Vinyl Seat Reconditioning?

[Modern Garage]

I've just acquired a 1974 Jensen Healy (...so begins a different saga...) that has been sitting outdoors for ten plus years. The original black vinyl seats are in surprisingly good shape but the upholstery is noticeably hard. I expect that with any regular use they'll be brittle enough to shred near the seams. I've had good experiences with various oils, natural and synthetic, to resoften old leather but has anyone had any success with any chemicals to restore pliability to old vinyl? I know the problem is certain ingredients of the vinyl formulation off-gas, so is there anything in the petrochemical universe that an everyday schmoe can apply to vinyl seats like I apply neatsfoot oil to leather?
I do have a small hole worn in the edge of the driver seat so I know I'll be spending quality time with my sewing machine, but will that be a couple of hours or a couple of weeks to do the whole car?

Joe

P.S. When I searched for vinyl seat reconditioning I found lots of hits for faucet seat repair. That hit me as funny... just my strange sense of humor.

 

[Modern Garage]

I see no one had much to offer on this subject, ubiquitous as it is. I found lots of discussion on vinyl treating on the HAMB site but nothing particularly useful to me. However I did find what I believe to be the surprising answer to my original query.

TLDR: Warmth is your friend, then wash 'em. Then wash 'em again. Then soak 'em in leather cleaner and wash 'em again.

Deets: I've discovered (in my case anyway) that the problem isn't brittle vinyl like I thought, it's a thin layer of dirt on the vinyl that has set up like cement. Before disassembly I left the seats indoors overnight then washed the seats with water, then with detergent and water - twice - each time getting more and more dirty rinse water. I finally thought they were clean so I slathered the upholstery with "Mink Oil" rubbing it in pretty energetically. (The Red Wing Mink Oil labeled "for leather and synthetic leather" didn't list much for ingredients but I'm pretty sure it has some sort of petroleum solvent mixed with the lanoline and wax listed on the can.) After leaving it overnight as directed on the can, I polished the upholstery with an old car wash towel. The towel kept getting darker and darker so I feared I might be stripping black dye from the vinyl, but no, the seats were getting blacker while the towel was becoming a dirty brown. I was wiping off more dirt that the Mink Oil had loosened overnight. After much vigorous toweling the seats were a lustrous black, the towel was destined for the garbage, and the vinyl was noticeably softer. After I sewed in the two panels that needed replacing it's difficult to tell which panels are new vs old.
I'll be curious if anyone else has similar experiences, or if this car was just a one-off.
Joe

 

[mslim]

I've not used any leather specific products on vinyl.

I normally use Murphy's Oil and damp terry towels until the dirt stops coming up or all the soap is gone. Regular 303 protectant is what I finish with. I let it soak in for 10-15 minutes and buff off any excess. I used this treatment on a 50 year old motorcycle seat and ABS panniers, that sat outside under an exterior stairway for an unknown number of years. It looks great but needs to be applied yearly just to keep the vinyl supple.

Congrats on the Jensen Healey!

 

[rharman]

A Google search for "vinyl seat conditioner" turned up a number of products.

Here's one:

Vinyl Conditioner

Bring your ride’s vinyl back to life! Discover the ultimate Vinyl Conditioner from Chemical Guys – restore, protect, and shine with car care made easy.

www.chemicalguys.com

 

[vpd66]

I do upholstery has a side hobby and I've never seen a product like your looking for. Vinyl is nothing more than plastic.Once it gets aged and brittle I've never seen anything that will bring it back. Case in point, I have a 1967 Chevy Malibu. The interior door panels and dash looked great but once I started handling them they cracked from being aged. You can try Armor all, 303 protectant, or the vinyl conditioner recommended but I doubt any of these will restore the vinyl. Sorry

 

[gahrajmahal]

I’ve had luck with Goop hand cleaner. The regular white stuff without any grit.



This photo is from the Imperial Journey thread

 

[vpd66]

Goop only claims to clean the vinyl. I don't see where it claims to soften it. You can give it a try and let us know what it does .

 

[AEAdam]

I think people put things on vinyl like it's leather or their own skin (which its nothing like). "It looks dry so I'll rub it with oil". Murphy's oil soap is mineral oil. People also squirt stuff on vinyl that makes it shiny or look better. Some of these products are harmful to the vinyl.

What you want to search for is the "plasticizer" for vinyl seats. In your case, you need something like a Benzoate ester.

Likewise, people think vinyl "drying out" is a loss of moisture that can be restored by water or humidity. Vinyls degrade by exposure to UV light. Wood is similar. "I want my dining table to not "dry out" so I rub it with oil". If you want your dining table to last, protect it from UV. The oil could be making it worse. Oils don't protect wood or vinyl.

For anyone restoring old cars, there are likely a range of plastics, each with their own plasticizer. The hard nylon black parts for example have a specific plasticizer.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Goop only claims to clean the vinyl. I don't see where it claims to soften it. You can give it a try and let us know what it does .

I mentioned Goop because in the past I have purchased different vinyl cleaners and while they clean somewhat, they also seemed to dissolve the color from the vinyl as white dissolved color would be on the cloth. Once I started using Goop, only dark dirt was on the cloth as I wiped it off. Plus I usually follow it up with a dish wash soap and water rinse to remove even more of the Goop residue. I also use Goop to clean the original vinyl dashboard with similar results. It is black and now 61 years old. After the Goop clean it feels just a little more pliable than before cleaning, and knock on wood, no cracks yet!