3 replies to this topic

[sonscar]

The interior of my car is intact but all the plastics,dash,door cards,seat backs etc are kind of "tired" The headlining is ingrained but sound.despite havind owned classics for forty years I have never cleaned them.
What is recommended for this(apart from severe chastisement)Steve..

[bluedragon]

For the panels, just get a good vinyl/interior cleaner from any place that offers name brand auto cleaners and try that. If you have what appears to be ingrained dirt in the vinyl or plastic, then the next step up is a vinyl conditioner/protectant (the notorious milky-white stuff.) The better brands of this can take out a lot of the dirt and protect the plastic afterwards.

 

But avoid products that have silicone in them - "Armor All" is a brand notorious for this, as it is said that the silicone alters the molecular structure of the plastic. When it dries and evaporates the plastic looks worse than before, can crack and forces you to keep using the product forever to restore the appearance.

 

It could be though that after 40 years it's not dirt, its faded color. You should be able to tell if you look at it closely. In that case, your best bet for a like-new appearance is to re-color the plastics with special interior vinyl paint. There are many colors which you can try to match with your original plastics. If not, for a fee you can have some mixed for a custom match. The paint is flexible for interior plastic use.

 

I wish I had a good tip for the headliner - if it's plasticky vinyl, then you can apply the above steps. If it's fabric - I don't know how to reliably clean these without risking a stain spot where the cleaner was. I think you'd pretty much have to tackle the whole headliner at once and hope you get all the dirt out so there's no stain, or remove it and wash it (if possible - I'm not sure that it is, especially if it's backed with foam.)

 

I guess you could just dye it to hide the dirt. :) That actually is a viable option, but hopefully someone will have a better idea than that.

 

 

Dave

[panky]

Try Autoglym caravan and motorhome cleaner if you can find it. It's excellent on vinyl, plastic,  wheels, engines just about anything. I usually pick a couple of bottles up at the shows so I've run out.

[sonscar]

There seems a bewildering array of wonder cleaners,each promising the earth.I have used detergent and a toothbrush which got a lot of grime off but the vinyl seems stiff and the grain dusty.I am hoping for something which makes the plastic clean and more supple if possible.More research needed I think.Steve..