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| A lot of the new plastic or vinyl interior items that you purchase for your Corvette’s interior do not come color coded to your interior. Most of the times these items come in black or gray and will have to be dyed to match your interior. Sometimes you may want to change the color of an existing item. There is no secret to doing this. All you need are the right products. These are readily available from Zip Products, Inc. In this article we will show you the different procedures used for dyeing vinyl or plastic items. They are really quite simple and will give professional results. So let’s get started! |
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01: Here are some of the items that we will be dyeing along with the products that will be used. The dye and sand free primer came from Zip Products. The PPG products came from our local PPG Dealer. You may also need some masking tape and a well-ventilated area to spray the items to be dyed.
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02: The first step in dyeing any vinyl product is to thoroughly clean it with PPG #UK403 Vinyl Cleaner. This will remove any dirt, grease, or grime. Use a nylon bristle brush or course sponge to clean the item even if it is new. Do this two or three times. After it is clean, thoroughly rinse it with clean water. Then dry it completely. |
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03: Now wipe the item down with PPG #UK405 Vinyl Conditioner. Use overlapping strokes and go in one direction only. Do not crisscross or change directions. After it is done, do not touch it with your bare hands. The oils in your skin can stick to the vinyl surface and cause the dye not to adhere properly. |
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04: You can now start to spray dye the item. Work in a well ventilated area. Use light overlapping strokes. Do not put on heavy coats because this can cause runs or blushing. ( Blushing means the dye will have a whitish cast and not look sharp. This is caused by too much paint and humidity in the air. It is a good idea not to do any type of dyeing on rainy or high humidity days.) Allow about 5 to 10 minutes between coats depending on the temperature. (Higher Temp = Less Time). When it is thoroughly covered, check it for light spots. If it is covered completely, let it dry about 1 hour. After it is dry, it will be ready to be installed. |
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05: Plastic items are a little different. If they are new, start by wiping each item with PPG UK405 Vinyl Conditioner. Remember, overlapping strokes in one direction. Again, do not touch the item with your bare hands when this is done. Note: If you are changing colors on an existing item or it is a used item, start by thoroughly cleaning it with PPG UK403 Cleaner first just like you would if the item was vinyl. Then go on to the vinyl conditioner. |
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06: Now, spray the plastic item with sand free primer available from Zip Products. This will open the pores of the plastic and allow the dye to penetrate instead of just lay on the surface. |
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07: Here is the most important step. Before the primer dries, start to spray your first color coat on the item. Make sure that you get a complete cover coat. It only has to be a light cover coat, but it must be over the entire surface of the item. (Do not allow the primer to dry before you spray the color coat. If you do, the color coat will not penetrate the plastic and the dye or paint will not adhere.) After the first coat has dried, spray light to medium overlapping coats until the part is covered to your satisfaction. You do not have to spray any more primer after the first coat. It is only needed one time. In the picture you can see we had both the primer and the dye ready to spray. Dyeing vinyl or plastic is that simple! |
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DYEING PLASTIC:
HOW TO CORRECTLY DYE YOUR CORVETTE'S VINYL AND PLASTIC PARTS
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
MG-98 • SEM Sand Free Primer
DYE • Interior Dye (choose color)
PPG #UK403 Vinyl Cleaner
PPG #UK405 Vinyl Conditioner
The Author would like to thank Scott Coral of Greg Donahue Collector Car Restorations, Inc. for his assistance with this article.
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