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So, I recently painted my car Bright Orange Metallic. This is a 1990 shell that I've transferred a large majority of my 1984 into, mostly due to rust. The interior I had in my '84 was the traditional Trans Am 2-tone LSC seats with the Charcoal\Dark Charcoal colors. Likewise, the rest of the interior matches. I'm not sure if it was grey, charcoal, or black though. It's all pretty far gone. The plastics are mostly missing their carpeting (but of course still have the glue residue), the carpet is pretty well trashed and sunfaded, the seats are cracked and torn, and the headliner is just plain missing. Basically, it needs an entire redo.
So since it all needs to be redone anyways, I'm wondering if I should change colors while I'm at it. I dig the two-tone seat fabric, but that can be done with just about anything. I think dark colors would go best with the orange but I don't want to bake myself to death either. I don't know when\if I'll get the HVAC stuff working.
I've considered going to tan, but it seems like trying to find a complete set of plastics in tan is pretty tough. I like the reds, but I don't think it'd go with the orange very well.
If I can't find anything that seems suitable I'll probably just go black, but man, I hate black interior and no AC, haha.
Here's a picture for reference. Obviously it's not completely together yet.
I'm a big fan of the tan! -but I get that most aren't. Hawk's normally has what you need, since they have tons of old parts cars. I bought my beechwood plastics from them. I always have my eyes open, and you can normally find beechwood or doeskin with a little looking and a little patience.
Hard to argue with all black though!!!! -but I get your reasoning.
Man, that's a good looking color! I'm going to say black as well, not charcoal, but black, as dark as you can get it, then put A/C on it.
Thanks! I didn't paint it under optimal conditions so I'm going to have to cut and buff it, but it should look pretty decent when I'm done. I got a bit of peel in spots where I had poor lighting. Oh well, live and learn.
The problem with the AC really is that everything is from the 90 except the wiring, so I have to try and figure out how all that wiring plays out. Some folks here gave me some diagrams but I suck at reading them. I'm sure I'll get to it eventually.
At any rate, I think I do really want the tan. I like the look of it. I don't think I'd mind either way which tan it was. Black -is- a lot easier to find (and cheaper) though. Decisions decisions.
Go with what you like or what you can find. Gray is nice because it was common and it goes with everything. Black is too popular to really be cheap. I'd recommend going with whatever you have the most access to. Because usually there are enough small changes to the interior based on model, year, and options, it's a pain trying to find a complete set of anything. The other way to go is paint for what can be painted and new upholstery where paint isn't an option.
I have heard that the SEM paint works pretty well. Not sure it'd work real well doing tan over something dark like grey or black though. I've always thought of those more as touch up or re-brightening products rather than color changing. I'm *probably* going to be running a matte black stripe down the side along the upper body line to break up the orange a bit. Maybe go with that look for the wheels, too. If anyone has any ideas on the stripe I'm open to options. I haven't made any decisions yet other than it needs something to break up the color (and I may or may not have made a booboo above the driver's side door handle that I want to cover up lol).
After looking at ebay though, I'm tempted to say to heck with it and just make what I have work somehow. Those guys are charging like $60+ a piece for plastics. Eesh.
These guy had an all black set I thought about buying (sold). Here is a grey set if you are interested. I would have them send you better pics. They may be on Ebay too.
I have a nice grey interior but I'm just not a fan. Black is my first choice or a right combination of grey and black.
BTW. If you look at vendor reviews on here, some people hate third gen ranch and others have never had an issue. I have never bought anything from them so I can't say either way.
Mine is darker than that grey but doesn't look black. Might just be sun faded. I'm sure a bit of SEM would make it look nice again. But then I have to dick around with either applying carpet to all the pieces that fell off or trying to get the glue off so it looks like it wasn't there to begin with.
And I have to remember where everything goes! That's probably going to be the real struggle. It's been 5 years since I dismantled the interior, haha.
Mine is darker than that grey but doesn't look black. Might just be sun faded. I'm sure a bit of SEM would make it look nice again. But then I have to dick around with either applying carpet to all the pieces that fell off or trying to get the glue off so it looks like it wasn't there to begin with.
And I have to remember where everything goes! That's probably going to be the real struggle. It's been 5 years since I dismantled the interior, haha.
Look at this NOS piece. I think the color just fades in these cars is all. That grey piece looks nice. This was a popular color so it must of looked really nice when new.
There is also a nice write up on doing the color dye. Someone did the red and it came out great. The red fades probably the worst of all. If I can find it I'll link it.
Mine is darker than that grey but doesn't look black. Might just be sun faded.
You called it; no black in 82-84, it was "Charcoal",... Charcoal seats usually fade to a shade of (almost) dark blue.
A few years back I built an 87 TA that was almost the same exterior color as your ride.
It originally had a red interior,..... I converted it to black and could not have been happier with the results. Imagine your car with this interior ---->
My Don't waste 1 nickel or a single minute painting interior panels. They always look fantastic when they are first done,... but once the stuff starts to wear off you will not be happy. So much better off finding panels that are the right color and never having to deal with it again. ( Just my )
You could leave the interior plastics black and do the seats in a black/tan 2-tone. It would be classy and you wouldn't have to mess with finding tan plastics.
Dark colors are fine with cloth seats. Leather looks really good but sucks when it is hot inside the car.
@Filthybottles; when I see your converted interior I think to myself,..... "I wonder how red door pulls would look in there??" !
Like a red arm rest on the door panel? That might be too much. I originally thought of doing the plastic black but after I put in new black carpet and seat upholstery the red plastic trim, seatbelts and center console looked nice, I decided to not touch it. I even made my dash lights red.
I managed to get poison ivy really bad, so I haven't had much time to look into anything yet. I agree, though, the red\black scheme looks nice.
I may just go the two-tone charcoal again... It's really going to be a chore trying to figure out where and how all of these pieces install again though, let alone the fasteners. I took this car apart so long ago I can barely remember it!
I managed to get poison ivy really bad, so I haven't had much time to look into anything yet. I agree, though, the red\black scheme looks nice.
I may just go the two-tone charcoal again... It's really going to be a chore trying to figure out where and how all of these pieces install again though, let alone the fasteners. I took this car apart so long ago I can barely remember it!
Puting it back together really isn’t too hard. Hawks has an interior screw kit that is labeled and can help if you lost some screws.
Id think of going with solids unless you were dead set on going original but even then there are some good options for colors and the black cloth isn’t hot when it’s in the sun but then again, I’m up in the northern Midwest and not down south.
... It's really going to be a chore trying to figure out where and how all of these pieces install again though, let alone the fasteners. I took this car apart so long ago I can barely remember it!
I’m in the same boat. I disassembled my car like 5 years ago. Thought I did a good job bagging and labeling stuff but not so much and some bags I can’t find now. I ended up buying a second complete 1984 TA parts car that I’ve been using as a “reference car” to help put mine back together.
Like you I also painted my car a copper / orange color. Was planning to use my mint stock tan interior but now that the car is painted I don’t love the combination. The tan is too light. Trying to decide if I want a darker tan or pewter / charcoal. I know black would look great but have the same heat concerns for the summer since I don’t have A/C.
Right now I just want to get my car running. I don’t care if it just has the dash and a driver seat. Lol. I’ll worry about the interior later.
Haha, I'm pretty much in the same boat. I want to drive it this year, even if the interior is trashed. 4" Mufflex exhaust is frickin' loud though... And being in that tin can without any plastics and such doesn't do much to dampen the noise. I actually think it's louder inside than it is outside.
That paint jobs looks just great! If I ever decide to repaint my GTA (doesn't need it, but maybe someday), I'd go with an orange like that, or a green like the "lime rock green" Corvette color that they used to have. (And green would go well with the beechwood interior.)
With the orange exterior, I think black is the best choice. I'm not a big fan of black cloth to be honest. Is black leather an option?
05-31-2019, 11:04 AM
Don't waste 1 nickel or a single minute painting interior panels. They always look fantastic when they are first done,... but once the stuff starts to wear off you will not be happy. So much better off finding panels that are the right color and never having to deal with it again. ( Just my 
