Hey Richard,
I'll have to take some pics tomorrow, but I'm in the middle of a conversion myself on a 76. I removed the original steering column for a floor shift column. I'm putting in a console, but not an original 4th Gen. The guy I got it from wasn't sure what it came out of, probably an early 70's Pontiac, but I figured I liked it, so it's going in one way or another. It needs to be modified a little to fit properly on the center hump since it's a little narrower.
I'll try to get some pics tomorrow even though it's not done and looks pretty rough. I do have an original 78 4spd console with shifter and sag tranny that I should be receiving by next week. It's gonna go in an original 78 Rally 4spd that I have to go get this weekend, and she's gonna get an original restoration. I'll post pics of it once I get it, later next week probably.
I redyed my door panels and they came out great. I cleaned them with Clorox spray and a soft bristle brush. Then sprayed them with an adhesion promoter which is actually just supposed to help open the pores so the dye can penetrate, and sprayed the dye as soon as the promoter was dry. The chrome was peeled off the trim on the panels which left them dull looking, so I didn't bother taping it off. I may go back with some silver or chrome paint to make it somewhat original looking. It'll probably be easier anyways to dye the panels then go back and tape off around the trim to paint if the chrome is peeled off. It's very important to clean them thoroughly, and use the promoter. Otherwise, the dye will just start to flake off after a few weeks, if it even lasts that long. Low temps will cause the pores in the plastic or vinyl to stay closed and won't allow the dye to adhere, and high humidity can also cause the dye to not adhere. I found that out the hard way. The same steps can be done on all your plastic and vinyl. Carpet and cloth can be done the same way, except you don't need the adhesion promoter since the fibers will soak the dye. For carpet and cloth, I like to use a fine tooth comb or something similar that will work, and more or less comb the wet dye through the cloth for even coverage. I get mine at Advanced Auto, I forget the exact brand, but it says Vinyl and Carpet Dye right on the can and comes in red, tan and black. I may have seen blue too, but don't remember exactly since all I was looking for was black. There may even be other colors available, but that's all I've seen. Also be sure they're all flat or gloss. I made that mistake too. Apparently I grabbed a can of Gloss Black that was behind the Flat and didn't pay no attention or even realize it until I had already started spraying the second panel and realized one was glossy and the other flat. Now I have Gloss Black Panels instead of Flat Black. Live and learn.
