Removing Dark Tempest paint from dash

[Calaber]

A lot of threads have covered repainting the Dark Tempest sections of the dash, or replacing them with black components.

I have noticed that the Dark Tempest paint is very thin and can be easily dissolved by such things as air fresheners leaking.

Has anybody tried to actually clean off the Dark Tempest with thinners or other solvents, rather than rubbing back and repainting? I think the black plastic underneath is the same finish as the black panels on SS's and Calais etc - in other words, the panels are painted for base models but left black for the upmarket ones. (Could be wrong of course)

I intend to get rid of the Dark Tempest because it is too reminiscent of the Executive and Acclaim interiors and it's scratched and damaged as mentioned above. I'm just wondering if any body has tried to just use solvents to remove it.

I'll give it a go on a small part and if it works, put together a "how to".

[danja]

I think the black plastic underneath is the same finish as the black panels on SS's and Calais etc - in other words, the panels are painted for base models but left black for the upmarket ones. (Could be wrong of course)

The black is actually painted on too. The plastic itself is also black, but if you have two parts side-by-side, you'll see the difference - the painted black is more of a matt finish, the plastic slightly more glossy.

That said, provided the whole lot was consistent I'm sure it would look fine.

[Calaber]

Hi Danja

On the Calais, the black has a slight sheen. It's because of that sheen that I thought the parts were actually unpainted.

What has triggered this off is the scratching on my stereo controls. I have noticed that although the grey paint has scratched, the white lettering is unmarked and is raised above the level of the grey. You can feel it when you touch the controls lightly.

As the white lettering also has to be translucent to allow for lighting, I'm thinking of trying to remove the remainder of the scratched grey from the controls with a cotton bud dipped in thinners, wiping lightly to prevent damage to the lettering. If it works, I'll be able to repair the damaged keys by cleaning, rather than repainting. At present, the controls are pretty badly chipped - the previous owner was either a woman with half inch fingernails or a drag queen.

[danja]

I can't speak definitively for the Calais (though I assume it's the same as the SS), but the black parts on my car are definitely painted such - you can see the overspray if you know where to look I'd take a comparison photo for you, but my car is having it's gearbox dissected at the moment

I can understand on an imperfect finish would bother you (they bother me too!). I'm probably stating the obvious, but I'd suggest testing whatever solvent you intend to use on the underside of the centre console (or another non-visible area) to make sure it's not going to melt the plastic. Next I'd test it on the T/C button to test if it's going to cause any undesired effects on the lettering (assuming of course you intend to treat the entire console, not just the radio?) because that way, the worst case scenario is a new $20 button from Holden.

Anywho, best of luck, lots of photos please! (but you knew that already didn't you? )

[Calaber]

I can't speak definitively for the Calais (though I assume it's the same as the SS), but the black parts on my car are definitely painted such - you can see the overspray if you know where to look I'd take a comparison photo for you, but my car is having it's gearbox dissected at the moment

I can understand on an imperfect finish would bother you (they bother me too!). I'm probably stating the obvious, but I'd suggest testing whatever solvent you intend to use on the underside of the centre console (or another non-visible area) to make sure it's not going to melt the plastic. Next I'd test it on the T/C button to test if it's going to cause any undesired effects on the lettering (assuming of course you intend to treat the entire console, not just the radio?) because that way, the worst case scenario is a new $20 button from Holden.

Anywho, best of luck, lots of photos please! (but you knew that already didn't you? )

Yeah, I intend to test it, but thought that the rear panel of the console, behind the front seats, would be a good place to start. Also under the lid of the console compartment fitted to Berlinas and Calais, the overspray can be seen there too.

It would be handy to know what the solvent in the air freshener was, because it just washed the paint off without any damage to the plastic. I think acetone thinners lightly applied is going to be ok, because I'm assuming it's a constituent of the paint used on the dash already.

Pics will definitely follow if this works.

[VYMAD]

I wouldn't be too hasty about using acetone, when I did my grille mod I tried a little of it on the back of the grille to test it and it melted a small amount of plastic.

I don't wish to sound too silly but what about trying that air freshener you're talking about on it? I'm sure a bottle of that would go a long way and not too expensive. Other ideas invited though!!!

[Calaber]

I wouldn't be too hasty about using acetone, when I did my grille mod I tried a little of it on the back of the grille to test it and it melted a small amount of plastic.

I don't wish to sound too silly but what about trying that air freshener you're talking about on it? I'm sure a bottle of that would go a long way and not too expensive. Other ideas invited though!!!

I had thought of that - might test it out as you suggest.

[chevy_big_block_bro]

I think dash parts are PPE but we used to clean PVC pipe and PVC bits in acetone purely because it ripped the top layer off and left a clean surface.
I wouldn't trust it