I’m in the process of re-coloring the interior of copycatvert from nugget gold to tan. So far I’ve been using SEM leather dye for the seats with amazingly good results. I’m about to start on the door panels and console and before I order up the SEM vinyl stuff, I was thinking of giving the Duplicolor brand a try. I can get that here in town at NAPA (as opposed to the SEM stuff which I have to order and pay shipping). Plus, the Duplicolor is only $6.49 for an 11oz can. Has anyone here had any experience with it, good or bad?
Never tried the Duplicolor stuff, but FWIW the words “amazingly good” generally only come up with the brand SEM. But, DC makes good engine paint and such, so who knows.
Don’t bother thanking me for this post which added little to no valuable information to the discussion… 
BTW, did I pick the right link in researching your CCC ID?:
You might look for local paint suppliers that may carry the SEM…I don’t know how big Berlin, WI is, so who knows. Picked my SEM dyes up at a local wholesaler.
I take issue with 'least aggressive" but yes, that’s it. Greatest use of 4K bytes ever.
I went ahead and picked up a can of the Duplicolor stuff at Napa on my way home for lunch. Their color selection is limited but luckily they have a “desert sand” that is a “close enough” match for the SEM tan I’m using. I sprayed a spot on the the remains of my rear quarter upholstery vinyl and it looks pretty good. How well it holds up is anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, I think I’ll go ahead and go with the DC stuff. An added bonus I hadn’t considered with the Duplicolor spray is that it has the adhesion promoter built in. For the plastic kickpanels, I think I’ll try out the Krylon plastic spray. I’ve used that on some other non-auto related plastics with good results. Pics will follow soon.
As promised, here are some before and after pics. After cleaning the console pads with window cleaner and a scrub brush, I gave them light scuffing with a scotchbrite pad. For good measure, I then wiped them down with acetone just to be sure all traces of grease and grime were gone. The Duplicolor doesn’t spray as nicely as the SEM dye. It seems more like regular spraypaint. I gave it three light coats with about 10 minutes between each coat. By the third coat, the color was uniform and I could have left it there, but in a moment of reckless abandon, I broke the cardinal rule of painting (i.e., thou shalt not mix paints of different brand together): I shot a light mist of the SEM leather dye as a final coat just to be sure the console would match the seats. The paint gods apparently have not been offended because it worked out great.
Nice!
Schwing!
I’m surprised… the NAPA here in town stocks the entire line of SEM dyes.
…meanwhile here in W. Australia, I paid A$30.00 per can for my SEM vinyl dye…still have to use it on the door trims, arm rests etc on the '69 having purchased a new upholstery kit from WCCC- that also needs fitting, as does the new mass backed carpet.
Hey, 2NDXRND, is that Light Ivy Yellow on your '69?
Peter Lynn
Meadowlark yellow on 2ndxrnd…
One can of the SEM Classic Coat was only enough for two headrests and one of the seatbacks. Glad I am not buying it Down Under.
Those pieces look great.
Steven
Look great, just one thing to keep in mind for next time. Armer all is bad stuff along with some other products. Never sand/scuff first and then clean. Always clean with a wax and silicone remover first then sand and wipe down again with cleaner after that. I say this, because if you sand before cleaning off the silicone you could push or imbed it into the surface of the pain/fabric further. Just saying! 
You could always respray it NG if that happens!
Why do you suppose most people call this sort of stuff “dye”? It’s really paint.
Don’t think you’ll be missing the NG…the tan looks nice and classy, IMO.
Just an FYI, here, I sprayed my light blue door panels with Landau Black SEM…already experiencing wear around the window cranks. Hopefully, that was my inexperience, and not the product.
Most likely areas like that had more grease and grime ground into the vinyl, causing the dye not to adhere. I’m curious to see how well the tops of the door panels hold up where even the original nugget gold was worn off.
Looks great! I like the way you used the automatic console pad with your 5 speed.
Steven
The stuff is subject to wear, and like I was saying - it is really paint - not dye, so it is a coating more than something that penetrates as the word dye would suggest. May absorb somewhat into leather, but not vinyl not so much…
Thanks. I had to get creative with the shifter to make it work, but I really didn’t want to cut up the console pad nor fork over the $$$ for a four-speed pad. The shifter boot is made from leather from my old college leather jacket.
Bob: You’re right, the vinyl stuff really is more of a coating than a dye. It goes on just like paint, but it must grab into the vinyl somehow because it doesn’t seem to scratch off like paint would.