I need a little experience-based advice on painting small interior plastic parts.
I need some new armrest bases for my 72, but they new ones only come in blue, red, white, and black.
I need to paint them saddle, to match my interior. My original bases are sun deteriorated and deeply scratched.

What base color is best to use to start with? I figured it would be difficult to make a dark surface (black) into a lighter color (saddle), so i was thinking on getting the white ones. Any thoughts?

Also, are these supposed to be primed? I plan to use the spray interior dye/paint sold by the Olds parts houses. (Naturally, they do not give much insight on how to use the stuff...)

Thanks...

 

Given the large percentage of plastic parts in new cars, the plastic paint technology has come a long way. I have successfully painted rigid and semi-rigid plastic parts. You need to determine the exact type of plastic (ABS, PVC, vinyl, etc) then get the appropriate paint and prep materials. Priming may or may not be required, but one thing that is mandatory is preparation. It is imperative that the parts be completely clean of any residual mold release or other potential contaminants. This means a thorough and vigorous scrubbing with soap and water. Pay careful attention to getting into the grain of the plastic. Following cleaning, use the appropriate etching material for your plastic and paint. This is usually a wipe-on/wipe-off solution that removes gloss and promotes adhesion. I would go to your local auto paint store for materials and more info. Major manufacturers, such as DuPont and Martin Senor, have PDF data sheets for their products that you can download.

 

I recently had my dash and center console painted by a local body shop. I removed them and sent them to get done. I paid $200.00 for him to do it but i think it was well worth it because my painting skills stink.
He told me that the most important thing is preparing the surface before paint and the worst thing is armor all on the parts. They use silicone in the armor all and it soaks right in to the parts.
You probably don't have to worry about that if they are new though.

 

I ordered interior paint from Eastwood. It is made by SEM. I used this paint to paint my dash,console and even the rear seats,they were all brown and I changed the color to black and got very good results,in fact you would think that they were originally that color. There is a prep that must be used before you paint. I thought that they would peel but appears to be permanent.I am very happy with it.Here is the link to Eastwood/www.eastwoodco.com. I also did redo the arm rest as well

 

Good advice so far; thanks!
I will save this away for when painting time comes around later.
Right now i just want to buy the arm rests, since i am putting in a big order.

So if I were to paint these medium brown, would it be better to buy a white or a black armrest?
Or does it not matter as long as I paint it right?

 

I did not use any type of primer (base) just the prep and it covered very well.