restoring/repainting the oh sh*t handle...
 

Hi Fellas:

My new t/a has a crusty looking dash handle.

Has anyone tried restoring one of these and or is there anything I could do to refinish it?

Is there black vinyl paint that would work?

Thanks!

SEM Landau Black vinyl "dye" works well. After removing the handle and removing as much of the previous paint from the O.S.H. as possible, apply Bulldog adhesion promoter and then the SEM per the timing instructions on the Bulldog product

SEM landau black is a great vinyl/plastic paint... another good idea for parts that get touched a lot or prone to wear is to use a couple coats of SEM low luster clear for added protection with the proper sheen.

adhesion promoter can be used too but keep in mind its intended for bare or unpainted surfaces, it wont do anything for parts that have paint on them already & ive found can cause them to come out a little too glossy.

Thanks for the replies!

Do you mean this product?

https://www.amazon.ca/SEM-15013-Land...00B3HXS8A?th=1

Also, did you sand the handle or how did you remove the previous paint? The handle itself almost looks like it is deteriorating which is maybe why the previous paint didn't stick so well.

yes thats the stuff, they sell a low luster clear too.

for a small part like that i just clean the crap out of it with warm water & dawn dish soap, not the "gentle on hands" stuff that has moisturizers in it. then wipe with rubbing alcohol. after clean scuff it with a scotchbrite pad. dont need to remove all the old paint if its still adhered ok & not flaking off.

if the vinyl isnt actually deteriorating it should be ready for 3 or 4 light coats per the instructions on the can or website if no can instructions. then follow with the clear if you want. clear the nozzle & you can use it for other parts that need touched up down the road.

ok great - thanks again!

Since many original handles are bent or have a kink by now, OER make a nice replacement.
But..the ends of the handle need to be heavily ground down with care to allow them to fithe into their bezels, and then paint after by which stage it looks perfect. As usual, near enough and get it to sale. I wonder if a Camaro or Mustang part would make it to this point, Firebird guys just accept it.

Oh it has a name too..."dash grab handle..." lol

What's the difference between OER and Classic Industries? The site looks exactly the same?

Thanks!

Probably nothing. OER is a brand, Classic is a shop/supplier and often repackage.

I went and looked. CI ads have large OER logos for grab handles.

Maybe it's a shell company.

Either way this is a good option if my repaint turns out crappy.

???
CI is just a shop that stocks different brands.

Just a thought. My dashboard dash grab handle plastic mounting points were cracked or gone. I added some small steel reinforcement doublers to the mount points using JB weld. So if off this is not a bad way to strengthen that weak old plastic

Mine doesn't have them at all, being a fiberglass shell, so the reinforcement was crucial. The bar being just a detail feature, but still to stand up if someone ever grabbed it, likely by mistake.

Forgot to add, I'd seen a few dashes with cracked or broken off mounting points when I was after a sample cut. Seems they are strong enough for general pulling straight, the handle centre flexes instead, used handles can be bent. But when the handles are pulled sideways also puts pressure on the mounts to flex sideways and over time crack. This could be from getting in and out of the car like those big guys who ruin steering wheels doing the same.

Here's the OER grab handle and bezels with chamfer mods to handle ends and enlarged bezel openings to even make them fit.

http://www.transamcountry.com/commun...?topic=84342.0

The OER handle is also longer than stock and will result in a cracked dash mounting point over time if tried to fasten firmly.

Years ago I had to do a re dye in a high traffic part and an old timer told me to use a convertible top dye . I can’t remember the exact product it wasn’t SEM brand but the convertible top dye was pretty much bullet proof where the same SEM black failed miserably.