John Hubertz
April 16th, 2007, 06:14 AM
Three things:
1. Anyone ever try redying the steering wheel on a tan or grey wheel with any success or failure? Mine is discolored and icky.
2. There is a carbon fiber/wood/chrome shifter being offered on ebay as a mark viii replacement - pretty custom and neat - opinions?
http://www.mimousafiles.com/prods/413_b.jpg
3. There is still an ebay seller with woodgrain/carbon kits - I'd been looking for a while. My soft-touch console has some nicks on my 94 and I also think it adds some luxury - anyone know of a company that will sell JUST the console pieces without all the other crap?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lincoln-Mark-VIII-1993-1994-95-1996-Wood-Dash-Trim-Kit_W0QQitemZ120108949278QQihZ002QQcategoryZ33654Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Let me know your thoughts/recommendations on this stuff....
unity
April 16th, 2007, 10:29 AM
I've never dyed anything on the interior but if you want to have it done right, taking it to an automotive upholstery shop is the best bet.
No comment on the shifters, nothing good or bad to say :)
The wood grain kits at tacky, honestly. They just stick right on top the original stuff. Basically wood stickers and it does not look right at all, you can tell it was "added". Now if they made kits that replaced the original pieces, that would be different, but they dont. I am actually wrapping all mine up in fine leather.
Stack
April 16th, 2007, 04:32 PM
Unity... PM where you are gettin that done!!!
Frogman
April 16th, 2007, 05:36 PM
That's a neat looking shifter, but I don't think I like the location of the OD switch. I like it right under my thumb. I think it's easier and more natural to have the OD switch undr the thumb.
unity
April 16th, 2007, 10:37 PM
Good point Frogman. I use my OD button A LOT.
Stack, you mean the leather wrap? I am doing it myself. I have a friend that works with leather all day and he can get me any type of leather. Im buying and entire hide and will cut, glue and steam it to wrap around the hard corners. I'll probably go with sheep, it needs to be thin and flexible. I will also do all the trim along the doors, that strip that circles all around from back to the instruments. Its should look nice, i just dont know what color to go with. Suede or not? etc... I will be taking photos! :)
Stack
April 17th, 2007, 02:54 AM
Damn... thats going to be hot
I was actually thinking today of what I wanted to do... I just don't think I have the patients or the talent to risk doing it myself
I might just get all trim painted
unity
April 17th, 2007, 11:16 AM
Well when I do mine, I may be willing to do other for them. I need to find a beat up center console wood trim set since I dont want to glue up my nice ones. Then I will have a "floating set" that I can send to those who send me theirs so they have trim while I work. The dash wrap will be the hardest, lots of curves and then there is the air bag - I will have to proliferate the leather and get a custom "Mark VIII" branding stamp made :)
A few have painted with good results. The 93/94 center trim and all years for dash wrap/doors can be soaked with oven cleaner and the coating on them peels right off, then sand and paint.
Frat-man-du
April 17th, 2007, 12:33 PM
I have dyed lots of interiors. real easy to do -it is the cleaning (especially if you have used silicone based stuff like 'Amour-All') that can be tedious.
I have never done a steering wheel - always chose to have an upholstery shop re-wrap the one sin leather, they have the steamer and experience needed to have to do it right.
Buy a pint of interior dye from an auto paint supply store and ask the clerk for details on prep solutions. You can get disposable paint sprayers for $10 they only hold a few oz at a time -more than enough for what you need.
I would suspect the dye would wear off pretty quick on the steering wheel- maybe a year- depending in use case and environment.
Stack
April 17th, 2007, 02:03 PM
That sounds pretty good actually...
Gimme a shout when you get closer to teh end date of your endevor Unity
Shoot me a PM too!