I had the auto paint store next to my store mix up some Victory Red to match the paint on my wagon. I used the gloss version to paint my lower grill insert that I installed. Then I had the paint store put some flattener in the paint so I could paint some of my interior parts. I wanted them to match the bright exterior color, but also match the finish of the flat interior pieces. But you can probably find the color to match your exterior at an auto parts store, then spray some clear flat over it when it is done to make it match the interior. If I would have thought to take pictures of the upper dash part, I could have done a tutorial for that also, but I failed to think about it til I was done...

but I'de be glad to answer any questions about it that you might have...

 

the top piece is just held in with snap rings once you have the bottom loose, just grab the bottom of the top piece and pull, then unhook your wires to your controls

 

Fantistico job of both pics and discription of each step. I know I will put this in my "To Do List" this winter.

 

I would like to add a few things... in the hopes of making this easy mod even simplier!
So you know what your up against for those that have yet to rip and tear into your HHR. This type of clip is used all over your HHR!




..and for those that may never take the cover plate off the light pannel, here's what under there!
Mine is a manual, so your auto may look slightly different.

 

yeah those clips... I've never owned a vehicle that had those kind of clips holding things together... they really make it a lot easier to take pieces of the interior apart without damaging it..

thanks for the additional input Sindy...

 

I sure have a few coments on this MOD about the center piece! I did it with minimal cursing! There are some do's and don't for sure. I made a couple of mistakes on the reassembly steps. Had to back track slightly. Just enough to GRRrrrrrr!

I'll add my reassembly tips tomorrow. Just so it's easier for the next guy who does this.

 

Looks good Sindy.

 

That really looks great Sindy...!! I'm a big fan of the white, and I would have bought a white HHR, but the last 3 vehicles I had were all white, so I was ready for something different...

Great job on the dash Sindy...!!!

 

Looking forward to the assembly tips. Going to get paint soon.

 

if you guys use krylon just remember that the paint WILL chip and you will need to redo the job over again. I'm looking at moving up to a dashboard kit instead of attempting to paint the rest of the interior (doors, dash, etc).

On another note, spray paint I purchased from paintscratch.com works great! No chipping yet on the front bumper and rear emblem I painted. Its a little pricey but IMO worth it.