Most Fieros with grey interiors that I have seen (including mine) have dash speaker grilles that have faded to blue. Is there any way other than replacing the fabric to turn them grey or black again? I know, don't try spray paint; that would clog them up...

Just a wild thought, but you might try mixing up some RIT brand fabric dye in a bucket and dipping them.

In actuality though, the speaker grill fabric is so old and UV damaged by the time it is blue, it's best to simply get some speaker grill fabric and recover them.
It is VERY easy to do, but you have to be exremely careful removing the grill from the dash to prevent cracking not the speakers grills, but your DASH!
There are reports of some removing the grills will safety and ease by using a rigid plastic kitchen spatula.
DO NOT USE A SCREWDRIVER...this is a near certain guarantee for a cracked dash.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 05-09-2008).]

quote Originally posted by randye: There are reports of some removing the grills will safety and ease by using a rigid plastic kitchen spatula.

I used a 1-1/2" putty knife with success. Just make sure to stick it in and pull up versus just leveraging against the dash. I put Pioneer TS-A4103 4x10s in last night.

I removed mine and just painted with fabric and vinly spary paint. It did not clog the fabric and looks good.

I bought the black fabric replacements from Rodney Dickman and recovered them myself. The color works perfect and makes a big difference.

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So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing

Flat Black Paint and you're done

I sprayed it with my interior dye
"SEM Color Coat"


In fact the speaker grills look so dark and brand new, and I can scratch my interior with a fingernail and its still black, and looks unpainted.

Matt

quote Originally posted by FIER086: I bought the black fabric replacements from Rodney Dickman and recovered them myself. The color works perfect and makes a big difference.

Did the same. Easy to do. Looks perfect.

i have a pair of newly covered black ones - pm me if interested.

I always just remove the old fabric and put the plastic part back in the dash.

quote Originally posted by randye: Just a wild thought, but you might try mixing up some RIT brand fabric dye in a bucket and dipping them.

What is the true original color of the grills? I have assumed it was a dark blue since they fade out to blue. I've always used Rit Brand Denim, after washing and degreasing them. If you warm the mixture it tends to work better, but be careful that you don't overheat and warp the grills. Let it cool down to the temp of a hot shower, then drop the grills in for about 30 minutes.

They were black

quote Originally posted by Matthew_Fiero: They were black

Aaah, no. They were gray......never black.

I think I'll get Rodney's replacements. All his stuff is good.

quote Originally posted by randye: Just a wild thought, but you might try mixing up some RIT brand fabric dye in a bucket and dipping them. In actuality though, the speaker grill fabric is so old and UV damaged by the time it is blue, it's best to simply get some speaker grill fabric and recover them. It is VERY easy to do, but you have to be exremely careful removing the grill from the dash to prevent cracking not the speakers grills, but your DASH! There are reports of some removing the grills will safety and ease by using a rigid plastic kitchen spatula. DO NOT USE A SCREWDRIVER...this is a near certain guarantee for a cracked dash.

I use a flat butter knife, and go slowly...

My 87 hasn't changed, but it's been under a car cover for several years. My 85 has been about 2 years without cover, and they have faded slightly, but they're still a dark blue.

quote Originally posted by fierofool: My 87 hasn't changed, but it's been under a car cover for several years. My 85 has been about 2 years without cover, and they have faded slightly, but they're still a dark blue.

Ill have to give that a shot. Tho i think ill go for black.

Same here - I've got speaker cover fabric at the local store and used 3M 77 Glue Spray


Takes about 15 minutes per side

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T-Top ~HUD~LEDs ~Red Fieros~Carputer~Montreal Club

[This message has been edited by Mister (edited 05-10-2008).]

I just painted my car to match.

quote Originally posted by Mister: Same here - I've got speaker cover fabric at the local store and used 3M 77 Glue Spray Takes about 15 minutes per side

I used the same, but had a problem with it. It came out kind of thich, stringy and lumpy. On one of the grills the adhesive came up through the new woven mesh. What is your trick?

Since I have a spare set of the grilles in good shape anyway, I think I will try the Rit method. Can somebody tell me where to buy Rit? (Please don't say Walmart; I live in the 'burbs and we have everything BUT Walmart out here. Thansk!

My gray grill cloth is a very dark gray. Not black. It is actually darker than the OEM gray grill cloth. I have some gray grill cloth that is close to the OEM gray grill cloth but this darker gray looks better than the OEM gray. So I will sell it until I run out. I have enough to last for several years yet. Once gone I have a few other small rolls of various grays. I will sell the second best color match and so on as they run out. That wil be a very long time from now as I have a lot in stock. I was lucky in that the largest roll was the best color match in the gray.

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Rodney Dickman

Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575

I'm not very good at that kind of stuff, but I did mine several years ago.Replaced the fabric.To remove them, I placed a piece of stiff cardboard along the edge of the dash to pry against, thus spreading the force of the putty knife out along a wider portion of the dash.

I did not use Rodney's fabric, as I had a LOT of speaker fabric and a full roll & 1/2 of headliner material of my own at the time, but I have only heard great things about Rodney's material.

(I gave away all my extra material to 21 forum members, so don't ask me for any please)

quote Originally posted by Jefrysuko: I always just remove the old fabric and put the plastic part back in the dash.

I had some spare grilles lying around, and I was bored, so I tried this method. I removed the cloth (easy), soaked the grilles in water and detergent (man, that water was dirty), then scrubbed them and dried them and put them in the car. They look great! You can slightly see the speakers (just Kenwood 4 x 10 coax) which looks cool. But by far the best part: they sound better! Much clearer high end. That cloth filters a lot of sound. Wish I had done this years ago. The only downside is that I know the UVs are going to wear out the cones on the speakers. For my better car, I ordered the cloth from Rodney. Thanks for the idea Jefry

quote Originally posted by Fierotoyboy: Since I have a spare set of the grilles in good shape anyway, I think I will try the Rit method. Can somebody tell me where to buy Rit? (Please don't say Walmart; I live in the 'burbs and we have everything BUT Walmart out here. Thansk!

If you decide to try the Rit Fabric Dye at some time in the future, you can usually find it at the larger grocery stores. Kroger may be one in your area. And yes, at Wal-Mart.

quote Originally posted by sjmaye: I used the same, but had a problem with it. It came out kind of thich, stringy and lumpy. On one of the grills the adhesive came up through the new woven mesh. What is your trick?

The spray is VERY efficient just a thin coat should do the trick.

Well, I ended up trying three different methods (on three pairs of grilles). 1) re-covering with fabric from Rodney. Looks very good. 2) dyeing with black RIT dye. Looks fair. 3) stripped fabric, and painted plastic with Krylon Fusion black. Although it does not look stock, method 3 looks best to my eye. Sounds better, too, which is no surprise.