So I'm restoring my papa's 81 elky. I am more of an exterior/engine guy rather than an interior. I know I want to do a black/maroon mix being the stock interior is maroon. Any Ideas of color combinations? btw. money IS a factor so don't forward me to a high dollar custom shop. have fun and throw in any ideas.:nanawrench:

Black and maroon go really well with each other. One thing to consider is the overall condition of the components you want to change, in other words if the kick panels are really skuffed up and need attention then they would be good for a color change.
If you take and post some pictures of what you have, we will be able to give you some ideas.

i'll have them up in a few minutes. I know my dash needs either replaced or a cover over it, preferably cover i think thats cheaper. and most of the plastic is faded or scuffed. I basically want to redo the whole interior but if there is anything salvagable, keep, but also keep it within a less than $700 budget.

All the plastic trim in the interior can be painted with Fusion or Duplicolor spray paint and it holds-up real good. Prep work is very important.

hmm. in that case I wonder if i could paint the plastic parts of the door panels black and leave the carpeted parts maroon, would you see that as a nice touch?

One of our member did his interior in black and red, here's the link. I think it came out really nice.
http://www.elcaminocentral.com/showthread.php?t=39466&highlight=hellcamino&page=2

yes that did come out well, my only problem is I'm a 5th gen. and my panels have some carpet on it, maybe I can just leave that and clean it? http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m510/ripBUG1377/b792f053.jpg

Hey Rip!
Black/Maroon is a very nice combination and Detroit has done it for years. Monte Carlo SS cars used it for years just off the top of my head. Detroit has always liked to use black for carpeting (to not show wear and dirt) and mix it with another color to give the interiror some "pop" or contrast. If you want to check out on painting your interior parts (metal and plastic) Google up SEM interior paints and read on how to prep your parts for color application. I have always had very good luck with SEM brand interior paints and most auto paint suppliers carry the line. Good Luck and photo us as you go!
Craig

The carpet is glued on and can be taken off and replaced. I'm also a SEM guy.

The carpet is glued on and can be taken off and replaced. I'm also a SEM guy.

SEM products are easy to use and only one word of advice,follow the directions and be patient. I also used SEM's Prep and Adhesion Promotor. I bought them from www.eastwood.com (http://www.eastwood.com) We here at ElCamino Central get a discount.I think the promo code is Camino.

If you grab the shop body manual (by Fisher) for your car it has step by step instructions on how to refinish the plastic in your interior. It's basically all just ABS plastic.

I'm sure you could also find it online.

scuff that plastic with a scotch brite, a light "sanding" gives the paint something to grip to if the adhesion promoter isn't enough. make sure it's wiped down with "preps-all" to eliminate the dust, which will also cause the paint to not stick..

maroon/ black is an excellent combo. Black is a heavy color though and should be used for the carpet at the most and accents ( such as seat/ door inserts) everywhere else in a two tone situation. Here's my version in black / tan ( you'll have to go thru a few other pics to see it)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3015&id=100000167741957&l=3594393dbd

Be careful when shopping for a dash pad cover. I got one for cheap and it didn't fit too well.

One las questin on the door panels, do you know if the material on the too, like a leatheryish, is paintable too?

The vinyl is paintable.... But I've had less success with that holding the paint than the plastic, so prep the heck out of it... If you do paint it, mask off the chrome trim very well. overspray looks bad in interior trim :-(

I recovered the chrome trim on the door panel with some Chrome Mylar tape I got on Ebay. Came out pretty good. Don't know if your budget includes new carpet or not. You can buy the door panel carpet pieces seperatly, or as part of a kit. Headliner and visors can be re-covered easily as well- good DIY project.