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The rain FINALLY let up a bit and so I was able to get a bit of work done. The week before last I went ahead and grabbed the passenger side door trim from the salvage donor car to match the driver side. This past week I was able to clean it up and make a few repairs where the leather insert panel was separating from the main door panel. Super glue gel and hot glue/gun are your best friend with this IMO. I didn't take any before pics of the salvage panel, basically it looked a bit worse than the driver side . I just wanted to get it cleaned up and repaired. I also refurbished/painted the trim piece.
This is the OLD door panel (which was in decent shape still) and my original trim piece ….scratched and worn as ever.
Passenger trim piece during prep and repaint.
The *NEW* salvaged passenger door panel and repainted trim piece.
Didn't turn out too bad. Nice and solid with no rattles to go along with no scratches in the plastic. Fine time to find out my door lock button doesn't work but its ok, an easy fix.
Anyway, I figured I'd better take advantage of the weather and start painting the inside trim.
Passenger dash trim panel. 13 years of wear from cleaning, neglect...sun...As anyone knows by now these trim panels take a beating and eventually end up this way no matter how much you attempt to clean them and make it even again.
For comparisons sake, after I prepped the piece with primer and a light sand I began spraying the DupliColor Stainless Steel paint, here is the same above passenger dash trim and the original trim piece pulled from the donor car. As I said the DupliColor isn't an 'EXACT' match but damned if it isn't close. Plus its a hardier finish than the OE stuff. I should be finished with the rest of the trim in a day or so.
Got the seats installed but still trying to work out a few issues. Like I said, they are 12 year old seats that's been sitting in a junkyard for who knows how long, so they will not be perfect but I believe it can be worth the effort to maximize the salvage find by being a bit particular.
The seats as result of being very clean now began to reveal a few scuffs from the normal wear. So I went to the local craft store and picked up some leather/vinyl dye.
Well, we'll see how well this works or how well I jacked this up. lol Watched a few YouTube videos on the process and it seems cut n dry...…..seems. Also I'm going to try a leather treatment called Leather Honey to deep condition the seats. Thanks for all the help and replies thus far.
Painting the interior trim went a bit faster than I originally thought, so I went ahead and finished it. As HGT said, spraying the DupliColor Stainless Steel is best done in light layers after a spray with primer. And CERTAINLY use good spray can technique!
GOOD SPRAY CAN TECHNIQUE:
Quit whining and shake the can for the full minute that they recommend before spraying. Start spraying (to the side or something) BEFORE the paint hits the part and only stop spraying til AFTER the paint stops touching the edge of the part. Full motions at an even distance through the entire motion.
^^^^you'd be surprised how many folk do not know this that want to use a spray can. Its especially important for the Stainless Steel because its somewhat thicker with flakes. Its very easy to get a high spot. Once again, light layers is the way to go with this stuff. The dry time between layers can be as little as 15-20 minutes. Be a bit patient and you'll do a better job.
Well this is how it turned out so far...
Turning out pretty clean so far I think. Had to sand and repaint the passenger dash trim a couple times... but at least the effort seems to have paid off some. I sprayed the bezel trim of the donor car with the heated seat buttons in anticipation of wiring in heated seats soon, that's why they are not lit. The leather seat reconditioning is going pretty well I think. I still haven't used the dye but maybe in a couple days. I want to try some Leather Honey as the final step in the reconditioning process, whose to say it'll look better than they already do but its worth a shot, will be getting some in from Amazon in a bit. I'll certainly say they've come a long way since the junkyard! Still, buying more stuff for them raises the total price of the find.
After the Leather Honey treatment I'll take some proper final shots. Will be getting a new shifter in soon, crazy thanks to Kolt for helping me out with getting my hands on one.
I also want to lose the autoZone steering wheel cover and get one from wheelskins.com. The two-tone black/yellow looks pretty cool. I'll say this so far about the leather seats... they are certainly an upgrade. Changes the feel of the Cobalt altogether. … .. definitely a more 'sporty' feel.
Well, let me know what you think so far. Opinions welcome.
Last edited by Mythical SS; 08-08-2018 at 12:02 AM.
Looking better all the time. For those plastic panels and trim pieces that are not coming out as clean as you want, look into the OEM color interior trim spray paint. I have done some parts and it is spot on and makes them look as new or better.
Thanks =)
I think the panels are turning out how I thought they would for the most part. I like the stock look so I tried looking for GM OEM paints from DupliColor and other brands locally instead of online or through a stealership… just wanted something I could "go and get" and not overpay or wait forever for an order. After going through at least 40 different oem paints at local auto stores including all the GM ones....no dice. The Duplicolor Stainless Steel fills the bill ok.
Turned out pretty clean...the color shifts depending on the type of light just like the OE stuff.
This is how the refurb is going now. I'm still reconditioning the seats,,,which seems to be going well...this stuff takes a bit of time to really soak into old leather and vinyl. Still haven't applied the dye but I'll get to it. Started to work on my headliner, which hasn't even been wiped off or attempted to be cleaned in 13 years. Will be making a post about it soon.
If everything goes ok, I should have my hands on a new shifter by end of next week. so please ignore my raggedy assed original one. I do have an idea though for the old shifter cap. I'll leave the new one its original color but I'll paint the old one 34U yellow. Just to see what it'll look like with the black/yellow wheelskin I'm ordering soon. Wouldn't have even considered a two tone one before I found these seats.
**************************** THIS IS NOT MY CAR NOR DO I KNOW WHO OWNS IT***********************************
Headed home the other day in a neighborhood near where I live I saw this for sale. So I stopped and snapped a few pics. Figured someone lurking might be interested in our now defunct Pontiac brother.
2007 Pontiac G5 GT, a/c, 5-speed
That's about all I know, just what's on the window lol. Seems like a nice ride. Didn't peer inside so much to tell the condition of the interior.
Location: South Dade near Homestead, Fl (greater Miami Area)
It was still there as of today so if someone is interested let em know.
That's it for this mini update....starting headliner work while the seats soak up more conditioner.
I can send you the links to the OEM trim paints. This is for just the plastic panels, not the silver. I also redid my leather seats before buying the late model SS seats. I have links for kits I used that can have them looking new.
How is your steering wheel? I also have trick for that .
Yes, I'll be happy to take the info for both! Knowledge is power. Though, I heard/read on these forums the Krylon Fusion Satin Black for plastic is spot on for the blacks on the door panels and dash pieces. Is this true/fair?
My steering wheel is as jacked up as my shift knob... straight up. I bought the current steering wheel cover as a quick fix because my original is flat out unraveling and looks horrid, not to mention annoying to drive with.
Thinking about getting one of these from Wheelskin.com. But it'll be black on top and bottom with yellow on the sides.
What trick do you have that will save me $64.95...all ears/eyes!
Alright, so as part of the interior refurb (to go along with the salvaged interior) I recognize the need to clean my headliner..... I mean I know I literally haven't touched my headliner at all in 13 years but didn't think it could get this bad.
^^^^^ the real colour of my headliner. Debated simply getting it recovered or just buying some fabric paint...….saving the $$$ won out (more elbow grease it seems).
Unbelievable. And I don't even smoke. This is pure grime from...just driving with a light tan headliner I guess.
I understand cleaning headliners is a somewhat delicate process. Too much moisture and your looking at a drooping headliner soon, too much pressure while wiping and it'll fray and look just as bad.
Heard about what the pros use at a few of the many luxury dealerships here in Miami, especially when they are being recertified.
Tuff Stuff....$3.47 at my local Walmart. AFAIK this stuff has been around forever. Forgot this stuff even exists, but with a solid technique we'll see if these luxury car guys know what they are talking about. They 100% say if you're using a spray cleaner, to use the foaming kind, microfiber cloth (lightly damp) and a sponge or soft terry towel and dab/rub.....the entire d*** thing.
I did a bit already, you can kind of see in the pics where I stopped wiping, just to check and get a idea of what this stuff can do and how delicate I have to be with it.
Welp, we're about to see....
P.S. a lot of lurkers and not many comments ….ah well, like I said maybe the info can help someone else with these issues with our ageing cars.
I used Duragloss 415 for my light gray interior cleaning, including the headliner. It works amazing, it even got makeup out of the passenger side headliner
I get home Wednesday and look what Kolt Klaus left at my door.....
Originally Posted by Kolt
………. bc I wanna leave it sealed so you can open it.
I HUMBLY accept this ..virgin...leather wrapped shifter. Had a 'similar' experience with the original. At the dealership when purchasing, I SAW that the shifter still had plastic on it...but it took damn near 3 hours for the GM techs to 'unwrap' the interior and prepare the car (the rims still had plastic covering them too). So, I guess one of those techs who unwrapped the original was 'technically' the first. lol
^^^^^^^ my original shifter...the one in all the previous pics. Seen better days...
WELP...I'm over it!! c-ya!
Out with the old and in with the new!
Astronomical props and thanks to Kolt for the help with obtaining the shifter. My original has been destroyed for years....
I must admit I miss the chrome trigger of my original, it was one of those small touches that helps to bring the interior together. However, I'm not even close to being upset about it. I'll be doing a small mod to shifter when I get my wheelskins steering wheel wrap hopefully next week.
Big tip on the headliner... REMOVE IT!
Too late! lol My headliner never had any leaks. I will agree that it takes a while in the car because of the lack of proper light.
***update on the headliner***
Well damn....lol Tuff Stuff rocks!
Tuff Stuff ftw man, I guess these luxury dealership guy aren't FOS lol . This is just after a couple of days working on it on and off. It takes a while because you have to let it dry before seeing what you have left. The shadows in the car make it a bit hard to properly see light grime and to take a good pic, it probably is best to take out the headliner, at least for vision sake to do a true %100 job. Sunlight exposes everything.
I have a bit to touch up and put all the accessories back on. After seeing my neglect for 13 years (see previous posts^^^) I'm jacked that its close to being clean again.
Got still more updates on this interior/salvage refurb. I'll be updating once again once I get my wheelskin in (current wheel cover is killing me) and my shift cap modded a bit. And I believe the seats are pretty close to being as done as they are going to get. lol
Must have been hard on your back and neck getting the liner cleaned while having it intact. Great job though. I've been debating if I want to black out my interior, but then I seen a member paint his trim to match the outside and it looked fantastic so I followed suit.
Must have been hard on your back and neck getting the liner cleaned while having it intact. Great job though. I've been debating if I want to black out my interior, but then I seen a member paint his trim to match the outside and it looked fantastic so I followed suit.
Still thinking about the headliner though lol.
Mostly me neck! lol Not to mention that I'm in S. Fla in August and its hotter than a she-devils ass sitting in a frying pan....man I tell ya. After just 20 min or so sitting in the backseat (with both doors open) I was completely drenched.
I was razor close to buying fabric paint before even starting. Glad a good cleaning is all it really needed.
I have seen Colorado cars where a Bear has gotten locked inside end up better than that
Haha ...I know right. Years of neglect...sun...neglect...bad 'protectants' on it...basically treating this car like a beater for a number of years. Interesting story though, there is no excuse for treating a car like I did if your are to own a car and drive it BUUUT I may have had a mini excuse...
You should understand this somewhat HGT. I've browsed these forums for a while and came across another item in common it seems.
In 2012 I messed around and bought me this for my birthday....
*************NOTICE my poor neglected yellow cobalt in the background in FIRST pic**************
2012 Suzuki Hayabusa 1400R. I watched this bike be uncrated at Riva South Motorsports. Had to order it because they didn't have a white one. They called me when it came in.
These pics were taken 2 weeks after I got it.
After I got my bike I was EVERYTHING sport bike for a few years. Sadly during that time me Cobalt was ….. not so important. Hence, neglected and my shifter disintegrated along with the rest of the interior (i.e..see duct taped drivers door panel on first page)
Could have sworn I saw a post where you posted a black Hayabusa…
Friday, February 13th 2016 my bike was stolen. (Miami has one of the highest bike theft rates in the world) Was too cheap to renew the FIN system (Find It Now satellite tracking anti-theft) for my bike.
Originally Posted by HGT
When you get there, here's a pic of the seat cushion and back element.
Thanks. =) In a few weeks I'll be Fat Matting the cabin and trunk and installing a new sound system. I'll be tackling the heated seats when I have everything ripped apart. Going with the clean sound of Infinity's...
With my wheelskin coming in a few days I figured it was a good time to work on the idea I had for my brand new shift knob. As I've said before, I like the stock look and I don't really like anything really garish as far as modding, however I like the idea of bringing the color to the inside of the car.
I simply want to do it in a way that seems 'natural'....like it could come stock on the car.
*****My OLD shift knob cap*****
I bought this stuff a WHILE ago for touch ups and small scratches to the exterior over the years. AC/Delco 34U GM12346642. Matches Rally Yellow perfectly.
I had these lying around from past projects and put them to use for the first time in years.
After a solid coat of primer, 5 base coats (34U yellow) and 8 clear coats (high gloss)…...it came out like this..
After the 8th clear coat, I wet sanded with 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Then I hit it with this stuff....
Rubbing compound first then the hand glaze.
Why so many clear coats Mythical?? Simply because its the shift knob. Don't wanna rub a spot on it from the frequent grabbing. People can go a step further and apply some carnauba wax, I'll do that right before I put it on to protect it from the sun.
Will hopefully get another update in when the leather steering wheel cover comes in and take pics with it installed.
Well, good idea or not on the shift cap? Comments?
looks good, I wanna do some of my interior trim in ry but am afraid to mess it up.
It's pretty easy actually.
Step 1) Clean the portion you're painting with rubbing alcohol/isopropyl
Step 2) Lightly sand the area using 400 grit sand paper until the area looks dull, but flush
Step 3) Tape off the areas you don't want to paint
Step 4) Repeat step 1
Step 5) Spray area (follow can directions) with filler primer
Step 6) Lightly sand primer after last coat (1 hour dry) with 600 grit
Step 7) Repeat step 1
Step 8) Spray area (follow can directions) with spray colour of choice
Step 9) Spray area (follow can directions) with clear coat after spray colour is dry.
looks good, I wanna do some of my interior trim in ry but am afraid to mess it up.
Thanks =) One thing to remember with paint...…..its just PAINT. If you mess it up, you can always sand/strip it back down again. Heck, I had to basically redo the passenger side trim panel twice to get it right/acceptable because I had mad high spots at first.
Originally Posted by ProfDNS
It's pretty easy actually.
Step 1) Clean the portion you're painting with rubbing alcohol/isopropyl
Step 2) Lightly sand the area using 400 grit sand paper until the area looks dull, but flush
Step 3) Tape off the areas you don't want to paint
Step 4) Repeat step 1
Step 5) Spray area (follow can directions) with filler primer
Step 6) Lightly sand primer after last coat (1 hour dry) with 600 grit
Step 7) Repeat step 1
Step 8) Spray area (follow can directions) with spray colour of choice
Step 9) Spray area (follow can directions) with clear coat after spray colour is dry.
I'm looking into this myself now I know there are options that don't succumb to UV yellowing.
Well, this is pretty much my method also.
The only difference is that I recommend higher grits for plastic pieces. 600+ grit sandpaper for primer and 1000+ grit for base/clear coats.
No need to sand between base coats and/or clear coats. Lay down your layers of base coat then go ahead and follow up with the clear. Finish by wet sanding clear coat (until desired smoothness) then hit it with the rubbing compound then hand glaze (for maximum shine, if that's what you want) then apply a wax for protection (optional).
I like a finish shiny enough to shave in. You can control the amount of shine by your method of wet/dry sanding the finish topcoat (base or clear).
The samples I ordered from Wheelskins showed up. I wanted to see just how compatible the yellows were before I made the $65 purchase.
******For comparisons sake******* My recently painted shift knob cap along with the wheelskins samples.
And in slightly different light...
The good news is that the Wheelskins yellow isn't "bright or pale" yellow. Even though the GM 34U paint code has more black in it, the contrast isn't terrible.
This is for the Rally Yellow guys that may be interested or on the fence with buying (a somewhat pricey) steering wheel cover from Wheelskins. The samples were free btw.
My cover should arrive shortly, and when it does, updates. =)
08-06-2018, 02:17 PM
but at least the effort seems to have paid off some. I sprayed the bezel trim of the donor car with the heated seat buttons in anticipation of wiring in heated seats soon, that's why they are not lit. The leather seat reconditioning is going pretty well I think. I still haven't used the dye but maybe in a couple days. I want to try some Leather Honey as the final step in the reconditioning process, whose to say it'll look better than they already do but its worth a shot, will be getting some in from Amazon in a bit. I'll certainly say they've come a long way since the junkyard! Still, buying more stuff for them raises the total price of the find. 
I do have an idea though for the old shifter cap. I'll leave the new one its original color but I'll paint the old one 34U yellow. Just to see what it'll look like with the black/yellow wheelskin I'm ordering soon. Wouldn't have even considered a two tone one before I found these seats.
straight up. I bought the current steering wheel cover as a quick fix because my original is flat out unraveling and looks horrid, not to mention annoying to drive with.
Had a 'similar' experience with the original. At the dealership when purchasing, I SAW that the shifter still had plastic on it...but it took damn near 3 hours for the GM techs to 'unwrap' the interior and prepare the car (the rims still had plastic covering them too). So, I guess one of those techs who unwrapped the original was 'technically' the first. lol
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