Your antique car or truck is a treasure. A treasured possession of history, class, and performance of bygone days. While you can never go back in time, you want to do all you can to preserve the aura and the dignity of antique cars and trucks. Detailing or cleaning and preserving them as close to their original state as possible, is the owner's dream.
Care should be taken in every step of the restoration process to ensure all original materials are treated only with products designed not to have a negative effect on the material's future quality and durability.
One especially delicate area is the interior of your antique. Whether the seats are plastic, cloth, or leather, they must be treated with care to ensure pliability so as not to occur future damage. The cleaning products used must be chosen with care. Today's technology offers many excellent solutions to the dilemma of cleaning without incurring damage to these aged materials.
Selecting products that clean and protect in one step saves you time and insures your interior has constant protection. Again, it is important to choose products that won't damage the interior's materials with repeated use. You may want to consider these types of cleaners for seats, dashboards, and rubber moldings found in the interior of your vehicle. Note that any form of abrasive cleaner, no matter how miniscule the abrasiveness, with repeated use, will begin to deteriorate the surface being cleaned.
It is not unusual to have one specific stain in the interior of a classic car or truck that seems almost impossible to remove without damaging the area. Again, be cautious not to use abrasive cleaners. Remember the interior of your antique car or truck has weathered many years. The materials have become worn, and are fragile simply by time. A spot remover designed to remove the stain without harsh chemicals is most likely your best solution. Proceed slowly and repeat the process gently if necessary to completely remove the stain. One or more treatments may be necessary for extremely stubborn stains. Harsh scrubbing and rubbing will only damage the material. Let the cleaner do the work.
Once you have completed the restoration process and your antique car or truck is in tip-top condition, you want to make sure you do everything you can to protect it and your investment in it. The restoration process most likely took time, effort, and money. Now you want to make sure your vehicle remains in good shape.
At this point, it is very important to store the vehicle in a climate-controlled environment. Extreme heat, cold, and moisture should be avoided if possible. Whenever the vehicle is taken out for show, or a drive, you should make sure to properly clean it whenever you are done. All that really should be necessary concerning cleaning and protection will be light maintenance. A good wipe down with a chamois cloth will most likely do the trick. Chamois cloths are excellent to absorb moisture, clean dust and grime, and polish the surface.
Your antique car or truck has survived many years. A true display of elegance. A few simple steps will keep it looking great for years to come.
