Interior detailing

[Stephen W.]

The vinyl interior on my 64 is original and in very good condition. What is the best way to clean it and make it look its best without making it look cheap with a phoney shine. The door panels are great except for the plastic chrome plating for the arm rests. Can they be replated or are repo's the way to go.

[Duke W.]

Re: Interior detailing

I've always used Ivory liquid to clean vinyl (a fairly concentrated solution) and use Pledge furniture polish (an emulsion of carnuba wax in a petroleum distillate solution) as a surface treatment.

Duke

[Chris H.]

Re: Interior detailing

My 62 has the same problem with the chrome armrest. I am going to replace mine with repro's. They were the same from '62-'64 and were used on a bunch of the chevies. Paragon and others sell. Also someone sells the bases on ebay sometimes.

Chris

[Michael D.]

Re: Interior detailing

Use a "soap" not a detergent/soap to clean. Any harsh detergent will affect the stitching eventually. A soft tooth brush or a soft hand brush works well in the seams. I use Vinylex, made by the makers of Lexol leather cleaner, I always wipe the seats 2-3 times after the application sets for a few minutes with a fresh clean cloth to cut the shine down (cheap look) The Vinylex is supposed to be a nutrient for the vinyl. If it works as well as the leather cleaner/conditioner it should be a great product.

[Wayne K.]

In addition to Mike's comments...

another good vinyl dressing/conditioner/sunscreen is 303 Aerospace. Most marine stores handle it as well as some automotive suppliers. I also like cleaning interiors using microfiber towels. After cleaning and applying the conditioner I leave the car alone for a couple days and then wipe over it with a dry microfiber towel. If it has too much shine for you just mist the towel with water and wipe it down and let it air dry.

Wayne

[Tim E.]

Re: Interior detailing

It's hard to beat the simple Pledge Wipes you can buy like a pack of Kleenex. The Interior Judges on my '59 first mentioned that to me at the Galveston Nationals and then I saw Al Knoch recommend them on his seat cover installation video.

[Stephen W.]

Re: Interior detailing

Thanks to everyone. I have used pledge on the plastic windows for my boat but never thought it could be used on the seats.

[Paul L.]

Pledge has Carunba Wax?

Is this true?

[Steve Pettit]

Re: Pledge has Carunba Wax?

Duke is a pretty reliable source.

Steve

[Patrick H.]

Re: Pledge has Carunba Wax?

Maybe if Duke still has a very old can of it.

The "no wax" Pledge has been around for years. I don't even think they make a variety any longer with wax in it; at least there are none on their web site. There are other furniture polishes which still do have wax, however.

Patrick