Hey. I have been reading thred after thred on this site for days, and I am amazed at the amount of information. I am literally addicted to reading this site.
I have a 06' LT Black HHR with nothing really done to it. I have noticed that there have been more and mroe HHR's poping up around my area, and I am looking for ways to set mine apart.

I have a couple of questions if anyone doesn't mind giving me a little help.
1) I have seen many people paint their interiors. Mine is the standars light and dark grey and id like to add a little color. What kind of paint (brand) did you use, and did you use spray or actually paint it on with a brush?

2) I have also seen the black and dark greay interiors(on the dash). Is that just the standard interior of the new SS? Or is there a way to get my LT to look like that with a Dash kit of some kind? Brands? Websites?

3) My seats are boring light gray. I could buy seat covers but they never look good. I have seen the black and red seats of the SS and I was wondering if there is any way to get this done to my 06 LT? Also has anyone tried removing the seats all together and installing somehting like a racing bucket seat?

4) I want to chagne my grille desperately, and i like the wire mesh look with the 3 bar grille, but I am not much of a handyman and I don't know how i feel about taking a saw to my grille. Is there anything availible to nonmechanically incline people like me to jsut purchase a new grill that can be popped in as a replacement?

5) I have an automatic. Is there any way to remove the shifrt knob and replace it with an aftermarket knob? If so, does anyone have any good sites that sell knobs for automatics?

6) I also like the 3rd brake like mod. I have seen that some have created their own custom one with an exacto knife and some thick electrical tape. My quesiton is, where do you stick the tape? Surely not on the outside of the window. Does it go right over the actual brake light? If so, the 3rd brake light is in that enclosure tucked up on the rear window. How do you get to it?

Any responces to any of the questions would be incredibly helpful. Price is not a huge factor. I am just looking for information. I will be sure to take before and after pictures and post them as soon as I do some work. This site is incredible, and I cna't wait to become more involved. Thanks guys...

 

Just drop off your HHR and a blank check and I'll be happy to help you out......

Seriously, most of what you want to do has been covered just use the search function....

<EDIT> Quick search on 3rd brake light got me this thread...

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/how-tutorial-library-21/3rd-brake-light-mod-step-step-9177/


Step by step how to...

The how to section is the best place for mod info

 

Here's what mine looks like now.........
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/appearance-modifications-discussions-6/my-interior-painting-has-begun-4232/

Several here have gotten Katskins leather seat coves that look really sharp!

Looks like you'll have to pay somebody for this one.

Removing the auto shifter.........
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/how-tutorial-library-21/how-remove-shifter-handle-automatic-15234/

Here's a "how to" to access the 3rd brake light.......
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9177

 

Thanks! And I said price wasnt a factor yet. Lol I WISH i could just start handing out blank checks! Does anyone have any reccomendations on types of paint to use o the interior? And how does anyone feel about Coverking for a seat cover? I saw that there was a "how to" to remove the seats from the HHR. Has anyone done this and then tried reupholstering the seat themselves?
Thanks again!

 

looks like some people covered a few questions you had. I'm going to mention a few extra things for you.

If you want the 3 bar grille you have to do it yourself or find someone to do it for you. If you want a different grille, billet, or a bunch of other options, google is your friend. tons of options out there. Just make sure to look in the instructions or if they say it on the site if it is a full replacement, if not you will have to cut your stock grille and add the new one too it.

The black and gray on the headliner interior is an option. It comes with the ebony seat covers and then the black plastic and carpet everywhere. Some people sell ebony seat covers they took off for one reason or another in the classifieds. then follow the step by step to take yours off and the new on. also people on here have re done the carpet in black too. I love the black and is one reason why it was hard to find the one i wanted.

if you want to paint some plastic in your car. Krylon fusion is a good one to go with. It has a chemical or something in it that bonds with the plastic. you will however, never remove it properly after that. You will probably have to sand the pieces a bit first or use a spray on it first to rough up the surface so it will paint well. Just spraying it on the shiny, smooth, slick plastic is not a good idea, it'll flake off eventually.

for the 3rd light graphic. you could do it yourself with black tape and an exacto knife, but that's not what most people do here. you can get them on ebay or other sites. or you can custom order them from a place like vinzdecals (http://www.vinzdecals.com/createbrakeoverlay.html). A few people have them from there. You have to order a custom size, and there is a post around here with all the dimensions you need, i just can't find it right now. Then just use the link above to get it on there.

So, that's all the help i can think of right now. but most of your questions, plus if you have any more will already be in a post somewhere, finding them aren't always easy, but the search button helps a ton.

 

so i found the link to the sized for the 3rd light decal. i was looking on the wrong forum. took me awhile to figure that out... i'd link you to that one, or put a link to a post they have with tons of light decals done, but for some reason the people on this forum don't like the other one and it's treated like a swear word on here... all ******** on it when you type it. PM me if you want some info.

Font: Whatever you want
Color: (Black)
Cover Size: 12 x 2.5
Font Size: 9.5 x 1.75

 

Thanks! that was very helpful. I went with the Ebay. It said it was specifically for an HHR so i trust it. If not its only 6 bucks You said people have gotten their carpet redone. Did they take this into a shop or is it possible to do it yoruself. I look through the "How to" forum. Also, is the black plastic an option as an after market thing? or is my light greay interior pretty much set?
(sorry if im asking too many question) I'm just trying to gain some knowledge before I act on anything else)

 

DIY is possible............

From grey to ebony interior

 

i think unless you want to replace A LOT of plastic, you are pretty much set with your gray plastic. The black is one of the reasons why it was hard to find the setup i wanted, because i wanted the black interior with a bunch of other options.

But yeah, every piece of plastic from where the bottom of the windows are down, is all black. So that would be doors, seat backs, seat belt covers, back panels, rear shelf, under the shelf, cargo bins, dash, console, glove box.... so everything basically.

The only thing that is gray on mine is everything from the bottom of the windows up. So head liner, a-pillar, other pillars etc. I don't know why the heck they couldn't make that black too. I would be 10x happier if it was ALL black, although i love the black i have, couldn't they just do it all...

 

Hey stinger, to the site. You'll want to check out the Northeast Region forum too. There is another G2G brewin'. Oh, yeah, there are a few of us here in HHatboRo too.