OEM crack free dash-maintenance

[IdahoKidd]

I stumbled into a crack free oem dash for my 72. It has been in the car and in a garage all of its non-driving live (43K miles). I don't know what, if any, care it has had previously. I am terrified if I park the car in the sun one afternoon at a show and shine event, it is going to crack. What do I put on it? Armorall? Something better? Any thoughts?

Edited September 30, 2010 by IdahoKidd
added pic

[GreenZZZ]

My thougts are: No matter what, you are dealing with plastic that was pored 40 years ago and it is probably 25 years past its life expectancy. It will crack.

Red with white interior car? Looks nice!

[pwd]

At the time these dashes were manufactured, PVC sheet could not be used due to its stiffness, so "plasticizers" were added to the PVC compound prior to extruding to make it more flexible. Adding enough plasticizer resulted in Naugahyde for furniture. The plasticizers, unfortunately, outgas from the material over time and at elevated temperature, causing it to become brittle and subject to cracking. UV damage also plays a role, though I'm not sure how much. Modern automotive interior components no longer use this PVC material, and tend to last much, much longer.

While there are many products on the market claiming to restore plasticizers, that simply can't happen. Many products are silicone based and provide a longer lasting shine. However, adding shine won't help stop plasticizer outgassing.

[pbarcher]

I've owned my 73 since new, and the dash is perfect. Armorall gets the credit.

[EScanlon]

And to those who used and due to circumstances STOPPED using armor all for a short period of time.... cracks galore. Ruined one dash of mine and also others that I know of.

This discussion has been argued before sometimes to vitriolic content.

Those who use it religiously AND don't miss any applications (hence the addicted to heroin similé) report that "everything's fine" and that they have no problems. I'm willing to bet that their dashes are NOT regularly exposed to the sun's UV rays, and that they shudder at the thought of missing a "fix", for fear of the dash cracking, but.... you can see where my thoughts lie.

I personally like the new 302 Protectant being sold. Although it's a relatively new product, friends who have hot-tubs outdoors and have been using it for years report that it has worked well for them for YEARS. To me that's a good endorsement.

Then again, I use a dash cover other than at shows, simply to ensure that my dash lasts as long as possible.

But, the thought that it IS 40 year old plastic technology is a very sobering one. Find the best product you can afford and use it regularly.

A note regarding the silicone oil technology. I've read that the original formulation for Armor All and other silicone oil based protectants used a variation of the silicone oil that would bond to the plasticizers in the plastic, and that when the silicone oil would leach out / evaporate / gas out, it would further extract those plasticizers it had bonded to. This was the biggest reason that at one company I worked for, that sold PVC Strip Curtains that we would specifically discourage the use of Armor All on the clear PVC. The biggest reason was that it left the PVC cloudy and could cause a traffic hazard, but also because it aged the PVC faster and warranty issues came into play.

My 2¢

E

[pwd]

I've owned my 73 since new, and the dash is perfect. Armorall gets the credit.

From Wikipedia: "According to the patent literature, ArmorAll typically contains water, PDMS, diethylene glycol, glycerin, and various other chemical compounds."

Glycerin is known to soften natural (gum) rubber, which is probably why it got put in there when it was invented in the 70s. The original company was sold and the product may have gone through many "reformulations" since.

Would you care to "tempt fate" and press your thumb down hard on the top of your dash between the Tach and Temp Gauge to see how flexible it remains? I have a couple of old dashes, from Texas 240Z's and the vinyl is still flexible in the front and sides, but very brittle on the top. It cracks with little effort. Don't get me wrong, I'd be very interested to know how long you've used ArmorAll and if your car has been garaged most of the time, etc. If you search the Internet you'll see a raging debate going on about the effectiveness of these "protectants". More data is always good. Thanks.

[cygnusx1]

Many people scoff at my dash toupee but I think it keeps the two biggest crack promoters off the dash; the sun and the heat.

I apply some Vaseline and then install the dash carpets. It keeps the glare off the windshield as well. Of course, parking them indoors is a big plus also. You can always remove the toupee for shows.

[Marty Rogan]

Whenever I have to park my cars in the sun, I place a white cotton towel over it to protect it.

As far as protectants go, I use Vaseline. It is a petroleum based product, just like vinyl.

When I got my yellow car, the dash was uncracked but kind of getting hard. I used Vaseline on it a couple of times per year and kept it covered with the towel while in the sun. After 7 years, there still were no cracks and the material actually softened up quite a bit. And it is a very inexpensive product too!

Take it as you will, but that is what has worked for me.

Marty

[Z Speed]

I have a perfect dash in my car. Granted the car hasn't really seen sunlight in many many many years, but I also haven't treated it with anything in about 5-6-7 years. The dash is still soft to the touch and shows no signs of cracking. I will be treating it with Vaseline once I unstack the boxes around it and take the car cover off....

The best thing for the car is keeping it out of sunlight/UV/heat as much as you can....

Scott-

[bobc]

I think the prior poster meant 303, not 302. Here's the link:

http://www.303products.com/

I use it on my dash and it seems to work well. I also always have on a dash cover, even at shows. If a judge or someone wants to see my dash, I just take it off, but other than that it's always covered.

Bob

Edited October 1, 2010 by bobc

[Maples71240Z]

I bought a Blazer new in 1978 and used WD40 as a cleaner and protectant from day-1. To this day the dash is still perfect and this vehicle has never been parked inside. I have never seen a un-cracked dash in one of these old Blazer/GMC trucks or pickups.

It's too late for my 240Z because the dash cracked years before I got it.

Dave.

[Bonzi Lon]

This happened to me about a year ago. I'm still sick about it. No Armor All at all.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36800&highlight=dash+cracked

Bonzi Lon