match was hunter green. I bought some mean green cleaner/degreaser to clean the panels. Do yall think that will work good?

Also wondering if I should use a light scuff pad on the panels before paint and wondering if I should use Krylon's clear on it afterwards? Thanks.

 

A light scuff won't hurt, but I never did it with mine. Spraying them with clear afterwards won't hurt either if you want more of a gloss, but a couple nice coats of paint will be fine. One thing I would suggest though if you have one or could get one for really cheap or free is an old door panel that you could use to practice on and see what happens and see if you like it.

 

I can't speak for this stuff. I've only used the stuff made for automotive applications. Let us know how well it works.

 

I looked at Eastwood's products. Nothing was the right color.

I have an extra pair of half decent green panels I can try it on. I hope it tuns out good so I can do the ones in the truck.

 

There's a guy on ebay that sells repop green panels.

 

I have seen those and I thought about getting them. I wonder if they are molded like originals(tabs for holding to door made in not glued on)?

I figured its worth a shot doing what I am gonna try first since it will save lots of money if it is successful.

 

I have a 79 f100, green with a green dash, green vynal seat, white visors, white headliner and tan door panles. Do you think that the the original door panles were green to match the truck? Did they all come with white visors? I was thinking the same thing, maybe get green door panles

 

I would say yes. I have a 73 F100 Ranger. Exterior colors are winter green and limestone green poly. Interior is green panels, seat, seat belt covers, dash. Visors and headliner are the basic white.