Interior Colors Difference - Dark Gray vs Ebony
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Teching In
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Interior Colors Difference - Dark Gray vs Ebony Forgive me if this has been covered somewhere before, I did a bunch of searches on Google and the forum to find the answer without potentially asking a questions that's been answered before, but here goes. My parent have a 2002 CETA that they bought new, and my mom has used it as her daily driver since day 1. She recently got a new Lexus, but I have made it clear I want the Trans Am from them one day and have "strongly advised" them not to ever get rid of the Trans Am. So far, they've listened. 
The car runs great and has no mechanical issues, but there are a number of cosmetic issues and want to slowly work on restoring those things that haven't aged well over the past 20 years. One of the issues I need to tackle is the infamous split in the door panel, the car has 2 large and very conspicuous splits, and from everything I've read, the repair options discussed on this site aren't going to do an adequate job of hiding them. I know the Ebony interior option was new to the MY 01-02 IIRC from what I read here in the forums (I may be off by a year or two). Does that apply to everything (upholstery, leather, hard plastics)? I've found a pair of OEM '93-'02 door panels online (listing says from a '97), listed as "dark gray leather". I'm guessing these will be the wrong color, and lighter than the factory panels currently on the vehicle, but just wanted to double check in with the experts. Thanks in advance!
The car runs great and has no mechanical issues, but there are a number of cosmetic issues and want to slowly work on restoring those things that haven't aged well over the past 20 years. One of the issues I need to tackle is the infamous split in the door panel, the car has 2 large and very conspicuous splits, and from everything I've read, the repair options discussed on this site aren't going to do an adequate job of hiding them. I know the Ebony interior option was new to the MY 01-02 IIRC from what I read here in the forums (I may be off by a year or two). Does that apply to everything (upholstery, leather, hard plastics)? I've found a pair of OEM '93-'02 door panels online (listing says from a '97), listed as "dark gray leather". I'm guessing these will be the wrong color, and lighter than the factory panels currently on the vehicle, but just wanted to double check in with the experts. Thanks in advance! 
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Ebony was introduced for the 2000 MY, and then obviously continued through 2002. So you will need a 2000-'02 door panel to get a color match. And yes, this does apply to all aspects of the door panel.
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Teching In
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Finding door panels without the split (and not coming from a pristine car) is a very tall order. If you can get some in the wrong color you can try your hand at painting them with VLC (vinyl, leather, carpet) dye/paint. There is an involved process of prepping the surfaces, spraying on, using adhesion promoter, and finishing. I tired stuff off of Amazon and it said it was GM Ebony but looked Graphite to me, too light and I tried black and it is too dark. Its pricey to get a professional to do it but you'll get some kind of a warranty if you go that route. Biggest concern is the color flaking/peeling off.
Both my door panels are split bad too. I have gotten a plastic welder kit and will be practicing this summer to see if I can salvage them. First I'm going to remove the offending staples that contribute to the splits and drill attach with zip ties the metal window bar. Try to weld the door panel cracks and add some re-enforcing ribs on the back side if it can work. From my research zip tie ends are perfect for this but you have to check the type of plastics for compatibility.
Both my door panels are split bad too. I have gotten a plastic welder kit and will be practicing this summer to see if I can salvage them. First I'm going to remove the offending staples that contribute to the splits and drill attach with zip ties the metal window bar. Try to weld the door panel cracks and add some re-enforcing ribs on the back side if it can work. From my research zip tie ends are perfect for this but you have to check the type of plastics for compatibility.
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Teching In
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Finding door panels without the split (and not coming from a pristine car) is a very tall order. If you can get some in the wrong color you can try your hand at painting them with VLC (vinyl, leather, carpet) dye/paint. There is an involved process of prepping the surfaces, spraying on, using adhesion promoter, and finishing. I tired stuff off of Amazon and it said it was GM Ebony but looked Graphite to me, too light and I tried black and it is too dark. Its pricey to get a professional to do it but you'll get some kind of a warranty if you go that route. Biggest concern is the color flaking/peeling off.
Both my door panels are split bad too. I have gotten a plastic welder kit and will be practicing this summer to see if I can salvage them. First I'm going to remove the offending staples that contribute to the splits and drill attach with zip ties the metal window bar. Try to weld the door panel cracks and add some re-enforcing ribs on the back side if it can work. From my research zip tie ends are perfect for this but you have to check the type of plastics for compatibility.
Both my door panels are split bad too. I have gotten a plastic welder kit and will be practicing this summer to see if I can salvage them. First I'm going to remove the offending staples that contribute to the splits and drill attach with zip ties the metal window bar. Try to weld the door panel cracks and add some re-enforcing ribs on the back side if it can work. From my research zip tie ends are perfect for this but you have to check the type of plastics for compatibility.
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From: Hagerstown MD
I know the un-split panels are hard to come by, but dying or painting them sounds like a pretty involved process that I don't have the confidence nor time for at present. The professional route is interesting, I'd have to see what options are available locally. Good luck with you repair, I'd be interested to hear about your experience, lessons learned, etc... and also see how it turns out!
