painting the dash

[WillBilly53]

what's the correct type of paint to use on the post-war metal dashes? and can you put a clear coat finish on it? i have this fear that i'm gonna use some wrong paint and that i'll lay some pictures or papers on the dash and leave them in the hot sun and i'll come back to try and pick my papers up and they'll be sticking to the dash and my finsih will be oozing onto the carpet. (not that i'll be leaving trash around in my baby!)

any pointers?

thanks!

[Guest AWBE]

Willie------ Whatever yuo do, please post some pictures of "Naomi" when you get through. Man---you are going all out.

[Bill Stoneberg]

Will,

First make surte you know what color it needs to be. For example the 1950's have different color dashes depending on the model.

After that you can probably use either a good basecoat, clearcoat on it like you would a exterior or an epoxy enamel. Treat it like and exterior metal piece an you wont have a problem. Paint put on right wont melt.

On the wagon I am restoring, I am using the same basecoat/clearcoat paint that the body, fenders etc. is getting.

[JohnD1956]

Will, I haven't seen any other posts you have made on the job you are doing, so if this is redundant, feel free to ignore. I had a friend who sent his steering wheel out to be recast in white. When the wheel came back, it looked ivory instead of the white he expected it to be. So my point is, if you have to have the wheel redone, do that first, then you can get matching paint for the dash and do the job once.

Good luck.

JD

[WillBilly53]

awbe - i'm having a great time with her. i'm just about to finish up the rear end. i'm waiting on my rear shock absorbers and shock links from Cars, Inc.

and i'm about to pull the dash out. i'm actually really excited about doing the complete rewiring. (that probably goes up there with removing undercoating) anyways, i was trying to keep a website up since this is my first restoration, but i decided i'd rather spend my time actually doing the working than trying to make a website that has to be updated. i'm taking a billion pictures as i work so i'll make a website when i'm "done" with the restoration.

and i will definitely post pictures!

bill s. - thanks for the tip. it's kind of a blue green kind of like an oxidized copper?

any suggestions on a certain brand of paint?

-john, thanks for the tip as well! i'll keep that in mind.

[Bill Stoneberg]

Will,

What color is your car ? Is it similar to the color of the dash ?

I cant answer for the 53's because I dont have any kind of documentation but maybe someone else can.

I can tell you that in 1950 the the Riviera's dash was painted the same color as the car. I have proof (Buick documentation)of that.

So if I was to guess, I would say yours is probably the same considering the body style is similar to the 1950. Just a guess though, I hope someone with a 1953 can tell you for sure.

Have you ordered a wiring harness yet ?

[WillBilly53]

hey bill,

yes i've ordered and received BOTH wiring harnesses (main and rear) from y n z's yesterday parts.

the color scheme is weird. the actual dashboard is indeed black, but the part of the dash that has all the gauges and radio, etc. is the oxidized copper color i mentioned before, the exterior is black, and the interior (what was left) was a like a blue gray. i'm not too thrilled about redoing the interior in the blue/gray so i'm thinking of doing some customizing on the color there. i was thinking maybe just a simple 2 color scheme: black and eggplant/purple.

[Guest imported_JPIndusi]

Go to support@autocolorlibrary.com and explain your need. They will get back to you with a printout of the interior colors for the dash on 53 Buicks.

Joe