I am in the process of restoring the interior of my 82 Recaro, and I have a question about the console top. Judging from the scratches on mine, it is obvious that it was painted from the factory. It also appears to be a semigloss finish. I like the SEM Landau black, but I don't think the sheen will be right. I don't think it will be shiny enough. Does anybody have any ideas how to get the finish correct?
Scott - if this is more appropriate in the interior section, please put it there. I was unsure where to put it, as it involves restoring something to original.

 

I don't think they were painted from the factory. The plastic was just molded in color. I've seen them when they were new back in the day and in the junkyards over the years and from what I can tell, they were never painted. Someone must have painted yours in the past.

 

I have a brand new one sitting in my basement, and the sheen is definitely off. I have seen plenty of the consoles in cars. The top was definitely painted. The rest of the interior parts are as molded.

 

Here is a pic I found on the internet. Look at the area around the emergency brake handle. It has a shine to it. This is only the base. Not the shift plate, or radio surround.

 

If I remember correctly Its all molded, the plastic is smooth around the Ebrake and it has a molded texture on the top surfaces..

 

It does, but that particular piece is painted. Look at any console top, and it has scratches. I have several, including a brand new NOS one in the box. The NOS one has a more matte finish, as compared to the used ones. And the used one I picked up, as well as my original both have scratches in the shiny, smooth portion of the console. In fact, if you look at the frame off restoration of the Indy Pace car over on the Pace car thread, you will see that he restored his top to a semi-gloss finish. Now I know that is a Camaro, but the early year consoles were very similar.

 

try cleaning it then hitting with silicone spray.
otherwise painting plastic will take some real good prep.

I used SEM products made just for plastic and dashes. It has a little flexibility in the paint etc.
On top of that you would probably need to hit with the clear coat they sell for it so it will have a sheen.

 

The SEM stuff is great. It has the wrong sheen though. Hitting it with a clear is a good idea.