GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Well, as promised, here we are, on January 1, 2007, and I am unveiling my "most aggressive" mod to any car I've owned to date. The reason why it is considered the "most agressive" project I've undertaken is because I had to do SO much disassembly to accomplish it. I've also had to endure things like driving without cruise control, driving without interior door handles, and so on.Anyway, without further delay, my work in progress. I repainted all the chrome and silver surfaces in the interior in metallic blue, and it almost perfectly matches the exterior color. Unfortunately, despite my efforts, I was not able to complete the entire project by today. The door handles, emergency brake trim, HVAC vent trim rings, and steering wheel trim pieces are still in the midst of the paint process. Here are some pictures:Radio & HVAC knob accent trims: Shifter Knob Accents & Trim:Gauge Cluster Trim:Passenger Door Handle:Driver Door Handle:Wide shot:Look for additional pics as I finish the remaining pieces...

Nice job man, looks real sharp, definitly stands out with the charcoal interior

Quote, originally posted by RedFire2K »Nice job man, looks real sharp, definitly stands out with the charcoal interior^ I agree!

it's looking sharp. did you paint it yourself or have a shop do it for you?

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »it's looking sharp. did you paint it yourself or have a shop do it for you?Nope, all done myself. Hence the reason I've had no interior door handles for over a week. I'm so (removed) about details, I've yet to concede they're ready for reinstallation.

Great job. i definately enjoy it.

ok, gotcha. are you putting a layer of clear coat on that too?

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »ok, gotcha. are you putting a layer of clear coat on that too?Multiple color and clear coat layers go on each piece, with some wet-sanding between coats to maintain a solid bond.

ah good. i did that on my first attempt for the old vgt, however, nothing outlasted the pro job and having it baked on. :Ddunno how to do that though, so i wouldn't chance it in the oven!

SWEET! Nice work! Perfect amount of accents and not over done.

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »dunno how to do that though, so i wouldn't chance it in the oven!i'm pretty sure rust-oleum and plastic combine with an oven of any sort would not be a wise combination...

lol. no... well, i baked my headlights three times. first 2 times, no probs and perfect. 3rd time.... was bad. i didn't go back to double check the temps and i did melt the plastic!

Looks really good Mike!

looks nice, but a lot more subtle mod than i was expecting. when i read aggressive, i was expecting something to totally change the car...

yeah, aggressive probably wasn't the best choice of words, but i couldn't think of anything else. the idea was that this was not only the most significant - i never did anything in the vibe i couldn't undo - but also the most labor intensive. to get that shifter trim out is no easy task!

Looks good Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Perfect amount of accents and not over done.

i'm glad it wasn't the 8-track tape player!!!!nice perfessional-lookin job, there, raging. clean accents. i don't think i'd have been able to pull that off.

That looks sweet man .Not too much,but accents real well.The interior on those is nice-gotta love Pontiac.By the way,that steering wheel looks familiar.

Good job Mike, nice, professional, clean. We've come to expect no less from you, and you did not disappoint

looks awesome, looks like a factory job and was there originally

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »I've also had to endure things like driving without cruise control, (removed)! Aww, you so silly, raging! I haven't had cruise for 18,000 miles now, I'm still here to tell the tale. You can live for a week without it. lol!Looks good! You can tell you have taken time to make it turn out right. I do hope you have a vent to stick back in the big gaping hole on the left side of the dash though.

lol well i dont have any cruise control on my vibe and i have gone 38K its not that big of a deal but looks real good Mike i really like it looks perfect.

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »I do hope you have a vent to stick back in the big gaping hole on the left side of the dash though. I will - when the replacement comes in. I accidentally broke one in the paint process.

that looks great. did you spray those little edges on the HVAC controls?

Quote, originally posted by jwalcik »that looks great. did you spray those little edges on the HVAC controls?Yup. They're removable.

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Yup. They're removable. and probably not an easy task.That looks really good Mike. I'd love to do something like that with mine, but my car is a lease this time around.Hope 07 brings you better luck with the G6 than 06 did!

Real nice job!

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »^ I agree! +2 Great job R'fish

Quote, originally posted by Pablo1669 »and probably not an easy task.You kidding? The HVAC and radio knobs were a snap. Without a doubt, my biggest obstacle has been getting the vent trims out and in again. I already broke one, and unfortunately, at least one of them lost paint while being reinstalled. So those are gonna have to get redone sometime soon...Thanks again everyone for the compliments, you'll appreciate it more if you see it in person at a meet (**hint hint** )

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »I do hope you have a vent to stick back in the big gaping hole on the left side of the dash though. vent? here I thought is was a new version of a pop can holder. very nice, mike. looks stock.

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »very nice, mike. looks stock. And will be on the GXP version

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »vent? here I thought is was a new version of a pop can holder. very nice, mike. looks stock. NOT A BAD IDEA!Stick a can in, crank the A/C up to max, and you got yourself a sodey chiller!

Well, after much work, I finally finished the project. Sadly, I'm very disappointed with my final product. Immediately upon reinstallation, the passenger door handle paint peeled. Badly. I'm also having issues with the trim ring on the ebrake, and vents, all peeling. Plus, I have the notorious orange peel effect in the clear layers.I tried wet sanding between coats, and I even aggressively sanded the original pieces to give the primer a good surface to adhere to, but to no avail. I've yet to decide what to do now, I'm debating trying to find someone to professionally do it, if I can find someone to do it for a reasonable price. But for now, I'll just have a painted - but peeling - interior. :bs:

I love the overall look of it. Very Cool! Sorry to hear about the peeling. Turbo&Auto on MO has been painting interior trim and engine plastics for a long time now. He does great work. PM him if you decide to look for someone to do it for you.Check out his custom painting on his website: http://www.nicksturbomatrix.com/

thanks for the link BC, looks promising, i'll check into it once the fundage builds up again.