Interior parts painting

[capthaak]

I've been talking to a local shop about an interior change. He said they'd "re-dye" the plastic parts. My question is, is this a fancy word for spray paint? What have you done to change the color of your interior parts? Mine is an '81 J.

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[N6758N]

I used Krylon Fusion paints for my interior plastics. Take them all out and repair any damage using the Spatial interior http://www.jaegeraviation.com/sinteriors  method, then thoroughly clean and paint color of your choice. 

[ArtVandelay]

I had mine both painted and covered by leather.

[OR75]

Plastic over time gets brittle ... No turning back. You may consider replacing with new parts from plane-plastic. It is not cheap for stupid plastic parts 

[Yetti]

It's just turning of a screw driver and a couple of coats with a rattle can.   Rustoleum Satin Nickle is the color I went with.  there are some high rub areas (Left arm of the pilot) that needed to be touched up after awhile.  If your plastic is in pretty good shape give it a whirl.

 

[milotron]

Watching this thread...

 

I am considering this also, but am also looking at replacing the plastics in my K. I have read some horror stories about fitting the replacements plastics; how bad is it?

 

What are the results with the SEM color coat? Does that tend to rub off also?

 

 

[Andy95W]

51 minutes ago, milotron said:

 

I am considering this also, but am also looking at replacing the plastics in my K. I have read some horror stories about fitting the replacements plastics; how bad is it?

Not to be flippant, but it depends upon how patient you are and how much attention to detail you are willing to pay.

It is definitely NOT quick and easy, but it can be fun. And it is not terribly hard, as long as you take the time to do it right.

[Guest]

Plane Plastics suggested SEM paints for plastic.

https://www.semproducts.com

Clarence

[Hank]

I repainted my whole interior with SEM when I bought the plane. It'sIt's ready to be cleaned again, with some more crack repair, but thethe color is still good after a decade. 

[milotron]

That looks really sharp, nice work! I just need to figure out the SEM match to my current panels. They headliner panels are fine, but the door and pilots side need some work. Some of the cracks are repairable, the door lower panel really needs to be replaced, plus I want to eliminate the ashtray.

I looked into Aerocomfort, but timing doesn't work to coordinate with my annual in a couple of weeks.  Hector is booking up quick! I might need to plan for this later in the year, with a quick paint for now.

[ArtVandelay]

SEM is very good. I have used their products before on automotive interior plastics with good success. It costs three times as much as Rustoleum Satin but either are peanuts by almost any standard.  Here are some pics of my Rustoleum Satin job before all of the placards were applied.  Still looks the same five years later. The total cost was next to nothing.  Yes, like Corvettes, to me all Mooneys are red, at least at heart.
Jim

What if you didn't want the ashtray? Are they customizable?

[DonMuncy]

4 hours ago, milotron said:

I am considering this also, but am also looking at replacing the plastics in my K. I have read some horror stories about fitting the replacements plastics; how bad is it.

 

 

It is pretty tough. You can take it in and out a BUNCH of times, trimming it a little at a time. Or you can trim a little more aggressively, knowing that if you trim off too much, you can't put it back.

[Yetti]

Since things are out.   Might as do the lower panels in leather also.

If you buy new panels you could do the spacial intior connection method instead of screws.   Industrial velcro ty wrapped to the tubes.

search for 3 leather hides

https://mooneyspace.com/topic/15889-3-leather-hides/#comment-220831

 

[ArtVandelay]

I would have been very happy to lose the ashtrays, but that would have involved more work and, as mine looked presentable, I just kept them. All I had to do for the vast majority of my royalties was repair a few cracks around screw heads using the light fiberglass cloth and PVC glue method. Nothing nearly as extensive as Bruce J. demonstrates in his video. 
Jim

I had mine fiberglassed over, also had the old style headrests reshaped, pix in my album if anyone is interested.

[milotron]

1 hour ago, Yetti said:

Since things are out.   Might as do the lower panels in leather also.

If you buy new panels you could do the spacial intior connection method instead of screws.   Industrial velcro ty wrapped to the tubes.

search for 3 leather hides

https://mooneyspace.com/topic/15889-3-leather-hides/#comment-220831

 

That is a nice clean look with the leather side panels Yetti.  I am going to use as much velcro a I can versus 2,000 tiny screws.  

I notice that you have footwell panels; I don't have those. I wonder how much extra space they provide? Maybe a better finish of the wall panel edges?  I can see a decent weight savings from the removal of the carpet panels and going to leather clad aluminum.  Did you use regular contact cement to adhere the leather?

 

My ashtray on the door is okay, but I have a large crack in it already. It looks like one of the easier panels to fit from new, so I will try that as an experiment before committing to the more complex ones.

 

Apologies to the OP as I have taken this sideways a bit...

[Yetti]

a little more than a quart of contact cement. Most of my plastic panels were in pretty good shape. I did you some Goop to fix one of them.  It still smells like new leather a year later.   And besides how many Money do you know that have a fully leather cargo area.

It probably saved 5 lbs or so.

[carusoam]

Test your skills!

Both doors are small but complex projects.  If you improve what is there.  The new parts stay.  If your work is terrible, the old stuff goes right back on.

my grandfather had great carpentry skills.  My father was a creative wood craftsman in his spare time.  I had high hopes...

I got my genes from the other side of the family...

I sold my C with two door panels, not quite finished.

Best regards,

-a-

[bradp]

I used an SEM equivalent recommended by the local auto interior supplier.  I'll dig up the name next time I'm in the hangar.  Stuff is not cheap - about $15-20 per can and I think I went through about 10-12 cans to cover all the interior plastic. 

Essentially SEM and the like "re-dye" the ABS plastic by using a solvent that works its way into it.  Therefore, the new plastic is really permeated by the color.  So it will not chip or rub off.

Note that it is very difficult to go from darker to lighter with this method- choose paint color accordingly.

Standard rattle cans don't adhere well to plastic. 

Use epoxy and fiberglass backing to repair cracks.  I used some ABS cement (essentially ABS dissolved in MEK or another organic solvent) to repair some cracks.  It won't hold up forever, but offers the benefit of having some more flexibility to minimize the potential to crack again during installation. 

[milotron]

4 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

I like the inflatable door seal, does this make much dfference to the sound?  I find most of my "hiss" sound comes from the windshield.  

The inflatable seal came with the plane, so I don't really know any better, but when it is not inflated enough ( or at all ) it is noticeably louder. I don't really hear it, but my son hears the hissing and whistling from the right side.

The down side is that it seals virtually no water from the outside when un-inflated, so the cover is necessary when stored outside like my bird is. If I park for the day in the rain with no cover, there will be water drips at the top of the door opening, but nothing with the cover on it, even for extended time in the wet coast.

[jetdriven]

4 hours ago, bradp said:

I used an SEM equivalent recommended by the local auto interior supplier.  I'll dig up the name next time I'm in the hangar.  Stuff is not cheap - about $15-20 per can and I think I went through about 10-12 cans to cover all the interior plastic. 

Essentially SEM and the like "re-dye" the ABS plastic by using a solvent that works its way into it.  Therefore, the new plastic is really permeated by the color.  So it will not chip or rub off.

Note that it is very difficult to go from darker to lighter with this method- choose paint color accordingly.

Standard rattle cans don't adhere well to plastic. 

Use epoxy and fiberglass backing to repair cracks.  I used some ABS cement (essentially ABS dissolved in MEK or another organic solvent) to repair some cracks.  It won't hold up forever, but offers the benefit of having some more flexibility to minimize the potential to crack again during installation. 

+10 for epoxy and fiberglass. Use structural aircraft epoxy and it's better than new. Even back up the screw holes in the new plastic of you buy some.  It keeps the screw from warping and pulling through the plastic. I have some repairs that are 4 years old now and undetectable.