bd32322 Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 My mooney has a panel that has a black background - but I like the looks of the off-white color background on the modern mooneys. Anyone re-paint their panel - any idea how much it can cost? Any shop recommendations? Is it possible to do the work on my own - with A&P supervision.. Thanks, Bodi Quote
jbreda Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 Take it apart and have it powder coated. You can get a color like you want in powder coating. John Breda 1 Quote
David Mazer Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 Powder coating is really the way to go if you want it to look best and last longest but, if you need to cut a little cost, you can just paint it. I had one small section of my panel that was black while the rest was off white (I have no idea how that was allowed to happen by the previous owner) and it just didn't make sense to do more than paint that section. It has held up pretty well and the color match is pretty good too. Quote
John Pleisse Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 My avionics people tell me black is the color that, in terms of hum factors, is the most correct. I like the gray and almond Mooney panel. I am painting mine next year and will re-do the lay out. I'll watch this thread with interest. Quote
fantom Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 I'd like to see the facts your "avionics people" base that on. Seems like another faulty OWT to me. Quote
alex Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 if you look in my gallery you will see after pics. I can't post for whatever reason. I think the color you choose depends largely on the color of your interior as well. If you see the interior that I had prior to purchase you will see what I mean, I dont think gray would have looked very nice at all but the almond matched the sun bleached plastic quite well... Quote
PTK Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 Advice I was given by my avionics installer, who by the way is extermely reputable and highly experienced, was DO NOT powder coat the panel. It is very difficult if not impossible, to match the color later if you make any changes to your panel. Also it doesn't look good when you will be looking at it upclose and personal all the time while flying. It will look like it has a permanent dust on it. Powdercoating is a process good for the landing gear maybe that we don't look at all the time but NOT the instrument panel. They recommend painting it using a good panel paint. They utilize a Dupont product. I forget the details on it. Quote
Shadrach Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 PK, If I were to show you to pieces of metal, one that had been painted and one that had been powder coated; I doubt that you'd be able to tell me which was which. The finishes would likely not be exactly the same, but a proper powder coat can produces a smooth glossy finish, and is far more durable. It is true that it is not easy to match on touch up, but the same can be said for paint (unless you save a batch of the original, which will not last forever). Quote
danb35 Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 If the powder coat looks like it has dust in it from 16-18", it must be a really bad job of powder coating--I've seen plenty of powder coating that looks just fine. Matching color shouldn't be a problem either; a good paint shop (probably an automotive shop) should be able to do it easily. I don't think powder coating the panel is necessary (I painted mine when I redid it last year), but I'd think that a paint shop would be a better source of information. Quote
PTK Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 Hey I'm no expert! This is why I take advice from experts! They also said that the panel must not be glossy and reflective. For obvious reasons. It must be matte finish. I like my black panel personally. Quote
jlunseth Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 I had the black pseudo leather on my 231 powder coated an off white and really like it. Gauges and instruments really stan out. Its in my photo album. Quote
bd32322 Posted June 18, 2011 Author Report Posted June 18, 2011 any idea of price to powdercoat? maybe someone can PM me? nice pics Alex! I like the lighter color background just becuase the instruments seem to pop out at me - just my personal preference - I think secretly it makes me think I am in a later model mooney Quote
74657 Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 I just sent you a PM. Are you thinking about repainting or starting from scratch? Quote
bgpilot1 Posted June 18, 2011 Report Posted June 18, 2011 I've had an aluminum overlay made for the right side of the panel. Matched the paint to the left and had it powder coated at Ricks Powder Coating in Memphis, TN. They charged me all of $20. Also had the yokes powder coated. I've very pleased with the results. I do like a duller finish so there is less glare. You can see a couple of pics in my gallery. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ricks and for that price you can ship it FedEx Ground and have it back in 2 weeks. If your panel is plastic, I would guess you would want to use SEM paint which is what most people use on the plastic interior panels. Barry Quote
bd32322 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Report Posted June 19, 2011 74657 - I am just thinking of repainting/powder coating my existing panel. I wont be changing the layout of any instruments/radios. I am going to wait until I upgrade avionics and re-layout the panel then - which wont be for a while. As for repainting - I am planning on doing it when my annual comes up in December. bgpilot1, alex and jlunseth - i checked out your albums and the panels looks as nice as I expected. Alex I especially like your exterior silver paint scheme - I always wanted painted one silver with red accents someday .. Quote
flyboy0681 Posted October 20, 2020 Report Posted October 20, 2020 I'm reconstituting this very old discussion. Along with the GI-275 install that I'm doing, I'm also having a new panel fabricated and the smaller panels painted in the same color. The color will be light gray, but the shop wants to know exactly what color. Is there a standard gray that is typically used? Quote
PT20J Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 I’d get a Pantone and/or FED-STD-595 fan deck and pick a standard color that you like. Any good paint shop can mix colors from those palettes. Skip Quote
carusoam Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 I would want to match other Mooney models... to try to make mine look like something that just rolled flew off the production line.... In order to pull that off... a call down to the production line may be required... We haven’t got that phone number yet... But we have been given this handy dandy email address... Hi, my name is -a-... i was wondering if you could tell me what color.... PP half thoughts only, let me know if you want the tech Support email address... Best regards, -a- Quote
Davidv Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 @bd32322 Just to address the original question, Mooney used two lighter colors in the modern panel. One is called “Oyster White”, the other “Oyster Grey”. I’m not sure if the color code but many suppliers produce it. Take a look online and confirm that’s the color you are looking for. Quote
gacoon Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 On 6/18/2011 at 12:11 PM, bd32322 said: any idea of price to powdercoat? maybe someone can PM me? nice pics Alex! I like the lighter color background just becuase the instruments seem to pop out at me - just my personal preference - I think secretly it makes me think I am in a later model mooney Probably a lot less than taking it all apart and putting it back together. Dont forget to get matching instrument screws. Quote
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