97 vs 98 Interior Panel Compatibility

**joeyofblades** · 12-30-2023, 12:11 AM

My friend is parting out his 97 Trans Am. It has ebony interior but is cloth. I have a 98 Trans Am with tan interior and want ebony interior. I know I can't use the door panels because I have component front speakers (Monsoon) and his panels won't have the tweeter mounts I'm pretty sure. Also the door will have cloth on it anyway.

What interior panels can I buy from him and use on my car? She's almost fully gutted right now because I'm doing sound deadening and then the new carpet I got so I've taken pretty much everything out.

What I do need in black:

sail panels
side skirts that hold the carpet in next to the doors
cargo flap thing for the hatch area
the thing that holds the cargo flap thing in place and has the rear speaker mounts (I've deleted the speakers but lost the grilles so it looks ugly)
driver/passenger mirrors
T-top covers/shades
seat belts... could live without them if they're a pain to remove I guess, they're still in the car now

What I don't need:

I have aftermarket carpet already, don't need that.
My center console is modified so I'm keeping it
Not doing dash or steering wheel, those are modified too
I have rear seats already and plan to go aftermarket up front.
Headliner I'm probably going aftermarket, my friend told me about something better than these old 25 year old cloth ones...

I think that's it. I've also been told by someone that I can paint my panels with interior dye, but I lost the screenshot so don't remember the name of it. If anyone knows about that let me know please.

***SMWS6TA*** · 12-30-2023, 07:00 AM

I've had great success using Duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint with adhesion promoter.

if you use it, clean panels with warm snappy water and brush. I did it 2x's, then dry, next use Wax and grease remover 2x's with a lint free cloth. Once dry use the adhesive promoter per directions. IIRC 2 passes with a flash time of 10 mins. Then apply the paint, 2 light coats then up to 2 medium coats. Make sure to do it in a dust free area as possible.

**joeyofblades** · 12-30-2023, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

I've had great success using Duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint with adhesion promoter.

if you use it, clean panels with warm snappy water and brush. I did it 2x's, then dry, next use Wax and grease remover 2x's with a lint free cloth. Once dry use the adhesive promoter per directions. IIRC 2 passes with a flash time of 10 mins. Then apply the paint, 2 light coats then up to 2 medium coats. Make sure to do it in a dust free area as possible.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0182QFVD4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007UAXJQ

These? Seems like a much cheaper alternative to finding ebony interior and not a hard process. I'd be down to do this.