Looking for some suggestions on the refurb of a set of mid-1960s Cessna vertically adjustable/reclining front seats I picked up. Obviously, all new hardware/rollers. But, what I am most interested in is suggestions for the seat frame/base. (I lucked out and the roller housings all look ok.)
-Would you chemically strip the paint and then prime/paint? Or, media blast then prime/paint? One consideration is I think I read somewhere the seat bellcranks are Magnesium, not Aluminum. Or, just scuff and shoot top coat? Powder coat?
-Complete or partial disassembly (I did order the 18,000 roll pins).
-What color would you chose - the airplane's door jambs/pillar covers are off-white, but the carpet is a medium grey, so I am leaning towards satin/semi-gloss black, not the off white.

I chemically stripped my seat frames then I primed them. I used rattle cans to paint and it looked great. I think the key was completely stripping the old stuff so I had a good base.

I would disassemble the rollers and just the lever and seat track locator pin. Tape up the jack screw to protect it from paint, along with the side lever for tilt, and the elevator crank knob. Chemically strip the old paint. Then prime and paint with Rustolium. It holds up well for interior stuff like that. Obviously not as well as powder coat (which I would not do) or polyurethane, but plenty well enough.
The color is a matter of opinion, but I like the idea of the grey to match the carpet. Someone previously painted mine light tan to match the leather seats. It looked awful. I stripped them this past week, and will paint them dark grey or flat black.