So here's a shot of the interior before I started putting things back together/tearing them apart. The more I looked, the more small pieces here and there that I found broken or deteriorated.
So back to the junk yard I went. There's a 4 banger out there that appears to have been driven by a chick. A lot the pieces and parts look faded and weather worn but never messed with.
So I took the entire center console out of that car. I see rookies in the classifieds all the time that are wanting to buy complete black interior in perfect condition but balk at the price when someone asks for what it's actually worth.
This is going to get stripped down, prepped, and dyed with VHT vinyl dye.
More evidence that it was chick... I mean, who the hell puts this kind of cover on an arm rest????
Here's a pic of the INSIDE of that cover and what it looked like new before sun fading. It didn't help at all... Still ugly as hell.
Here's the good news: That cover has been on that arm rest for a looooooong time because the arm rest itself is nearly perfect. Just dirty.
So I put the pieces and parts in the kitchen sink and cleaned it all with water and dish detergent. Hand dried it then left it out in the sun for about half an hour to air dry.
Below is a pic of the center console sporting it's FIRST of two coatings/cleaning with the VHT vinyl prep. I coated it, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes then wiped it all off with micro-fiber towels till it all looked completely dry again. Lots of the blue factory dye comes off with the prep. I'm not worried about getting it all completely free of the original color. I just want to ensure that it's well prepped so that the new dye will sink in and take hold so that scratches don't show through.
For those that don't know... THIS IS NOT PAINT. This is VHT Vinyl Dye. I'll be using Satin Black.
I sprayed the stuff on THICK and let it do it's work. Don't leave it on for too long... It can warp the plastic. When you can run a fingernail across the surface and see thee original color start to come off then it's time to wipe it clean.
This is after two-ish coats of the vinyl dye sprayed on VERY LIGHTLY with about 15 minutes between coats. This is where I stop today. I had about half a can lying around the garage and have 4 more on their way to my local O'Reilly's as we speak. Should be here sometime tomorrow. Would have liked to get a base coat down on the rest of the parts but it is what it is.
