Interior colors/paint

[eaglescout526]

I am only wanting to create this post for future visitors or restorations.

 

If anyone has used the SEM interior paint to refresh/restore/make new, should post the color that comes close or is exact match to all years of the MJ interior factory colors.(I'll edit the post as more info comes along)

 

I just found out that SEM's medium grey is dead on for the lighter charcoal grey colors. I will be testing which colors will best restore the dark charcoal dash panels and center console.

 

84-85 XJ colors only

Almond-SEM light buckskin(Also has a similar issue like the charcoal colors. It does have a two tone being the dash and console are darker than the rest of the interior.)

Honey-SEM Camel

Nutmeg-

-Slate Blue-

Medium Blue-Matte Nantucket blue rustoleum

Garnet-SEM Firethorn red(huge discrepancy over the Garnet, it appears early on it was more red and later it got more cordovan. working this one out to find an according match). 

 

Colors offered(According to what the catalogue shows me. If I'm missing one please tell me.):

1986: Black, Medium Blue, Cordovan, Garnet, Honey and Tan.

1987: Black, Medium Blue, Cordovan and Tan.

1988: Charcoal, Cordovan, Navy and Tan.

1989: Same as '88 except Tan is now Sand.

1990: Charcoal, Cordovan and Sand.

1991-92: Charcoal, Cordovan and Dark Sand

 

SEM:

Black - Landau black

Medium Blue - Matte Nantucket blue rustoleum . I am sure there is a suitable SEM.

Garnet - SEM Firethorn red(plausible issue with said color matching garnet. Results vary)

Honey - SEM Camel

Tan - SEM Palomino or Santa Fe depending on the odd discrepancy for the years. 

Charcoal(2 colors light and dark) - Medium Grey(SEM) and Dark Grey(rustollium) or Very Dark Pewter(SEM)

Cordovan - Burgundy

Navy - SEM 15043 Shadow Blue

Sand - SEM Santa Fe

Dark Sand - 

 

 

 

 

97-01

Agate-SEM 15303 Graphite

 

 

 

Headlight bezels with darker silver trim-PDM 4889922AB Mopar Touch up paint.

Left-painted                                                                                                  Right-still original.

[schardein]

SEM is great stuff.  Burgundy is a match for the cordovan.  Very early XJs had a red interior option (sometimes called "porno red").  I think it was still an option in 86?

[eaglescout526]

17 hours ago, schardein said:

I think it was still an option in 86?

It was an option from 84-86. Known as Garnet. I'm hoping to hopefully get this post to where we can reference it when restoring interior bits. So far I am loving how accurate medium grey is!

[NC Tom]

Walmart has a Medium Gray and Light Graphite. Which one is the best match to MJ grey plastics?

[eaglescout526]

 

35 minutes ago, NC Tom said:

Walmart has a Medium Gray and Light Graphite. Which one is the best match to MJ grey plastics?

I found the SEM medium grey to be a perfect match for the lighter side of the charcoal interior. As for the dark, I’m trying to figure that one out myself. I’m currently awaiting the two colors I have chosen for accuracy. 

[MJXJjeepguy]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:06 AM, schardein said:

SEM is great stuff.  Burgundy is a match for the cordovan.  Very early XJs had a red interior option (sometimes called "porno red").  I think it was still an option in 86?

 

Porno red and burgundy is a big different I believe picture what it called porno red...

[MJXJjeepguy]

My 91 MJ have burgundy interior.

[NC Tom]

On 9/16/2019 at 12:30 PM, eaglescout526 said:

 

I found the SEM medium grey to be a perfect match for the lighter side of the charcoal interior. As for the dark, I’m trying to figure that one out myself. I’m currently awaiting the two colors I have chosen for accuracy. 

 

Cool! Thanks!

[eaglescout526]

I have finally figured it out!!! And I am so damn happy. Rustoliums dark grey works damn perfect for the dark portion of the charcoal interior on our trucks. I will not update part II with this info.

[MJXJjeepguy]

13 hours ago, eaglescout526 said:

I have finally figured it out!!! And I am so damn happy. Rustoliums dark grey works damn perfect for the dark portion of the charcoal interior on our trucks. I will not update part II with this info.

Is that one u talk about?

And picture of ur interior with ur new paint. I have XJ gray interior 

[eaglescout526]

3 hours ago, MJXJjeepguy said:

Is that one u talk about?

And picture of ur interior with ur new paint. I have XJ gray interior 

Yup. Sadly that’s all they have. No satin or flat. Charcoal comes close which you think it would be an exact but it’s a little on the light side. 

Anyways I got the lower panel out today and is being painted so I’ll snap a picture when the oven gets to 350. 

[eaglescout526]

 

here's my original center console. I ran it through the dishwasher and painted the lower portion. I tried to get the best picture of where the paint cuts off but it’s just so dang close. Top half is still original color. 

[MJXJjeepguy]

16 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

 

here's my original center console. I ran it through the dishwasher and painted the lower portion. I tried to get the best picture of where the paint cuts off but it’s just so dang close. Top half is still original color. 

Not bad, seem like little lighter than original?

[eaglescout526]

2 minutes ago, MJXJjeepguy said:

Not bad, seem like little lighter than original?

Could be. It been tough for me to tell as the entirety of the dark pieces of my interior are several different shades of the dark grey. Even the dash that is the dark grey color is the same on what's at the bottom of the console

[eaglescout526]

Well here is the final results. I like it. It’s been a battle just to find the right color but I don’t like how dark the SEM graphite is, felt like that color fit better with the 97-01 interior, so I went with what I did like and thought it fit best. 

 

I can see that it is a little lighter but honestly I like it and it’s been a month of color searching to where I didn’t want to go fork over a fortune to have a color match(probably should have for how much I spent). I feel the AZ sun and heat didn’t contribute to keeping the interior color in the best of shape. 

For now this color will hang around. 

[rylee144]

Looks good to me! 

[Minuit]

Keeping this thread alive, SEM #15323 Palomino is a very close match to the factory 1987 tan plastics - close enough that I'd feel comfortable mixing painted and original parts.

 

The seat trim panel is an original 1987 interior part. The MJ kick panel is a grey one I painted with the SEM #15323.

 

Compared to a seat:

 

 

The plastics look lighter than the vinyl from the factory. The seat fabric is sun faded and would've been much darker when new. SEM makes a darker tan, Camel, and I was tempted to order it too but decided to go with this one. I may order a can of Camel and see how it compares. It might look good doing a "two-tone" like the factory grey interiors.

 

BTW - my O'Reilly Auto Parts can order SEM interior paints and have them in the store same day. They ordered every tan color in the catalog and just sent back the ones I didn't think would match.

 

The SEM paint is very forgiving to spray. It seems to work best doing a lot of very light coats, with about 10 minutes in between. If you spray too heavy of a coat, the paint will fill in the texture in the plastic, but even when I sprayed too much it never sagged or ran. It dries very fast. About 20 minutes after finishing up, it was completely dry to the touch.

[eaglescout526]

Fantastic! I will update this later. I did update this a while ago when someone found a good color for their medium blue interior. 

[Warren Mohler]

SEM Sante Fe 15123 is a perfect match for the light beige or sand I believe Jeep called it

[Minuit]

I think I like Camel better. I imagine it's closer to the original color without 30 years of fading from the sun:

 

 

 

[eaglescout526]

Post updated. I think the Camel looks better but at least its a couple options for the tan interior guys.

[Minuit]

I think Camel is definitely the way to go after comparing to some original examples.

 

Here's a mostly original '87 tan interior in the color I'm going for - video credit to NEO Auto:

 

[87MJTIM]

2 hours ago, Minuit said:

I think I like Camel better. I imagine it's closer to the original color without 30 years of fading from the sun:

 

 

 

Let's see Camel, Palomino and an original colors side-by-side-by-side.

 

I have the Honey color

[Minuit]

20 hours ago, 87MJTIM said:

Let's see Camel, Palomino and an original colors side-by-side-by-side.

 

I have the Honey color

Will do, once I get a chance.

[Minuit]

On 1/22/2020 at 1:57 PM, 87MJTIM said:

Let's see Camel, Palomino and an original colors side-by-side-by-side.

 

I have the Honey color

CCW from left: SEM Camel, SEM Palomino, original seat track trim, seat. Light is all natural, no flash was used.

 

I cannot prove 100% that the seat track trim is an original Honey part, but it is dated mid-1986 so it is period correct, and AFAIK that was the only "tan" color being offered at the time. It was attached to the seat in the picture. The back of the original panel is identical in color to the front.