Repair/Paint your Console/Ashtray
Mar 7, 2008, 09:43 PM
#1
Repair/Paint your Console/Ashtray
It's that time, time for my weekly real-time how-to. This guide will teach you how to prep your shifter console and associated ashtray for paint, as well as paint and seal the items, but first here is the back story.... and as always I will be updating this thread as I progress after each step!
Note: I am painting the MR console, your car may differ. I believe it is the same, except that the MR has a label plate below the shifter.
Note:This should go without saying, but always sand/paint away from your car in another room. Or park your cars outside of the garage, you may not see it, but overspray can travel long distances.
Note: While performing this mod, there is a great opportunity to change out your interior lighting as the ashtray and cig lighter bulbs are easily accessable. I used Blue LED's from Dafarmer (who is on these boards). Also might be a good time to replace your shift-boot, and install in-cabin shifter bushings.
How to Paint your Shifter Console (and perhaps other items)
While removing said console to install some of dafarmers led's into the cig lighter and tray I noticed several scratches on the top behind the hole for the ashtray. I thought to myself "hey I can buff those out" so I scurried off to get some sandpaper. It took a few passes with some 2000 grit to notice the factory paint already peeling off! Seriously
, crappy paint on the inside and outside?? So now I am left replacing it or painting it. I chose the later of the two. Lets get started...
Materials Required
Paint and clearcoat, (What I used is imaged below)
Sandpaper (600 and 1000 grit
#2 phillips screwdriver
Painters Tape and Mask material (trashbag or whatever)
Patience
First off I decided to test this out on the ashtray, as it could be easily replaced. I suggest you do the same.
The Ashtray
1.)Start by removing your ashtray, simply pop up the lid and slide it out towards you, take it to a clean dust free area, this is where we will be doing all of the work.
2.)Some of the tray is painted, some is not, start by using the 600 grit to go over all of the painted sections of the tray. Try to buff out all of the scratches (if any) and be sure to get around the edges and the front of the handle as those parts are exceptionally visible. The color will start to change on you, pay no attention. You should only be concerned about smoothness and scratch removing as well *** area coverage.
This is the paper I used, 600 at first of course.
3.)Once you have covered the whole thing, and it is no longer glossy, dust it off and go ahead and switch over to the 1000 grit. Buff the piece out until the whole thing is uniform in smoothness (you can check by sticking your hand in a sandwich bag and feeling the surface, seriously). You should now have something like this..
4.)Once your piece is fully sanded, rinse it with some room temp water and get rid of all of the sanding debris. Dry it with a paper towel, then clean the surfice with some isopropyl alcohol on a lint free rag. Afterwards allow this to dry for 30 minutes to an hour in a clean place.
5.)Pull out your painters tape and mask off the area to be painted. Press firmly to stick the tape to the part. Cover the rest of the part with a bag and seal it with more painters tape.
6.)Setup your part (the ashtray in this case) so that all of the sides to be painted are accessable to the spraycan. Keep in mind that you always spray canned paint parrallel to the ground. If you spray down on something or up at something, you will get runs or inconsistant paint. Make sure the area is well lit, ventilated, and wear a mask or perform other precautions as described by OSHA (or authority local to your area).
7.)Spray on your first coat. Spray the masking first to clear the nozzle and then hold the can 6-8 inches away and use sweeping motions back and forth to lightly mist the object. If you hold the can too close and the paint runs, you can forget about covering it with more layers of paint. That simply will not work, you will have to re-sand and start over. Always spray parrallel to the ground at a slight (8 degree) angle downward. See below for the proper painting method.
I used an old defi gauge pod to prop up the ashtray!!
How to Paint, Hold the Can parrallel to the floor!!
8.)Coats.
Spray 4 coats, rotating the part 90 degrees after each coat, and allowing 10-15 minutes between coats. Check the part with a light source for even paint and coverage 10 minutes after the last coat and then continue on....
9.)Now it is time to remove the mask before spraying cleacoat. Why you ask? Simple, if you layer the clear on the paint it will leave areas of paint exposed. If you feather the clear on the paint it will protect better. Take a look at the following image as an example.
What you want to do, is remove the mask and re-mask about 2-3mm outside the original mask. Be sure not to breathe/touch on the paint. Once the item is re-masked, continue on...
10.)Now you are ready to spray the clear. Setup the part in the same method as above and spray your coats. Be sure to spray very very light coats of clear. You do not want it to look like it was glazed. Use the same pattern and allow the same times as before.
11.)10 minutes after the last light coat of clear, remove the mask and let dry for at least 48 hours. You could let dry for 10 and then place it under a warm heat lamp for 10 however I would wait the 48 and do it right. Then simply admire your work!! If there are any runs you may be able to sand with 2000-2500 grit paper and spray another coat of clear, but chances are you will be sanding/painting the whole thing again.
Finished product.
Pictures really do not do it justice, in person it looks just as good as the factory paintjob, only a different color. This image is after 2 hours of drying.
continued next post.......
Note: I am painting the MR console, your car may differ. I believe it is the same, except that the MR has a label plate below the shifter.
Note:This should go without saying, but always sand/paint away from your car in another room. Or park your cars outside of the garage, you may not see it, but overspray can travel long distances.
Note: While performing this mod, there is a great opportunity to change out your interior lighting as the ashtray and cig lighter bulbs are easily accessable. I used Blue LED's from Dafarmer (who is on these boards). Also might be a good time to replace your shift-boot, and install in-cabin shifter bushings.
How to Paint your Shifter Console (and perhaps other items)
While removing said console to install some of dafarmers led's into the cig lighter and tray I noticed several scratches on the top behind the hole for the ashtray. I thought to myself "hey I can buff those out" so I scurried off to get some sandpaper. It took a few passes with some 2000 grit to notice the factory paint already peeling off! Seriously
, crappy paint on the inside and outside?? So now I am left replacing it or painting it. I chose the later of the two. Lets get started...Materials Required
Paint and clearcoat, (What I used is imaged below)
Sandpaper (600 and 1000 grit
#2 phillips screwdriver
Painters Tape and Mask material (trashbag or whatever)
Patience
First off I decided to test this out on the ashtray, as it could be easily replaced. I suggest you do the same.
The Ashtray
1.)Start by removing your ashtray, simply pop up the lid and slide it out towards you, take it to a clean dust free area, this is where we will be doing all of the work.
2.)Some of the tray is painted, some is not, start by using the 600 grit to go over all of the painted sections of the tray. Try to buff out all of the scratches (if any) and be sure to get around the edges and the front of the handle as those parts are exceptionally visible. The color will start to change on you, pay no attention. You should only be concerned about smoothness and scratch removing as well *** area coverage.
This is the paper I used, 600 at first of course.
3.)Once you have covered the whole thing, and it is no longer glossy, dust it off and go ahead and switch over to the 1000 grit. Buff the piece out until the whole thing is uniform in smoothness (you can check by sticking your hand in a sandwich bag and feeling the surface, seriously). You should now have something like this..
4.)Once your piece is fully sanded, rinse it with some room temp water and get rid of all of the sanding debris. Dry it with a paper towel, then clean the surfice with some isopropyl alcohol on a lint free rag. Afterwards allow this to dry for 30 minutes to an hour in a clean place.
5.)Pull out your painters tape and mask off the area to be painted. Press firmly to stick the tape to the part. Cover the rest of the part with a bag and seal it with more painters tape.
6.)Setup your part (the ashtray in this case) so that all of the sides to be painted are accessable to the spraycan. Keep in mind that you always spray canned paint parrallel to the ground. If you spray down on something or up at something, you will get runs or inconsistant paint. Make sure the area is well lit, ventilated, and wear a mask or perform other precautions as described by OSHA (or authority local to your area).
7.)Spray on your first coat. Spray the masking first to clear the nozzle and then hold the can 6-8 inches away and use sweeping motions back and forth to lightly mist the object. If you hold the can too close and the paint runs, you can forget about covering it with more layers of paint. That simply will not work, you will have to re-sand and start over. Always spray parrallel to the ground at a slight (8 degree) angle downward. See below for the proper painting method.
I used an old defi gauge pod to prop up the ashtray!!
How to Paint, Hold the Can parrallel to the floor!!
8.)Coats.
Spray 4 coats, rotating the part 90 degrees after each coat, and allowing 10-15 minutes between coats. Check the part with a light source for even paint and coverage 10 minutes after the last coat and then continue on....
9.)Now it is time to remove the mask before spraying cleacoat. Why you ask? Simple, if you layer the clear on the paint it will leave areas of paint exposed. If you feather the clear on the paint it will protect better. Take a look at the following image as an example.
What you want to do, is remove the mask and re-mask about 2-3mm outside the original mask. Be sure not to breathe/touch on the paint. Once the item is re-masked, continue on...
10.)Now you are ready to spray the clear. Setup the part in the same method as above and spray your coats. Be sure to spray very very light coats of clear. You do not want it to look like it was glazed. Use the same pattern and allow the same times as before.
11.)10 minutes after the last light coat of clear, remove the mask and let dry for at least 48 hours. You could let dry for 10 and then place it under a warm heat lamp for 10 however I would wait the 48 and do it right. Then simply admire your work!! If there are any runs you may be able to sand with 2000-2500 grit paper and spray another coat of clear, but chances are you will be sanding/painting the whole thing again.
Finished product.
Pictures really do not do it justice, in person it looks just as good as the factory paintjob, only a different color. This image is after 2 hours of drying.
continued next post.......
Last edited by Jameson_IXMR; Mar 8, 2008 at 03:23 AM.
Mar 7, 2008, 10:58 PM
#2
Getting the main Console ready for paint.
Removing the console
First things first, you need to get the console out of the car. Here is how.
Clean out your armrest storage. Remove the 2 screws at the bottom of the inside of it. Now pull the whole console evenly straight up and set it aside. Be sure to collect and replace any clips that fell off during this process. Your ebrake must be engaged to remove this.
Now unscrew the newly revealed 2 screws holding the shifter console to the floor. Remove 1 screw from inside the ashtray hole, and a plastic screw from the drivers footwell holding it to the transmission tunnel (the hump in the middle of the car). Now unsnap the paneling from the passengers floowboard, pull firmly and it should pop loose. Remove the shift knob, place the shifter in neutral (be sure the ebrake is on and the car is chocked). Pull the assembly straight up and tilt the front down to gain access to one single electrical connector (for the parking break). Press the tab and disconnect the connector. Now lift the whole thing out of the car.
Okay let's start prepping this piece.
1.)Flip the console over and you will see a white circular bracket holding in the shift boot. Remove the 5 screws holding the bracket to the console. Then pull it out, the boot will come out with it too. (Wouldnt now be a good time to make your own shift-boot?? How-to Coming soon...). Now turn the console back over and use an exacto knife, jewler flatheat, or something else to pry loose the MR emblem if you have one. Do not use the lip for leverage in prying. The lip will gring down in the process. Instead start from one side and slide the blade under the emblem. Then pull the whole blade up evenly. Once one side comes loose get your fingers under it and peel it off while trying not to bend it, go slow. Now remove any tacky adhesive still left on the console with your fingernails.
Removing emblem (MR models only)
Note: DRAGHICI used a heatgun/hairdryer to heat the underside of the MR emblem, this loosens the adhesive and makes removing the emblem easier.
2.)Removing the Cigarette Lighter Assembly..
Okay, the cig-lighter had me puzzled for a little bit. I took it completely apart and figured out that that is not needed. So read along and be thankful I wrote this part.....
Look at the back of the cig lighter in the console, there are 2 electrical connectors (black and white) and another black one that goes to the led/lightbulb. Twist the lightbulb housing counter-clockwise and pull it out. There are little tabs on each electrical connector. Press them in and walk the connectors back and forth until they come off. The black on on the side is an exceptional pain in the a$5. Okay now look at the ring (lowest part) in the above image. Screw that off the back of the console-lighter-assembly. It is very thin and a pain in the butt, if you put pliers on it, it will bend, so just go at it by-hand. Once that is off pull the inside of the cig-lighter housing out the top of the console and remove the outside part from under the console.
Disconnect the led/bulb from under the ashtray in the same manner as before.
Now press in from the underside the 6 white clips and the TOP of the console (what we want to paint) should pop off.
Then remove the 2 metal clips from the ashtray cubby, and continue..
3.)Sanding this puppy down.
Just like before, rough it up with 600 grit. Make sure to buff out any scratches. Keep at it until the whole thing is no longer glossy. Dust it off and repeat with 1000 grit. Check the surface really well then rince with room temp water and dry with a paper towell. Once dry, clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and let dry for 45 minutes or so in a clean dust free area.
Caution: Take care in sanding around the lighter hole and lightbulb hole. You do not want to increase the diameter of these holes or they may come loose while driving.
4.)Painting the top-console.
This is done in the same manner as before, the only thing different to note is that you need to mask off the tiny pieces of foam around the rim of the top-console. They reduce squeeking under vibration, and you dont want a squeeky car do you?? Also the piece should be sprayed while hanging up as shown below. Otherwise you cannot get a good angle without spraying downwards and paint will pool in the cig-lighter hole.
Here is my vertical painting rig...ummm...FTW!!
Ill clean it off again in the morning, move the cars out of the garage and get to work!
Here is the part with 2 very very light coats, with and without flash. (I think it will take 5 to be perfect).
After allowing a day to dry, I went ahead and re-installed the MR emblem. I used some red-rtv I had laying around. I put down a 1mm layer on the back of the decal and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I stuck it to the part and made sure it was aligned. I taped some plastic spacers to it to hold it down tight and let it dry for an hour then removed. Here is the final results.
Now that your done, go ahead and re-assemble all of the removed parts. It should be pretty straight forward. I wouldnt touch the newly painted surfaces for at least 7 days to allow the paint to completely cure.
Finished!!
Ugly *** surfaced Orbital Kit, your next!
Side Notes: In case you are wondering, I did not use primer because the piece is plastic and sanded makes an excelent base. There is no need for primer on this one as long as you sand away all of the old gloss. Also I used Flat black/Low Gloss Engine enamel because of durability issues. I have painted plastics with it before, and it always comes out great. Did my whole interior on another car, and it has lasted for over a year now, still perfect!. My choice in clear is because that is what I had on hand, feel free to use whatever you want.
Further Update:
Here are some more pics of various things painted in the same fashion, these are not sanded/buffed and cleared yet however. I did have to use primer on the Orbital kit and the badge.
Removing the console
First things first, you need to get the console out of the car. Here is how.
Clean out your armrest storage. Remove the 2 screws at the bottom of the inside of it. Now pull the whole console evenly straight up and set it aside. Be sure to collect and replace any clips that fell off during this process. Your ebrake must be engaged to remove this.
Now unscrew the newly revealed 2 screws holding the shifter console to the floor. Remove 1 screw from inside the ashtray hole, and a plastic screw from the drivers footwell holding it to the transmission tunnel (the hump in the middle of the car). Now unsnap the paneling from the passengers floowboard, pull firmly and it should pop loose. Remove the shift knob, place the shifter in neutral (be sure the ebrake is on and the car is chocked). Pull the assembly straight up and tilt the front down to gain access to one single electrical connector (for the parking break). Press the tab and disconnect the connector. Now lift the whole thing out of the car.
Okay let's start prepping this piece.
1.)Flip the console over and you will see a white circular bracket holding in the shift boot. Remove the 5 screws holding the bracket to the console. Then pull it out, the boot will come out with it too. (Wouldnt now be a good time to make your own shift-boot?? How-to Coming soon...). Now turn the console back over and use an exacto knife, jewler flatheat, or something else to pry loose the MR emblem if you have one. Do not use the lip for leverage in prying. The lip will gring down in the process. Instead start from one side and slide the blade under the emblem. Then pull the whole blade up evenly. Once one side comes loose get your fingers under it and peel it off while trying not to bend it, go slow. Now remove any tacky adhesive still left on the console with your fingernails.
Removing emblem (MR models only)
Note: DRAGHICI used a heatgun/hairdryer to heat the underside of the MR emblem, this loosens the adhesive and makes removing the emblem easier.
2.)Removing the Cigarette Lighter Assembly..
Okay, the cig-lighter had me puzzled for a little bit. I took it completely apart and figured out that that is not needed. So read along and be thankful I wrote this part.....
Look at the back of the cig lighter in the console, there are 2 electrical connectors (black and white) and another black one that goes to the led/lightbulb. Twist the lightbulb housing counter-clockwise and pull it out. There are little tabs on each electrical connector. Press them in and walk the connectors back and forth until they come off. The black on on the side is an exceptional pain in the a$5. Okay now look at the ring (lowest part) in the above image. Screw that off the back of the console-lighter-assembly. It is very thin and a pain in the butt, if you put pliers on it, it will bend, so just go at it by-hand. Once that is off pull the inside of the cig-lighter housing out the top of the console and remove the outside part from under the console.
Disconnect the led/bulb from under the ashtray in the same manner as before.
Now press in from the underside the 6 white clips and the TOP of the console (what we want to paint) should pop off.
Then remove the 2 metal clips from the ashtray cubby, and continue..
3.)Sanding this puppy down.
Just like before, rough it up with 600 grit. Make sure to buff out any scratches. Keep at it until the whole thing is no longer glossy. Dust it off and repeat with 1000 grit. Check the surface really well then rince with room temp water and dry with a paper towell. Once dry, clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and let dry for 45 minutes or so in a clean dust free area.
Caution: Take care in sanding around the lighter hole and lightbulb hole. You do not want to increase the diameter of these holes or they may come loose while driving.
4.)Painting the top-console.
This is done in the same manner as before, the only thing different to note is that you need to mask off the tiny pieces of foam around the rim of the top-console. They reduce squeeking under vibration, and you dont want a squeeky car do you?? Also the piece should be sprayed while hanging up as shown below. Otherwise you cannot get a good angle without spraying downwards and paint will pool in the cig-lighter hole.
Here is my vertical painting rig...ummm...FTW!!
Ill clean it off again in the morning, move the cars out of the garage and get to work!
Here is the part with 2 very very light coats, with and without flash. (I think it will take 5 to be perfect).
After allowing a day to dry, I went ahead and re-installed the MR emblem. I used some red-rtv I had laying around. I put down a 1mm layer on the back of the decal and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I stuck it to the part and made sure it was aligned. I taped some plastic spacers to it to hold it down tight and let it dry for an hour then removed. Here is the final results.
Now that your done, go ahead and re-assemble all of the removed parts. It should be pretty straight forward. I wouldnt touch the newly painted surfaces for at least 7 days to allow the paint to completely cure.
Finished!!
Ugly *** surfaced Orbital Kit, your next!
Side Notes: In case you are wondering, I did not use primer because the piece is plastic and sanded makes an excelent base. There is no need for primer on this one as long as you sand away all of the old gloss. Also I used Flat black/Low Gloss Engine enamel because of durability issues. I have painted plastics with it before, and it always comes out great. Did my whole interior on another car, and it has lasted for over a year now, still perfect!. My choice in clear is because that is what I had on hand, feel free to use whatever you want.
Further Update:
Here are some more pics of various things painted in the same fashion, these are not sanded/buffed and cleared yet however. I did have to use primer on the Orbital kit and the badge.
Last edited by Jameson_IXMR; Mar 17, 2008 at 08:52 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
DRFTKNGG
Evo How Tos / Installations
254
May 31, 2016 04:46 PM
boondoc
09+ Ralliart How-To/Installations
55
Jan 13, 2012 09:12 AM
eehjay
Lancer How To Requests / Questions / Tips
4
Feb 19, 2008 02:40 AM
bluewaterDEMON
Lancer How Tos / Installations
1
Sep 19, 2007 07:17 PM
