My little paint project (56K warning)

[kylebacc]

My little paint project (DYI)

So I've decided to finally start sharing my little painting project with you all :bigok: This project is only in it's early stages, and will take some time to complete. I'll update as we go.

I've grown tired of the interior of my 4Runner, particularly because I just came from a clean 06 to a dirty 03. The other thing that pushed me to do this was the fact that I've still not been able to land a job (mostly because of my school schedule), and wanted something to work on in my spare time that didn't cost a lot of money. So I figured I'd spruce it up a bit. I'm still not sure how it's going to turn out. Sometimes I'm very confident, other times I want to kill myself for doing what I've done because I'm afraid it's not going to work out. But in order to learn anything, you've got to damn well try, right? RIGHT??! :lmao:

I'm a firm believer in the "most threads are worthless without pics" ideology, so I'm trying to take plenty as I go. Just to start thing's off, I suppose I'll show you a little bit of my truck's current state. But first and foremost, you must be sure the mountains are blue:

No big deal right? Just some removed door panels. Keep going.

So that all blows for the time being. Particularly having to pull the little balls to get the doors open from the inside. Also the lack of A/C controls sucks in FL. I just set it to auto on 75 before I disconnected, works fine. Yes I intend to use this time to clean the car inside really well. Yes it sucks to drive without the center console to rest my right arm on.

Well I forgot to document most of the deconstruction process, so I will show you what we missed when I put it all back together. I started out by washing these pieces in what I refer to as the "Large Item wash/wetsand station":

That shot is of them drying under the fan before they get masked. Large Item Wash/Wetstand Station (aka bathtub):

 

[kylebacc]

The next day I realized I forgot a few pieces:

I am not doing the shift knob or the 4WD control swtich. Reasons: Shift knob I am trading with my 06 SR5 that has the all leather wrapped knob. Switch I'm not doing YET because I haven't worked out how I'm going to cover the light up lettering yet. I'm thinking my only option is clear tape and a x-acto knife.

On a side note for deconstruction: This piece...

...comes off of this piece....

...without the second piece (entire center console) being removed from the car. I didn't realize this until it was already out. Anyway, it's good for deep-cleaning. If you want to take it off without the whole center console, all you have to do is pull straight backwards, there are no screws, just clips, holding it in place. Also for deconstruction, these two pieces are not really meant to be separated (like many of these pieces, well get to them when we put it back together):

There are three little melted rivet things holding the numbers onto the trim piece. I just took my dremel with a small drill bit and drilled into the center of them a bit. Then with a little upwards pressure, the numbers came off. I intend to reinstall with either super glue or silicon. both I think will work. Probably going to use silicon. Another view:

Taping off the cluster bezel took the most time for sure. I should have bought some fine-line but I'm working on a budget here. So it was cutting little strips of tape for me:

Completed:

Next was the center dash bezel:

As you can see I tape around these little things...

...because I couldn't get them out without feeling like I was going to break them, and I couldn't tape over them well. If they get painted a little, I'm not going to cry about it. I'll buy two new ones later on if and when it happens.

 

[kylebacc]

Moved on to the A/C control unit. I tried to remove the electronics from this, but the plastic screen didn't go with them, and they were very intricate and looked easy to break, so I decided to leave them in place, and tape/paint carefully:

The rear air diffuser (is that what it's called? Maybe "vent") is not trimmed in silver as I once believed. The silver is painted on (as is all of the silver in the car) to an all black piece. I taped it off the way I felt it would look nice, we'll see what it comes out like :snacker:

Here are all the pieces before sanding. The A/C controls are in the truck during this shot, because I needed to get the A/C turned on LOL:

I would recommend removing all these fun things from these pieces if you ever plan on doing this (rear A/C diffuser ("vent") not shown, but it's off to the side as well [ok that's a lie, this shot was taken before I realized that there was more silver stuff in the truck :whipping2 ]):

So let's talk paint. I'm going to paint these pieces white, to match the outside of my truck a bit better (there's nothing silver on my T4R except this stuff lol). My cheapo (but quite effective) method is in line with the "$50 paint job." If you haven't heard of that, don't worry about it, you can learn it here (and apply it to the outside of a vehicle if you so choose). Here's what we need:

The paint and mineral spirits must be mixed 1:1 this will give it the consistency of milk, which will allow the paint to flatten itself out within a few minutes after you brush it on. This also means that you have to wait 6 hours between each coat. I told you this would be a long process. Each coat is very thin.

Do not use something like this unless you are going for a bubbled/polka dot look (maybe you could call it ostrich and people will think you are rich):

To prep the pieces, I've been sanding with 600 grit wetsand paper. After 4 coats, I'll move up to 1000 or 1500 grit, then apply another 2-4 coats. Yes, again, it's a long process. 3 coats a day (i'm usually sleeping during the 4th coat time of the night).

I didn't really take any pictures of the sanding process. I feel like if you are going to try this, you should know what good sanding is. If not, look it up, it's all over the internet. I did however take pictures of my sanding stations, the "Large Item Wash/Wetsand Station" you've see already. The "Small Item Wash/Wetsand Station" is pictured below:

I would like to point out that this is all taking place in my roommate's room/bathroom. It's kind of gross. BUT, he is gone for the summer, so I decided not to clutter my little living space as I have for past projects:

 

[kylebacc]

Anyway, its about time to see some paint, huh? Well here's what an ugly mess it looks like after you apply one coat:

Now that a look at these pictures, you really can't tell just HOW bad it looks after one coat. If you do this, be warned, you will want to kill yourself at this point, because it looks like certain disaster. But after a few coats, it starts getting much better. Here's the grocery bag holder after 4 coats:

This is probably as good a time as any to mention a few things about the paint. This mixture will settle while you are waiting your 6 hours between coats:

DO NOT SHAKE TO MIX. If you do, you will open the can/container to a billion little bubbles that you'll have to wait ages (probably another 6 hours) to pop. Evidently, this is inherent to enamel paint. This goes for when you first mix it, and when you are re-mixing it. Remember this: enamel is stirred, not shaken.

That's all for now folks. What you see matches what I currently see. I'll update when I get further and start working on the bigger items. I'm waiting to see how the tape on the rear vent trim holds up to the super thin paint. If alls well when it comes off, then I will move on to the big stuff with tape on it. Should have an update by friday night. Feel free to ask any questions or submit comments for now. I don't mind criticism, constructive or other :flipoff:

UPDATE:

Ok well it's moving along nicely. I just thought I'd show you all a few things and share a few thoughts. Firstly, here is the bag holder and the little shift-over-ride-buttion cover after I sanded them today (drying in the sun after washing them off):

You can't really tell that they've been sanded in the first picture, but it's no longer shiny and pretty, but it is now flat and even and ready for a few more coats. If anyone intends to do this, make sure you get a tack rag and use it between coats, I should not have skipped out on it, but oh well, just takes a little more careful sanding. Here are the door trims and the rear vent after 4 coats:

Beginning to look good, they need sanding and a few more coats, but I think I'll wait till tomorrow to sand, just to make sure it's all 100% dry. Don't want to risk having to start over due to impatience. Here's some center console stuff after 2 coats:

Here's my attempt at making letters for the ODO/TRIP and RESET buttons:

 

[kylebacc]

I've decided not to paint the buttons until I can figure out a better way to letter them :lol: I'm hoping I can find some stickers at an arts and crafts shop that are small enough. As far as the 4WD control, I still haven't come up with any good ideas, but I'm going to try the clear tape thing that I mentioned before. If I think it will work, then I'll go for it. If not, it'll stay silver for the time being.

That's all for now, I'll post back up when there is something interesting to see.

UPDATE:

I have completed the painting process, and I have reinstalled everything into the truck. I just want to post a few more pictures I took of the process before I jump into the completed product:

Some more paint drying, and some taping:

Most of the pieces came out really well, except for to very important ones. The speedometer and the A/C controls. Both of these two items suffered from the paint being so thin (because of the 50/50 mix). The paint was able to creep under the tape and make things look bad. I guess I just wasn't able to get the tape to stick enough in those little crevices. I haven't worked out a way to get the paint off without ruining the plastic underneath. It will have to stay this way for the time being for a few reasons. One of which is I'm just tired of it and I fear if I keep going, I will get fed up and ruin something that will be very expensive to replace. I'm going to let my nerves calm for a while (maybe till it's a little less hot out). If anyone has any suggestions for getting enamel paint off of plastic, please chime in. Anyway, on to the pictures, and try not to make too much fun of me for the two messed up pieces!

Gear selector. Still planning on changing out the shift knob, which is why it isn't painted. The other one is 7 hours away, so I have to wait until I get a break from school.

Center:

Speedo :

One of the back doors. I think the white trim on the door will really compliment the white trim on the seat once I get around to cleaning them!:

 

[kylebacc]

Rear of center console:

A front door. Again, I think the white lines will compliment each other once the seat's lines are actually white again:

And one last one from a bit father away. Still not sure if I should do the rest of the center console when I resume this project. Thoughts?

A few last notes about what needs to be done:

1. The speedo buttons need lettering (and painting)
2. The tras. case selector needs lettering ("push")
3. Speedo and A/C need cleaning up.
4. It could all use a nice wetsand and polish/buff to get some serious shine out of it. I don't know if I want it quite that shiny though. We'll see. It's pretty shiny as is. Definitely more than stock haha.

Let me know what you all think. I don't mind honesty Trust me, I'll get it from my two best friends, to whom I emailed a link to this thread LOL

 

[kylebacc]

Maybe one more for good measure. I didn't realize I could only post 11 pictures (including smilies) per post.

 

[Ruffian]

I have to hand it to you. You have a hell of a lot more patience than I do. I just ignore my missing paint spots. lol

 

[kylebacc]

Haha well as I said, there's more too it than just me not liking the little bit of wear. I'm also quite bored most of the day until my other two classes start. And I'm on a budget, which helps the patience. Otherwise I would have just taken everything to the body shop!

 

[riceandpho]

very good work, did u also deading the inside of the doors too before u put the outside layer on? also how come u didnt spray paint? wouldnt it be alot smoother and thinner?. keep up the good work, also dynamting the inside and outside layer will give u more mid bass, well atleast to me it improved alot with my setup.

 

[kylebacc]

very good work, did u also deading the inside of the doors too before u put the outside layer on? also how come u didnt spray paint? wouldnt it be alot smoother and thinner?. keep up the good work, also dynamting the inside and outside layer will give u more mid bass, well atleast to me it improved alot with my setup.

Thank you. No, there is only one layer of dynamat, but the whole truck is done in it (you can see it reflecting back at you in the picture of where the center console normally is). Floors, back wall, doors, roof, etc. Do you really think it makes a big difference to do the second layer on the doors? I can see how it would, I suppose. I think I'll add that to the to-do list. Even if not for the audio improvements, at least to keep some more of those tires outside. Mud Grapplers are LOUD.

I didn't spray paint because these parts get touched and bumped into alot, and I wanted something particularly thick just for that reason (durability). Smoother, I don't really think so. Either way to get the smoothest it's going to require sanding/polishing/buffing, but I think more so with the spray because the mix that I am using allows it to flatten itself out pretty well. And, I'm not that good of a spray painter and I don't have a buffer. This rustoleum mix looks good right out of the box (can) with no final sanding/polishing.

Thanks for the dynamat tip!

 

[gaterose]

Thats gonna look sweet, can't wait to see the finished product. I hope it turns out better than the job that I did on the interior of my old truck, but I was 16 and impatient, sounds like you're taking your time..
I can't imagine the echoing of those mud grapplers inside the t4r cabin without the back seats and extra interior surfaces to absorb sound.. My MT/Rs sounded like Boggers and that was just in a single cab truck, at least you got the dynamat...
It's fun explaining to people why your car interior looks like an 80s robot with wires and metal exposed everywhere isn't it?

 

[kylebacc]

Thats gonna look sweet, can't wait to see the finished product. I hope it turns out better than the job that I did on the interior of my old truck, but I was 16 and impatient, sounds like you're taking your time..
I can't imagine the echoing of those mud grapplers inside the t4r cabin without the back seats and extra interior surfaces to absorb sound.. My MT/Rs sounded like Boggers and that was just in a single cab truck, at least you got the dynamat...
It's fun explaining to people why your car interior looks like an 80s robot with wires and metal exposed everywhere isn't it?

Same with my corolla when I was 16 :roadkill: god I'm glad I'm not driving that thing anymore.

Ya it's pretty loud, but the dynamat does help. Of course here in FL, i'm 98% of the time windows down so it doesn't matter how much dynamat is there. But I ride windows up for some of my female friends (gotta keep 'em looking good), and it would be nice to be able to hear them a little more clearly in that situation. Of course, it's also nice when you don't really want to hear what they are saying : And I can't stand having to explain to people. I've pretty much resorted to telling them that that just the way the truck is hahaha you should see the looks on their faces.

 

[gaterose]

I've pretty much resorted to telling them that that just the way the truck is hahaha you should see the looks on their faces.

HAHAHA that's good, I never thought of that one..

 

[4Runner8]

looking sweet.... i think it will turn out great.... im too scared to take anything out as im afraid to break all those little clips that everything hooks on by. keep up the good work and nice pictures

 

[kylebacc]

Thanks for the compliments! And ya I think everyone is scared a first of breaking clips. And for good reason. Seems like it's almost inevitable when you are doing it your first time. But that could be due to my past impatience. If you are careful (as I have been with both of my 4Runners), you should be ok. Best thing to do if you don't know, is look it up. Usually someone has done it before. I think I am pioneering the painting the 4th gen insides, but I'm 100% sure people have taken it father apart than even I have here. In fact, I have. LOL sorry for the long winded post. Basically, you got to try it to learn (sometimes from your mistakes)!

 

[kylebacc]

UPDATE On post #4.

 

[4Runner8]

you can probably find small stickers for the letters for sure. as for 4wd id say just put small as possible little squares of tape over teh letters so that the whole knob is white except for the small little part where the letters are just so it will light up.

 

[Maz]

This is a fascinating post, especially for those of us who would never have the time for the tedius and exacting work this job entails.

I find it particularly interesting being a fan of Porsche, where you can order various interior parts (such as the center piece between the buckets) painted by the factory to match the exterior color. The prices from Porsche are insane, but it sure looks incredible. Based on the time and care this job is being done with it looks like this TR4 will be a one of a kind special.

Good luck, and keep the pictures coming !

 

[jsmarine]

I have to hand it to you. You have a hell of a lot more patience than I do.

:iagree: Very nice job taping those things off, I know how painfully time consuming that is, and also how important it is for the end product. Just wish I could take my own advice sometimes! but all-in-all, VERY nice job with this mod so far.