65 vinyl seats

[RIVNIK]

Greetings, looking for a little advice…..

my 65 has the original deluxe rear seats in black vinyl…they are in perfect condition, I don't think they've been sat on in the last 20 yrs..... the fronts were recovered in new black vinyl from Clarks. They match the rear almost perfectly,visually, the difference being that the new material is soft & supple, the old is very hard & very noisy. I've been able to avoid lugging a bunch of friends around all these using the excuse of no rear belts, but at the insistence of my domestic overlord (who wants me to take her & her girlfriends out for a Riviera ride), I finally found a pair that matched the front & am installing them today. Now I'm worried that the stiff rear vinyl is going to start cracking under the weight of some not so petite derrieres. I have been using 303 Aerospace Protectant regularly with little effect on the hardness. Does anyone have advice on how to soften aging vinyl?

Thanks, Drew

[petelempert]

Let the "crack" jokes begin. Let the "soften the aging" jokes begin. Drew, you are in an un-winnable situation. I'd take then for a ride. Take them for a few rides. Whatever happens, happens. It may be a great excuse to re-cover your rear seats, maintain your marriage and save your own rear. PRL

[rocky5517]

While I can't advise you on the Vinyl, I would strongly suggest you mince your words carefully re size of derrieres and women; they're a strange species and can demonstrate erratic and sometimes violent behavior towards perfectly well-meaning men, like me and you, even when voicing an honest and accurate observation such as yours.

I can see the headlines now; "Missing man found in trunk of Riviera"

[bb1970]

I don't think there is any "softening" old vinyl. It won't take on oils like leather does. Good news though. The rear seats are 10 times easier to re-upholster than the front seats are.

[60FlatTop]

I am pretty sure one or two rides will end that adventure. It is not an easy seat to get into. I don't think there will be a line to get back in. "Let's take the Tahoe next time."

If there is any chance to revive the seats it would be from working in some pure lanolin. On some cars I have removed the seats and set them on a bench. Then I dipped my fingers into a can of D&L hand cleaner and worked it into the vinyl the best I could. I wiped down any excess and put them back in. They look great and if you really, really believe they will feel softer. Best is another call to Clark's.

Here's the tune I was humming when I did it last time:

Bernie

[Don McClair]

Ok, no jokes, puns or wisecracks. Seriously, I like to use Lexol leather cleaner on my seats. It does a really good job of cleaning the vinyl and it really does feel a bit softer. Once I sprayed a bit of touch up paint in the trunk not thinking about how paint can find a way through the smallest area. I later discovered it had made its way into the passenger compartment of my Wildcat. Original parchment interior with a little red over spray is not good but the Lexol took all of the over spray off. I was a very happy camper.

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

My 67 WIldcat seats look new, little usage but the have the crinkly sound and the foam is deteriorating under the vinyl.

Do not be surprised if you find yellowed and dried out foam after the cruise.

[DualQuadDave]

You can try Vinylx-blue bottle, made by Lexol. Good stuff, but won't work miracles. Worth a shot though, it is the best vinyl protectant I have found.

[Guest slacker1965]

I've soaked crsip seats in mineral oil.....if you have room somewhere, take them out, lay down plastic, set seats flat, & lay on a liberal coat, repeat, repeat.....if it is cold out you can warm them in the sun, don't overdo it.

I am trying to save a beautiful deluxe set that had the frames corroded from years of mouse nests & humdiddity....they are softer....we will see if they are soft enough to warm up & stretch over better frames/foam.....my upholsterer friend agrees with all above comments about no real good solutiion, save for a recover....he does recover seats all the time using the old vinyl as a pattern, sometimes he is able to reuse panels......you might check with a shop & see what they think....Clark's are real nice....just not cheap...then again, what quality product is....