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  Nov. 20, 2009 7:02 p.m. Dusterbd13 New Reader

  i picked up a set of sport seats for the track truck for cheap. they are in great shape. only problem is that they are Barney purple. the truck is black on black, so that just doesnt wok for me.

  ive seen guys use a spray bottle of RIT carpet dye to touch up faded black carpet. could i do this on the seats with the upholstery still attached to the foam and frame? if so, how would i go about doing it? and also, would it come off on my clothes?

  secondly, i, debating on putting carpet back in. the bedlinerd floor and cab are cool and light, but its loud and hot, especially driving to and from the track. i have mint grey carpets. i was thinking of dying them black while i was doing the seats using the RIT dye.

  what do you think? im on a budget that is pretty small, so id like to work with what i have instead of buying new stuff just for a different color. its not a show car either, so perfect it doesnt have to be. just nice and presentable.

  thanks michael

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  Nov. 20, 2009 7:14 p.m. jrw1621 Dork

  Embrass the inner Barney. Keep the seats purple and put in green astro turf carpets.

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  Nov. 20, 2009 7:15 p.m. Junkyard_Dog Reader

  I'm going to add to this and ask about doing the same thing to my dash. 80s Volvo vinyl over foam.

  I love going to the Pull-a-Part because the dollar admission is cheaper than most car shows and you almost always see cooler cars.

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  Nov. 20, 2009 7:25 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

  I have a set of black leather M3 seats (vaders) that somebody had left tape stuck to the bottoms.. needless to say, the leather has lightened appreciably where the tape was...

  So I am very interested too

  German, Italian, Swedish, Collecting Europe one car at a time

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  Nov. 20, 2009 7:33 p.m. Dusterbd13 New Reader

  mine are cloth, so thats my dilemma.

  as far as vynil and leather goes, ive used SEM vynil dye and the adhesion promotor with great results.

  first experience with carpet and cloth, though

  michael

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  Nov. 20, 2009 8:19 p.m. Rad_Capz New Reader

  I've done vinyl, cloth, and carpet using SEM vinyl dye mixed at a paintshop that comes ready to spray. They make it by the quart or gallon. It works much better than the spray cans and ends up less expensive. Because you are going black over lighter colors it will work fairly well even on the carpet (depending what type it is and how deep) if you take your time.

  For the seats, vacuum well and thoroughly clean any vinyl with wax and grease remover. Remove or tape off any knobs, adjusters etc. you don't want sprayed. Wipe vinyl with laquer thinner and as soon as it appears dry spray it with the dye. Use a jamb gun to spray the vinyl dye which is premixed. Then use a small paint brush to touch up areas behind knobs etc if necessary. The dye dries quickly so you can push the upholstery away from the knob or whatever, touch it up, use a hair dryer to dry it quickly, let cool, and then let upholstery free.

  Cloth seats or cloth inserts will soak up more of the dye so shoot them first a couple times using a small cardboard "wall" to prevent getting a lot of dye on any vinyl. Depending how much sun the interior sees, the cloth inserts may need to be touched up occasionally. I've done cloth door panels that don't fade for 4-5 years but with the wear on seats and more direct sunlight, usually touching them up once every year or two keeps them fresh looking. The dye doesn't come off onto clothes if done properly.

  For carpeting,Thoroughly vacuum and beat the crap out of the carpet while its hanging on a line or something. Then lay it out and brush the carpet all in one direction, spray the dye, brush the carpet the oposite direction, spray, brush 90 degrees, spray, and so on. Don't try to cover with the first coat. You'll have to work your way around the carpet a few times using light coats so the material doesn't clump. Again, black over a lighter color is easier than going light over dark.

  John Paige

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  Nov. 20, 2009 8:23 p.m. Dusterbd13 New Reader

  so youre saying SEM vynil dye will do the cloth as well?

  thanks.

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  Nov. 20, 2009 8:32 p.m. Rad_Capz New Reader

  In reply to Dusterbd13: Yes, in most cases. The "cloth" used in most automotive interiors is easily dyed with the Vinyl dye. Most of the materials used are synthetic like vinyl anyway and cotton materials are easily dyed. Only once did I have a problem and I think that was related to buckets of armorall being used to try to revive the color before I worked on the car. A steam cleaner and a couple hours work then a couple days to dry the seats before dying cured the problem.

  John Paige

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