Seat Belts Part 2 --Color change - Interior Trim

The conversion to European/Canadian seat belts in the corrado requires trim pieces to make the car visually cohesive. The US Spec cars have a center console that has openings to allow for the lap seat belt retraction device. In addition, the automatic shoulder belt must have a track for the belt to travel so a generous cutout running the length of the B-pillar trim is present on the US trim.

The kit I purchased has all of those replacement pieces. However, the seller informed me prior to my purchasing the setup, that the donor car was gray in color. My thought is changing to black is not difficult at all if done properly.

To achieve this, I need two products from Duplicolor. The Grease and Wax remover is a solvent which does as its title indicates. It removes any oils, grease, wax, and does an excellent job of preparing the surface for painting. This is applied with a clean cloth and virtually all of the dirt and stains come right off. It is best to use gloves when applying this product. I had tested this on a section prior to application to make sure it does not damage the trim pieces. I would never be able to acquire another.

The next step was to use the Duplicolor Vinyl and Fabric spray. I chose gloss black but there are numerous colors available.

The spray head nozzle has a wide vertical dispersion pattern which requires spraying side to side for effective coverage. The color goes on evenly and dries quickly.

Left B-pillar painted and the right pillar unpainted in the original gray color

The finished product is a bit shiny when compared to the existing black panels in my car. But given the fact that my original interior is faded and aged, it's pretty close. The Duplicolor painted panels look excellent--maybe too perfect as they don't show any age or discoloration due to exposure. But I wasn't sure the flat black would look good next to my interior.

European Center Console

Original texture is evident. The color change did nothing to make it look altered.

Door trim, Driver's side has the cutouts for the grab handle. While the passenger side is solid

All of the mounting holes align perfectly with existing mounting points already in the US Spec Corrado. 

I applied two coats initially, then let it dry overnight. Then I resprayed one last coat in the morning and let it dry for the rest of the day. The results look pretty convincing. No one would know these parts were originally gray in color. 

Next will be to dismantle the existing interior, removal of the seats and trim, then removing the old automatic seat belts and replace them with the newly acquired kit. Step-by-step to be posted very soon. 

Maybe I'll make some money back by selling the US DOT seat belts to someone in Europe. I understand these kits are very novel and considered unique over there.