We’re not actually replacing the dome light housing, just turning it black, by applying a coat of plasti dip to it.
If you need to replace the dome light housing in your Turbo Regal, you can follow the same steps shown herein to accomplish the task of doing so.
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This is another part in our “Blackout” series, where we are totally dechroming the interior of our 1987 Buick Grand National.
[this is a hard top car, and it has the optional rectangular dome light with the 2 map lights on the sides. You could use this same paint strategy for your t-top Gbody, for the 2 rear courtesy lights]
This last week has shown you all the assorted chrome items that can be swapped over to black.
We really dig the way it all looks, but we understand most Buick GN owners prefer to keep things stock (when possible).
That’s cool too, you do you.
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A phillips screwdriver removes the 2 screws that hold the housing to the roof.
[just fyi, if you need to remove the base, there’s 2 pin-like screws that hold it on. Take a pair of pliers and twist them out to remove them, then the base falls down]
We used a red scotchbrite pad (roughly equivalent to 400 sandpaper) to scuff up the chrome surface of the housing a bit. Not too hard of a scrub, just enough to rough up the surface somewhat, so the (self-etching) primer and paint will stick to it.
We cleaned the entire housing with alcohol first, then taped off the 2 side glass lenses (for the reading lights) and left off the center cover during this process.
A couple coats of the primer, then a couple coats of the (black matte) plasti-dip and now the dome light looks awesome.
[the plasti dip is the same stuff we used on the door handles, sunvisor brackets and rear ash tray]
Doing this on a hot day, the task was completed in about an hour (since we had to wait for the paint to dry).
[but good news, we watched the grass grow during this wait time, and it really didn’t grow very much… lol]
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