Has anybody changed the interior color of their Jeep? What did you Use? Dye? Paint? mine is an ugly redish color and I would like to make the interior black. Does anybody have before and after Pictures of the change?

interior color:

 

plastic krylon paint for interior trim pieces. won't work on the cloth tho, you'd have to dye that. i think you can get dye in a spray can tho.

take your time and do it right, or it'll look like poop. remove the trim if you can. maybe remove the headliner and change the fabric.

seats can be spray dyed too.

 

Pull the headliner and put new fabric in it. Do some searching and you can find step by step instructions.

 

Hi! Did you change the color? I am thinking to do that too. Can you please give us details about what you did?
Thanks!

 

When I restored a couple of classic cars, I redyed the interiors, both plastic and other components. This is what I used and how and the results were excellenty obtained. This is not difficult or rocket science by any means. This sequence creates a true professional result.

I went to a local body shop supplier and bought premixed interior dye. They have all the interior color codes so you can do a proper color change or any factory color that floats your boat. It's important to use a good dye to insure good results. This stuff also works well on metal parts, though they are few and far between on our XJs. You can buy a pint, quart or gallon. To do an entire interior, you will need at least one full quart.

First and foremost, though, the plastic and vinyl parts need to be well prepped, and this means CLEANED as well as the surface prepared to accept the dye. This step is crucial to insure both good coverage and no peeling down the road. Adhesion of the dye permanently is paramount expecially on things like the vinyl on the seats which absolutely will crack and peel if not prepped well. What to get is something called vinyl prep, which is made by a couple manufacturers but SEM makes one of the best, which is also available at the body shop supply. Use this on everything except the fabric. This product both deep cleans the surface and also temporarily softens it to accept the dye well into the material. Clean the surface well using a good non residue cleaner and then apply the vinyl prep with a clean dust free rag. Do NOT use anything like Greased Lightning or any other degreaser cleaner as they leave a residue behind which absolutely will screw up the adhesion of the dye. If you have to use something strong like these cleaners, use another cleaner after to remove the residue or use alcohol before the prep. The prep will also help remove the residue. Old style cloth diapers work well for this. I did vinyl seats in the 1976 Ford I restored and they never cracked or peeled even after repeated sitting and exposure to cold termperatures.

The dye needs shot with a gun. If you don't have one, a touch up gun from somewhere like Harbor Freight will work well and is inexpensive. The small touch up guns work much better for a job like this than the regular sprayers. My cheapo touch up gun actually puts down a better coat than my more expensive HVLP one surprisingly. Obviously, you will need an air compressor set at very low pressure, if memory serves, about 6 psi or so. Use thin coats and after two or three, the surface will look like it came this way from the factory. It absolutely will take more than one coat if you are going to a lighter color than the original. The stuff dries in no more than a half hour or so depending on temperature and humidity and can be touched then. Wait at least 15 minutes between coats.

The same dye will work on fabric, though it will feel a bit stiff for a while after. This will go away after sitting on the seats and working it in a while. You can brush the fabric seats after they dry and this will help to soften the material back up. Do the headliner with the dye also.

There are dyes available in rattle cans, but the color choices are limited. These work well, but the risks of overspray, drips. clogged sprayers, and runs are there just like using a paint can. The touch up gun tends not to have any of these risks and puts down a thin and uniform coat every time with little effort. This is an important step to insure a good appearance.

The cost of doing it this way is significantly more than just picking up some rattle cans and shooting the parts. The difference is in the end result. If you want your XJ to look nice and not risk a ghetto job, take the time and extra $$ to do it right. Now, I have seen some rattle can jobs that turned out ok, but they don't have the full look of professional and factory results as this process does. Use paint? It'll look like paint and you'll risk cracking on anything that flexes. I absolutely wouldn't use paint period.

If anyone needs to know any more or discuss this, feel free to contact me. I'll be more than glad to discuss this in more depth, though I covered the points pretty much completely here.

 

You can buy new carpet kits and color of your choice through RockAuto.com.. and other Retail places but rockauto seems has the best price I've found.

Manufacture of the carpets: http://www.accmats.com/