I have like no idea what I'm doing!

Hey everybody! I'm just looking for a little or a lot of advice. First off i got this site from my hubby, I don't by any means have a street racing car or even an import for that matter. But my husband does and he worships his civic. He is why I am doing this. I can do almost nothing mechanical, with his help about a month ago I learned how to change the oil in my car, this weekend we are tackling a freon leak. I am a newbie to the car world entirely!My husband on the other hand has had so many street racing cars and won loads of car shows. Right now he is running an 03 honda civic, dont' know what all mods he has in it I do know he is thrilled about his new.....i think it's called a mugen motor. He is a very handy man, done all his work himself even his pain and custom body kit. So we have a deal if I can fix up the interior of my car he will help me work on the mechanical. I have a 98 Dodge Stratus,yes I know not the greatest car but everybody has to learn with something right!
I know what I want to do with the interior but if I ask for his help he picks on me so I'm determined to do as much of it as I can without him. I am great at sewing and upholstry so I already have done my seats. It is a black car (it will be repainted eventually) but the inside is going to be a deep purple and black, already have the seats done they are simple just black seats with purple piping, I am trying to keep it hot but simple. The next thing for me to do in it is the plastic vents and around my gear shift. The person that owned the car before me painted them bright ugly green, so that and the dash are all going to be repainted, but I have no idea how to get them off. So after all this long boring typing here are my question:
1) how do I get the dash and all where I can paint them
2) exactly what should i use to paint them and how should I prep it.


I appreciate any help ya'll can give me. And if you have any ideas on anything more I can do to the car I'm happy to consider them all. Thank you SO much!  

sorry to get off track, but... you let your husband invest heavy amounts of money and work into his Civic, yet he picks on you when you ask for car help? Seems a little weird to me, lol

Unfortunately, I don't know much about painting the interior plastic (I find it a little tacky, personally)

Hopefully someone with more experience will help you out, good luck either way  
----
1994 3000gt VR4
nothin wrong with front-wheel drive, I just refuse to own one

hope this helps.

dashboard removal stratus

and here's a how-to on interior painting.

interior painting guide

and good luck, and you should probably hang out more with your husband when hes working on them, always gains some knowledge.  
-------------------
"AzulTuning.webs.com" Join and have Fun

My brother had his interior dash components painted by a pro, but I don't see too much dificulty in doing it your self. To start, you do have to remove the components that you wan't to pain. There are products that are available to remove paint on plastics with out damaging the part. There are paints on the market, in spray can form, that will bond to plastic as it dries. Plasticote paint products work fine, but I don't know if it's ok for interior automotive use. It gets hot inside the car durring the summer and how well the paint will do in that climate is a mystery to me. It pays to ask the manufacturer of the product. Take it slow and don't miss a step when preping the parts. I saw the link that HikiroJev posted and it seems like sound literature.

Not to put your man down, but he is a little childish with the lack of help he's giving you. If My wife showed an interest in cars, even remotely, I would help her with her new found desire. If I were in his shoes, I would be more supportive and not make you feel bad about the choices you make in cars. The Stratus is not your normal tuning car, but taste in cars is like taste in food. You know? It's what you like, not the other way around. No one can make you take some thing you don't like and swallow it. You're on the right track and don't be discouraged. Don't be surprised if you win a contest with your creation and it puts your man in his place. Let him see about teasing you then! LOL! By the way, welcome!
   
How you drive is your buisness. Remember that you're not the only one on the road!

Yeah I jumped at the opportunity to install new taillights on my fiancee's RSX. She shows any interest in working on her car, I'm there for her!  
----
1994 3000gt VR4
nothin wrong with front-wheel drive, I just refuse to own one

don't know if i missed it somewhere in your post s12 but don't forget primer  

You didn't, because I had one of those geriatric moments again. LOL! You are absolutely right. Primer is key. I really have to take GINKO or some thing for memory! I'm not that old to be losing it this way. LOL! I guess it's all the extra work I'm into.
 
How you drive is your buisness. Remember that you're not the only one on the road!

I think I might be just different, but I would not mess with that cause it is a pain in the ass to take off and if you break it, forget about getting another one for cheap. I would take the whole car to a pro and let him do the whole process, and because it is not a whole lot of painting, I wouldnt think that it would be that much AT ALL!

And if my girlfriend showed any interest in cars AT ALL I would jump on it and show her and help her right away. Infact I am going to install a custom stereo in her VW bug next month. Deal is she pays for parts and pays attention so she learns something while I install whatever.  

^^^ once again BAD info from someone full of it... not trying to be rude but a dash really isn't that big of task and primer and some paint is really a lot cheaper  

ok, Ill agree with you, but Im just saying what I WOULD DO. Im not big on the painting myself. Im not good at it and I would prefur not to mess with it. MY OPINION.  

All you need is a little confidence in your self. It's really not that hard to remove components off the dash. Most parts just snap in or are held together with an accesory screw or two. Take your time and observ how it's put together. You have to start some where.  
How you drive is your buisness. Remember that you're not the only one on the road!

Thats a good point. The farthest I have gone though with dis-assembly of the interior is the panels on the doors cause I blew the speakers and needed to replace them. That was an experience and I found out im pretty damn good at doing the audio systems in cars LOL  

You see? Most would be daunted. I know you can do it. If you feel unsure of some thing, there's always the vehicles body and chassis book from the dealer. It's the book that the dealers have on every nut and bolt and wire location on the specific car. Every manufacturer prints one. They aren't cheap, unfortunately, but it's better than going in blind. I think that any one with a willingness to do their own work should invest in a manufacturers tech manual/repair manual/shop repair manual. I wrote it that way, because every one has a different way of calling it. Ford used the term "shop manual".  
How you drive is your buisness. Remember that you're not the only one on the road!

yeah, I actually already bought one. It was like $30 from Chilton? but it helps  

Great!
I was wondering what ever happened to afwifey09. Did she take our advice?  
How you drive is your buisness. Remember that you're not the only one on the road!