How do you clean the plastic parts such as Fan Shroud and Inner Fenders. Do you clean only? Use Armorall ? or Paint?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have used a good de-greaser with a scotch guard pad. Then after completely cleaned I then use SEM Landau Black. Mine have come out great and have done this on a few cars with no after issues.
Dean

 

Oven cleaner works great on old plastic but better if the parts are off the car, that stuff eats up paint and everything else.

Not a fan of any Armorall type products that may contain silicone and make future painting a PITA

 

Interesting. Just last night I wrote an e-mail to to SEM asking if they might have any 38563 Cherokee Black left in inventory anywhere since they discontinued it a couple of years ago and I'm out. I use it on radiator shrouds - it is amazing how it replicated that dark gray/black color and it does not look like it has been painted! See pic attached.

 

after cleaning to remove grease dirt etc, I used 3m / bondo restore black my dash is a nice dark black and my fenderwells are black instead of the chalky grey they were before restore black

Paint has its purpose but in any area like the shroud, fenderwells etc it can easily get chipped or scratched and not look as good as the original black colored plastic

 

oh yeah they come out great done several w these steps. Wow I use sem its up here. not cheap 14 a can but hey it works

 

Agree on all the above.
Oven cleaner could be very carefully applied with a rag or sponge to avoid getting it on anything painted. However you must keep it wet for 10 minutes or more. If you get it on paint, wipe up with a damp rag as soon as possible
WEAR GLOVES and do outside with a fan blowing the fumes away from you!
Caustic as crap but it does remove pretty much anything from plastic. This even removed the red-dirt residue from my parts, which no other cleaner or solvent would touch!

 

Not a very large bottle. Is one enough for an entire engine bay?

 

I am still on the same bottle I did the dash, shroud, and both fender wells 2x each !!!

 

I've found 2 products that work well for plastic.
1. Duplicolor black vinyl dye
2. Bumper/trim paint - eg


Clean the plastic really well with oven cleaner, degreaser and/or light abrasives like scotch bright. It will lightly scuff the surface which is what you want to do. Make sure the surface is clean/dry/scuffed and then shoot it with a black plastic trim paint. Have a look at how it worked on my transmission inspection cover:

Gassed - Inspection cover restoration

 

I agree Allan. That Cherokee Black paint I rant and rave about is a SEM bumper paint.

 

Oven cleaner made my inner fender tubs look like new.

 

I just did the SEM landau black for the lower front air dam on my 70 cutlass. I cleaned it good first but it was faded. It looks like new plastic now not like it's been painted. I'm going to be doing my inner fenders in the SEM flame red next. When I do that I'll take some before and after pictures.

 

That will be interesting, are the inner fenders black now?

 

I used the dupli color viny dye on my lower air dam when I restored it and am very happy with the results. The air dam from the factory is stapled hodge podge and the staples had pulled loose on one side.

The air dam had been painted back about 25 years ago, but it started peeling (likely not prepped right) and looked terrible. Here's how the duplicolor vinyl dye worked for me. Before cleaning (note paint peeling on plastic and sloppy staple job from factory)


After cleaning with both degreaser and oven cleaner the plastic was splotchy.


After scotchbrite scuff, trimming rubber, dye, and re-staple

 

I know this is a very old thread, but question... what kind of stapler did you use to restaple the parts together? I need to do that and the inner fender seals as well.


Thanks!

 

Just push the new staples thru the old holes and than fold down the other side of the staple w pliers