• From: Mini-so-ta
  • Registered: 2010-09-08
  • Posts: 1,181

Topic: Best race car interior color?

Our interior is currently red, which probably makes our team drive too aggressively and rack up penalties.  It also limits exterior color choices.

White might be nice, but it seems like it would get bright when the sun shines in and would mess with your vision.

Black would get probably get just get hot on sunny days and worsen our interior heat problems.

Flat gray would seem ideal, but that's awfully boring...

Any thoughts?

Former chief proprietor and lead bad idea generator of Binford "More Power" Racing, 2010-2013: humbly self-proclaimed the best Chevy Beretta in Lemons history.
  • DC Doug
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  • From: Washington DC / SF Bay area
  • Registered: 2010-09-27
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Re: Best race car interior color?

We did the Parnelli Jones Galaxie interior w/ a nice glossy gray.  It seems to clean up better than flat paint too.

http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af172/kirchbed/The%2067%20Galaxie/IMG_2975.jpg

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  • From: Baltimore, MD
  • Registered: 2010-05-20
  • Posts: 1,745

Re: Best race car interior color?

"Whatever the hell the factory put in there"

Seriously, this is Lemons. In what way does exterior color need to match interior? We have a white car with a black interior.

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Team FinalGear
  • From: St Louis, MO
  • Registered: 2009-08-06
  • Posts: 1,014

Re: Best race car interior color?

We started with a black car that had a gloss dark gray interior. The only real problems we had with heat was at Summit Point last year when the cat made one area of the floor pan so hot it melted one of our drivers shoes a little bit.

http://pic.phyrefile.com/q/qu/quiky/2010/06/06/DSC00159.jpg

Don't let your interior color limit what the outside looks like, inside the car looks the same but now the outside looks like this.

http://pic.phyrefile.com/p/pu/punisherbass/2011/06/01/Tech_1.JPG

Team Final Gear Crew Chief
#138 1997 Pontiac GTP - Supercharged 3800
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  • From: Van Nuys, CA
  • Registered: 2011-02-11
  • Posts: 3,862

Re: Best race car interior color?

What? You couldn't find someone to watch the cat while you went racing?

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  • From: St Louis, MO
  • Registered: 2009-08-06
  • Posts: 1,014

Re: Best race car interior color?

Well we didn't have our killer mascot at the time to do the job.

http://pic.phyrefile.com/q/qu/quiky/2011/06/19/20110619-shelby1.jpg

Team Final Gear Crew Chief
#138 1997 Pontiac GTP - Supercharged 3800
#42   1999 Ford P71 Crown Vic
  • From: Mini-so-ta
  • Registered: 2010-09-08
  • Posts: 1,181

Re: Best race car interior color?

DC Doug - Nice, digging the industrial gray.  Good point about easier cleanup with glossy paint...

EyeMWing - Why do you think our interior is red in the fist place? wink

Former chief proprietor and lead bad idea generator of Binford "More Power" Racing, 2010-2013: humbly self-proclaimed the best Chevy Beretta in Lemons history.
  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,144

Re: Best race car interior color?

+1 on the gray. I'd paint the engine bay, but that makes it look less lemoney. Gray is ideal because it's not too bright, but it shows leaks, spills, trash, etc. Gloss is better than flat for cleaning.

  • From: Life's great in 21158
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 3,361

Re: Best race car interior color?

I like tan myself- rustoleum makes a nice light tan.  Light stays cooler, and easier to see leaks.  But its not blindingly blinding like white is.  Plus I prefer earth tones over gray.  Gray is just sooo...grey.  Gray?  Grey?

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  • From: Blue Springs, MO
  • Registered: 2009-07-10
  • Posts: 51

Re: Best race car interior color?

We broke out the Hammered Finish Silver Rustoleum for our interior.  Turned out pretty good, and kind of hides the dents from trying to hammer the sound deadening material out.

  • From: VA
  • Registered: 2010-05-05
  • Posts: 920

Re: Best race car interior color?

Unintentional Jackson Pollock, sprinkled with dirt, gear oil, trans fluid, leaves, zip ties, silly string, beer, gatorade.

Ideally we'd choose a lighter color, but it would take so much scrubbing to clean the car so paint would stick, not even worth it now.

I wanted to paint the cage black on one side (that the driver sees) and neon pink or lime green on the other side (not seen by the driver.

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  • From: Kansas City
  • Registered: 2010-02-10
  • Posts: 263

Re: Best race car interior color?

EriktheAwful wrote:

Gray is ideal because it's not too bright, but it shows leaks, spills, trash, etc. Gloss is better than flat for cleaning.

+1

Greg
Team Skid Steer
Bullitt Bobcat 2.0
  • From: Wheaton IL
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 408

Re: Best race car interior color?

Is primer a color?

You are only entitled to the space you occupy.

14 Reply by Jer

  • Jer
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  • From: West Chester, PA
  • Registered: 2009-05-04
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Re: Best race car interior color?

The coROLLa was originally a red car, so the interior is red.  The exterior was red, then professionally painted white, then we rattle canned on taxi yellow, now it is going to black one quarter panel at a time.  it is beautiful!

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  • From: Frisco, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,430

Re: Best race car interior color?

Just another indicator Lemons is getting out of hand... "Raw" color is the lemon color - whatever is under the carpet.. .If you are gonna paint it though, I favor light gray gloss as it is easy to clean, easy to spot leaks, and doesn't heat the car or reflect too much.

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  • Dave
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  • From: PGH PA
  • Registered: 2009-10-09
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Re: Best race car interior color?

Stick with brown, hides the mess when you screw up wink

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  • Troy
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  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
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Re: Best race car interior color?

I'd recommend a light color of your choice in a semi-gloss to gloss finish. 

Flat adsorbs grease way to much.

Any paint we have put on our interior is white with plenty of factory yellow left.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z

18 Reply by NSF

  • NSF
  • NSF
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  • From: Cocoa, FL
  • Registered: 2010-06-26
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Re: Best race car interior color?

Dave wrote:

Stick with brown, hides the mess when you screw up wink

This beforeI've had my coffee!  Laughing.


thanks.

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  • FJ40Jim
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Re: Best race car interior color?

Interior: Gloss light grey (Ford tractor grey from fleetfarm)
Cage: White or grey. Paint the rollcage satin black round the windshield.
Engine bay:  gloss white.
Exterior: Anything the sponsor likes

just my $.014 worth...

Jim C.
If God meant for us to race, we'd all have baggy Nomex skin.
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  • From: Mini-so-ta
  • Registered: 2010-09-08
  • Posts: 1,181

Re: Best race car interior color?

Thanks for all the feedback, guys.  Jim, your mention of Fleet Farm implement paint made me laugh...our cage is currently IH Red--we have a huge Fleet Farm in Rochester smile  Might have to switch our tractor affiliation to Ford when I get around to it...

Former chief proprietor and lead bad idea generator of Binford "More Power" Racing, 2010-2013: humbly self-proclaimed the best Chevy Beretta in Lemons history.

21 Reply by mike944 (edited by mike944 2011-06-26 09:43 PM)

  • From: Central CT
  • Registered: 2010-12-29
  • Posts: 393

Re: Best race car interior color?

Um, how about whatever color is left over when you finish removing all the unnecessary parts?

Ours is a mix of factory finish, leftover seam sealer residue that wouldn't come off,  sound deadener glue residue, plasma cutter burn sparks, welding spatter, greasy fingerprints, and last but not least, cage paint overspray!

Paint adds unnecessary weight!

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22 Reply by NSF

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  • From: Cocoa, FL
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Re: Best race car interior color?

The right color is whatever is on sale.  This I know. 

We use tractor paint and add hardner (because it makes us feel more like real painters).

b

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  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,144

Re: Best race car interior color?

Um, how about whatever color is left over when you finish removing all the unnecessary parts?... Paint adds unnecessary weight!

It's not unnecessary if you park your lemon outside in the elements. I keep having to reapply paint from time to time to keep it from turning into rust.

That said, I haven't fully painted the interior yet. The cage is coated and some rust spots have been cleaned and painted. Some day I'll wire-brush all the glue and crap out and paint it, but I have other priorities.

  • From: WOOTville USA
  • Registered: 2009-05-06
  • Posts: 2,415

Re: Best race car interior color?

Pale yellow, green and brown. I achieve that by parking under a sycamore tree for 2 years.

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25 Reply by Team BenzGay (edited by Team BenzGay 2011-06-27 08:54 PM)

  • Registered: 2010-09-14
  • Posts: 219

Re: Best race car interior color?

They say taupe is very soothing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J94dWbZr … detailpage

"You can’t make a pig into a race car, but you can make a very fast pig."