What to use on faded vinyl top?
#1
What to use on faded vinyl top?
The ‘69 Toronado I just bought has a part of the vinyl top right above the passenger window that looks great. The rest of it looks a bit faded and chalky. I don’t know why that one section looks so much better. What can I use on the rest of the top to make it look as good?
oIXRrID.jpg
oIXRrID.jpg
Last edited by Jon442; November 30th, 2019 at 09:18 PM.
#3
Harley Davidson makes a product that is very good at reviving black vinyl tops. Don't remember the exact name of the product but it is something like "cleaner and conditioner". It might have the word restorer in the name too. If I find the bottle I will edit my post.
#5
I've often wondered if shoe polish would restore the faded color while helping to weather proof it. I've tried many different things over the years and none of them seem to truly restore the color and end up fading back to grey-ish, especially in the "valleys" of the grain (where it is most difficult to get cleaner / restorer down into). Shoe polish is applied w/ a brush that would get down into the grain better than any terry-cloth type applicator, and the color is not limited to black. Thoughts?
#7
You can use neutral shoe polish if you can't find it in green.
https://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-10114-Neutral-Shoe-Polish/dp/B00KOAD594/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=natural+shoe+polish&qid=1575297117&sr=8-3
First use saddle soap and then apply the shoe polish. The shoe polish can also be removed easily with saddle soap.
https://www.amazon.com/KIWI-Saddle-Soap-3-125-Pack/dp/B00QKH14LQ/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=saddle+soap&qid=1575297201&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVVNQSUNMODdDT1pBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODk4ODM5MU9FRktNR0RaSVUxNiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTQxNTM3WkJaR0syTjJaWjUmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
#11
That would be a consideration, for sure. I'd be pretty bummed if I came out after a day's work sitting in the sun and had black streaks all down the sides of the car.
Its been awhile since I've actually used shoe polish, dad owned a shoe store and it was routine to use shoe polish all the time on our shoes as we were growing up. He retired back in the '80s, and modern shoes aren't built well enough to waste shoe polish on (which is why its been awhile since I've used it). In any case, the polish is applied w/ a cloth (not a brush like I mentioned earlier), and then it is buffed-into the leather w/ a soft brush, which helped work it into any texture or micro-cracks the leather may have, and bought the surface to a nice shine w/ minimal build-up of excess polish.
If a quality polish is used, I think it could last for quite awhile. Other than continuous sun exposure (8+ hours on a summer day sitting at work), my shoes are exposed to much worse "stuff" and abrasion than my vinyl top would ever be. So I'm kind of skeptical of the "fades easily" claim.
Its been awhile since I've actually used shoe polish, dad owned a shoe store and it was routine to use shoe polish all the time on our shoes as we were growing up. He retired back in the '80s, and modern shoes aren't built well enough to waste shoe polish on (which is why its been awhile since I've used it). In any case, the polish is applied w/ a cloth (not a brush like I mentioned earlier), and then it is buffed-into the leather w/ a soft brush, which helped work it into any texture or micro-cracks the leather may have, and bought the surface to a nice shine w/ minimal build-up of excess polish.
If a quality polish is used, I think it could last for quite awhile. Other than continuous sun exposure (8+ hours on a summer day sitting at work), my shoes are exposed to much worse "stuff" and abrasion than my vinyl top would ever be. So I'm kind of skeptical of the "fades easily" claim.
#12
I don't think one would have to worry about the sun melting the shoe polish. After applying the shoe polish with a damp cloth the excess should be buffed off with a horse hair brush. There won't be enough polish left on the vinyl top to melt and streak.
#13
Have any of you guys actually tried shoe polish on a vinyl top to see if it melts or are you just speculating? If there is enough shoe polish left on the top to change the color then there is enough left to melt. I remember when I was in the USAF and spit shined my dress shoes for a parade. The looked like paten leather until stood out in the summer sun in Texas and the polish melted and turned dull. That was in 1967. Maybe they have different shoe polish now.
#14
Jon,
Try the Link below, this is what I did on mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbda...M#action=share
Thanks,
Try the Link below, this is what I did on mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbda...M#action=share
Thanks,
#15
faded top
In the heyday of vinyl tops there were various products to take the fade from the sun away and recolor, turtle wax had a black vinyl top wax that was similar to shoe polish that you put on and used a brush to buff out and lastly a buffing towel that would make it shine, mid 70's to mid 80's Tim
#16
In the heyday of vinyl tops there were various products to take the fade from the sun away and recolor, turtle wax had a black vinyl top wax that was similar to shoe polish that you put on and used a brush to buff out and lastly a buffing towel that would make it shine, mid 70's to mid 80's Tim
Last edited by JohnnyBs68S; December 3rd, 2019 at 04:42 AM.
#23
Well, I feel like a bit of an idiot. The dark spot on the top was a shadow from the garage door opener. Since the rest of my cars do not have vinyl tops, this is the first one to show the shadow. At any rate, I scrubbed the top down with 303 cleaner, then gave it two treatments of 303 Aerospace Protectant. Looks pretty darn good now.
3FyDLkA.jpg
3FyDLkA.jpg
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post