Refinishing interior trim

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

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I read somewhere that Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover was great to strip that "softlack" paint of the 90s. But...it didn't take off anything.

20250116_100948.jpg

I guess the best course of action is to simply paint over the existing finish.

I've been thinking about going to the Thunderbird cockpit arc. Quick recap for those who don't know:
When I bought my car, it had Cougar (tan) cluster and radio bezels and Thunderbird (black) driver door switch bezel and center console cover/cupholder. I completed the Cougar arc by replacing the door and console pieces with tan units.

I like the look, but...there's a lot of tan, and it does look a bit like a missed opportunity given that the interior was designed around that arc, which itself was designed to emphasize a driver-centric look.

Now I don't want to simply switch to black pieces - too easy. So I'm thinking about options:
  • Cockpit arc in body color. Kind of cool; I always like exterior/interior color themes. Problem is, gloss surfaces only look good if the finish is flawless; add any amount of orange peel, dullness, or less than perfect surface preparation, and it becomes an eye sore.
  • Cockpit arc in matte/satin dark green. Has the connection to the exterior without the challenge of perfecting a gloss finish.
  • Cockpit arc in black-ish. Example would be Rustoleum Matte Soft Iron (a matte anthracite) or a matte/satin dark brown.
  • Cockpit arc in matte/satin burgundy. This would really pop, but it might look too custom; I prefer a factory-ish look. Wasn't there some special edition with a beige/burgundy interior?
 
If the rubberized finish is still good without peels or anything you can paint over it and it’ll be just as durable. Otherwise my only luck stripping these pieces is brake fluid and heat, and they still usually take a little sanding and scraping in stubborn areas. Bug and tar remover I find as a good cleaner for things like leather steering wheels and whatnot, I’d never consider it for stripping the rubberized finishes
 
I used the Duplicolor black trim paint - same stuff I used on the trim at the front top and top/bottom of the rear windshields, and B pillars on the doors. There are some interior pics in my garage gallery.
 
So I found this old pic of my car, and I remembered I really don't like the black on light beige contrast on the door. It can't be black...so what color should I go with?

20220329_164849.jpg
 
theterminator93 said:
I used the Duplicolor black trim paint - same stuff I used on the trim at the front top and top/bottom of the rear windshields, and B pillars on the doors. There are some interior pics in my garage gallery.
Click to expand...
This one or this one?

1737131011952.png1737131082596.png


FYI they don't make the green one anymore, its a much glossier formula I'm not happy with in the newer "trim and bumper" paint.

I actually use the Duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint on the bezels with adhesion promoter, perfect finish with the factory sheen.
 
XR7-4.6 said:
I actually use the Duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint on the bezels with adhesion promoter, perfect finish with the factory sheen.
Click to expand...

That's what I used on multiple projects over the years with excellent results, though I never used a primer or adhesion promoter.

They make a burgundy which I find very tempting. I may try it on an extra piece. I think the burgundy/beige contrast could look really good.
 
XR7-4.6 said:
This one or this one?

View attachment 9771View attachment 9772



I actually use the Duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint on the bezels with adhesion promoter, perfect finish with the factory sheen.
Click to expand...

That is what I used as well when I switched to the handbrake setup. The adhesion promoter seems to help out quite a bit and the top coat went down without any issues. It's been holding well now and is close to the factory look.

On my Tbird I painted it with black spray paint, I don't recall what brand. It caused the factory coating to wrinkle in spots and it looked really bad. Since the car was mostly a winter rat I just sanded it down after and put more coats and it came out alright in the end.


1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
So I found this old pic of my car, and I remembered I really don't like the black on light beige contrast on the door. It can't be black...so what color should I go with?

View attachment 9773
Click to expand...

Is that the factory color scheme? The black door panel and shifter area do kind of look out of place.

Seems like the Cougars got more interior color matching. Mine is a sea of 90s grey inside :LOL:.

You could try and match the tan dash color it would be cohesive then. But it is hard to get a close match without a custom mix. I got lucky and the duplicolor grey is actually very close to the factory color.
 
Sorry to go off topic but the 96 saddle leather IMO is the best looking interior color in Tbirds. They had every panel match well

1737149068648.png
 
Kenz said:
Is that the factory color scheme? The black door panel and shifter area do kind of look out of place.
Click to expand...

That was an old pic of my car the way it looked when I bought it. Yes, it was mismatched; why it looked that way is a mystery. I have since replaced the black pieces. This is the current look, which I like just fine; I'm just obsessively looking for the next customization idea...

20241217_161255.jpg
 
Kenz said:
Sorry to go off topic but the 96 saddle leather IMO is the best looking interior color in Tbirds. They had every panel match well
Click to expand...

Yes, Tbirds only had a matching arc with Saddle. Cougars had the matching arc with all colors. I'm undecided what I prefer. On the one hand, the color matched panels convey that a greater effort was made; on the other hand, the black arc really emphasizes the driver-centric cockpit.
 
I always just assumed that you had swapped in Cougar dash panels. I thought all T-Birds got the black panels regardless of color. I think the next step is to color match the steering wheel. It looks out of place even more now that you've replaced the driver's door switch panel with the color matched version.
 
The steering wheel I want is super rare: Mark VIII Collector's Edition leather/wood wheel in Prairie Tan. Until I find that, I'll be keeping this.

KevinVarnes said:
I always just assumed that you had swapped in Cougar dash panels.
Click to expand...

Presumably, the previous owner did, but then didn't include the door piece and cupholder for some reason. I got those two Cougar pieces after I bought the car.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
The steering wheel I want is super rare: Mark VIII Collector's Edition leather/wood wheel in Prairie Tan. Until I find that, I'll be keeping this.
Click to expand...

This is the way. Right now my interior is just about exactly how I always wanted it, I tried a lot of phases to make my stock opal grey fit my tastes but when I went full send with the black I always dreamed of it was so rewarding to see my dream vision realized.

That said it’s always worth trying things, there was a combo I had with my 91 tweed seats and 96-97 medium graphite door panels/sail panels that I really loved if not for the Tbird logo being embroidered into the seats in a Cougar 😆
 
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