Petrified, powdered seat foam in a desert car. '55 Olds Ninety Eight that I'm building into a driver. No rust, though.
A couple of inches of new foam will improve the ride quality immensely.

 

That's exactly what I found when I reupholstered my 56 Super 88 last year. Nasty stuff.

 

So, who is the blonde cutie in your avatar pic?

 

It was nasty. It was all over the garage like snow by the end of the job.

 

The blonde cutie is the wifey. She would be thrilled to read this.
She's only about a decade younger than the car.
Exercise and ballroom dancing keeps her fit. Hence the dress, too.
Yes, I am a lucky dude.


Thanks.

 

Either heat from the desert did that, or the previous owner ate a LOT of chili.

 

That's the tradeoff you get when you get a desert southwest car.
The rubber and upholstery turn to rock or dust, but the sheetmetal doesn't rust .

 

What Charlie said. My Super 88 spent most of it's life in Amarillo Texas and Needles California. You could put your finger through the upholstery and headliner and as mentioned, the foam rubber turned to dust at the touch. However, I have yet to find a screw or nut or bolt that I cannot easily remove- no rust. Amazingly, the padded dash looks brand new, not a crack in it.