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Leather, rubber and vinyl compounds are very different , as stated earlier. There are three things going on in your vinyl skin. Most flexible vinyl skins intended for thermo forming are alloyed with something like ABS. ABS embrittles on aging. The vinyl backbone degrades. The compound loses plasticizer and gets harder. You’re not going to do anything about the first two. You may be able to get some réabsorption of plasticizer but be careful because it will not be well bound and come out again and make a sticky surface. Your various empirical applications are trying to do this

Thanks. We'll find out... it's out of a spare dash thankfully.

I'd be surprised if it gets very supple unless one of the products has some kind of labeled plasticizer. Once you treat it some gentle heat might also help. Been my experience with the old vinyl from desert southwest cars that spent a lot of time in the hot sun that if the vinyl is dry it is also brittle and will most likely tear and crack if you pull or even sneeze too hard. Maybe the humidity in other parts will help that situation but still would't tempt fate too much.

Spud

I was able to heat my dad's

But , if the 55 dash top is bolted like the 56 or. Take it off.

Easier to deal with .. then vinyl spray paint.

The 56 exc. Is stapled

A coworker did auto upholstery. I gave him my dash vinyl and he sewed me up cover.

Gotta use stretchy vinyl.. Naugahyde..

Thanks Riki. Will keep that in mind.

Coming soon to the 400:

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Ok, so even assuming the dash is out, how do I get those chrome rings on? The little holding tabs are pretty brittle. Any better ideas than to wedge a screwdriver in there and try to bend out some new tabs?

Polished up the tail lights today. 🤩

Am I installing this tail light weatherstrip correctly? I also need to rivet on the lower gasket, I know.

One of my better housings is missing the wiring (socket is intact) so I will need to buy another. You can buy just the insert without the socket.

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Those cleaned up nicely. What did you do to them?

That's how the gasket looks on mine, for what it's worth. Mine have for sure been removed in the past.

Paint the lines in with a Fourney paint marker, then steel wool the whole thing to polish it and also remove the paint overcoat automatically. The result is actually better than factory, as they used a thinner tip marker but the lines therefore aren't as perfect. Probably will want to wait overnight unless you want steel wool flecks to stick in the paint and that will eventually rust. Video below.

Emblems just Dupli-Color Gold spray paint. Use a couple of LIGHT passes at two angles. Follow the instructions on the can. Most people hold the can too close and it gets runny. To get them out just tap them out from the back with alternating moderate hits with something. I used the end of the handle of my adjustable wrench, which is probably about the least elegant thing that would work. The push nuts on there are so chintzy that they are almost impossible to remove without destroying them; just shoving the studs straight past them as mentioned, seems to be just as well. I plan to use some putty on them to hold them in place instead of the push nuts again.

Update on the vinyl, it seems to be significantly better now with no downsides. I think I'll stick yet another coat on and see what happens.

P.S. I forgot the gaskets are actually shown on the part plate. Like, the one time...