For those of you that are as needy as I am, I thought I might share a pic or two of my super cheap armrest bases I'm putting together for my 68 Z. The current armrests are '69's, probably repops, so I jumped on a pair of '68's at a local swap meet. Only real problem presenting itself was the horrible rattle can black paint job on top of the original gold bases. I should have taken before pics - I've seen brushed house paint give a better look.
Mr. Cheap to the rescue - most of us know how brake fluid removes paint from your car if you're unlucky enough to spill any (as I found out in '73 on the fender of my newly purchased X77). A good bath in brake fluid produced the desired results (as the pics show) with a minimal effort and cost, also without damaging the parent plastic. Tips - do it outdoors in bright sunlight - it accelerates the blistering of the paint, lifting it off the surface fairly quickly. Brushing it several times during the process with an old paint brush helps to dislodge loose paint an help the fluid to penetrate remaining old paint. Remember to wear gloves and eye protection when undertaking this -
It doesn't hurt the plastic base, either grain or features - rinsing in hot soapy water removes any remaining fluid and paint particles - very little is left.
Why do this ? I hate repro parts. I have $5.00 in the pair, plus the cost of brake fluid (about $0.50 cents worth). Add the cost of primer and vinyl spray, and I'm still way ahead, plus I don't have to drill holes for the trim - 68 originals are punched.
I'll post the finished part pics when I'm done -
