What is best adhesion promoter for padded dash vinyl before painting with vinyl paint?

any experiences? favorites? failures?

Fred

 

Fred, here's a well rated adhesion promoter:


FWIW; depending on what's available at your auto parts store, it's generally a good idea to use the same brand paint and adhesion promoter.

 

I used the above as well as SEM landau Black on an original mint white 68 convertible boot that I painted black. It lasted 10 years and the only reason I don't have it anymore is the clips that hold it on broke and they don't reproduce them. Just make sure you clean what you're painting very well before using the adhesion promoter. I believe SEM makes a cleaner as well.

 

No adhesion promoter is required if using a lacquer product. I’m not sure if that SEM paint is lacquer or not but I suspect it is. Anyway the assembly manual calls for the dash pad to be flat black to avoid glare. I have painted around 5 dash pads with my method including my concourse gold winning GSX at the GS Nationals and friends show winning Hurst Olds. I use flat lacquer GM interior paint. I completely wet the dash with a hose and use diluted simple green and soft brush to eliminate any traces of armor all. Any left can cause fish eyes and a real nightmare. After cleaning dry it off and let dry completely. Then clean with SEM vinyl cleaner with lint free clean rag. This product softens the dash and allows the paint to bite into the dash. Immediately after cleaning spray a light coat of paint on dash. After the paint flashes and looks dry which should only take about 10 minutes at 70 degrees or more spray a heavier coat of paint and that’s all you should need. Avoid to much paint as it will fill the grain. Just make sure you paint and perform all actions are performed in the shade. I’m not saying the adhesion promoter method won’t work because I never tried it. I just think it’s a wasted step and more money. Picture is of the cleaner that works well.

 

I stand corrected. I cleaned it well and used the SEM vinyl prep, not the adhesion promoter

 

I used the SEM Adhesion Promoter before I painted the plastic bumper on my wife's Kia. Go to a specialty automotive paint store and get the products recommended for whatever paint you buy. At the very least, painting your dash will be a multi-step process:

1) Wash the dash with Dawn dish soap and water.
2) Clean the dash with wax remover and degreaser.
3) Tack cloth
4) Spray a substrate (either adhesion promoter or vinyl prep).
5) Spray the color.

If you spray the dash with Krylon Fusion available at your local hardware store you can be sure it will peel off pretty quickly.

 

But a dash pad is not a bumper? No offense but why not just do what someone who has had success doing this exact thing has done? Modern chemicals are not always the best for old stuff.

 

For reference this is a GM service bulletin which gives instructions for paining every type of plastic in these cars. This page is for dash pads. The pad cover is actually not vinyl but soft ABS plastic that can be painted with no primer. It says to use non glare clear as a last step. I had some of that in the past but it went bad as it had a shelf life. It’s been discontinued. I have done the last few dash pads without it and it didn’t rub off. Maybe test that SEM Landau Black to make sure there is no gloss level if you can’t find GM interior flat black. PPG code for flat black interior lacquer is 9317

 

I also assumed you are using black. Probably not smart to assume?

 

Here is another option for flat black. I had this for small parts. Never tried it on a dash however. Label says it’s for dashes.

 

Fred, let us know what you do and post after pics when you've painted the dash!

 

Adhesion promoter works, and works very well for getting paint to stick to things. SO it wouldn't hurt, in any case. Vinyl paint, is it really paint? or is it dye? Most are dyes, unless you had it mixed at an autobody supply, where they use paint pigments in a different resin base. Dyes don't need any primer or adhesion promoter. Paint usually does. Paint may also need flex additive, if put on thicker, like putting light over dark.
As for gloss, or flat? All cars up to the 60's had painted, gloss dashboards. So I call "personal choice" on the level of gloss you choose.

 

Every interior product I have seen is paint. Same chemicals as lacquer, keystones, Acetone, and others. Why spend money on adhesion promoter when even GM service bulletin shows its not needed? With every added step there is more that can go wrong. It also adds extra layers covering up grain on dash. OP can do as he likes. I’m about to do my fifth dash the same way I always have. Also with adhesion promoter isn’t the paint sticking to that? If you use the SEM vinyl prep/cleaner the paint digs in and becomes part of what you are painting.

 

Tough to get a hood picture with light in garage but this is 72 Hurst I painted 4-5 years ago with GM method. Still looks new.

 

As good as it gets with the drop light.

 

There are DYES that are used in the automotive field, for changing upholstery. Paint can be a problem with some plastics. I once had a chart used in autobody applications, that listed all the different types of plastics and the methods used, as well as how to test plastics to find their type. There were around 6 or 8 different methods to use on plastics, depending on type. Some used normal automotive primers and paint, others needed special primers, or additives, others used adhesion primer, or special use primers (polyethylene, and polypropylene, for example) While I don't work on "newer" cars often, I follow paint manufacturer's recommendations on what to use. Adhesion promoter is suggested in a lot of the cases, as a bit of insurance that paint will stick.
Read the recommendations for Bulldog AP, one of the best ones: KleanStrip Automotive

 

As far as gloss level on pad and upper dash the assembly manual calls for flat or zero gloss. The reason for this is glare. I have been in cars where someone mistakenly painted the upper dash gloss or even satin and the glare is brutal.