care of "mousehair" dash | FerrariChat

care of "mousehair" dash

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by thecarreaper, Nov 19, 2005.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    hey folks, the old Lamborghini i just purchased has one of these "mousehair" dashes in it... how exactly does one clean and care for this stuff? also, what is it made from??? i know it aint from mice!!! ??? my allergies will never be the same !!! :) car will be delivered on tuesday. i figured there are more fcar owners here with experience than there are Lambo owners in the lambo section. seems many of the older Ferrari's have this material on the dash. in the newer Gulfstream's we have a "ultra suede" that very delicate. my guess this is something simlilar. i am going to be very careful with all of the 30+ year old interior in the car !!! :) .

    any help would be great ... Daytona owners ?????
     
  2. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    First rule: Keep it from being exposed to the sun. Get a windshield shade and use it when you park, always!

    As to cleaning, I've gently brushed the small areas that were remaining on my old mousehair dash, which seems to work ok. I've also dabbed gently at it with a damp cloth. I haven't tried any upholstery cleaners or the like.

    But primarily, the sun is your enemy.

    Good replacement mousehair is hard to find. Most of the stuff available now is thicker, (I'm told) and doesn't look as nice as the original stuff.

    I'm getting my dash recovered as a part of the overhaul I'm currently doing. I managed to get a piece of Ferrari material on ebay that was from 1983 and still in excellent condition, except for the mothball smell, which I'm sure will go away.

    Oh, BTW, nice find, great looking car. Good luck with it.

    DM
     
  3. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    thanks Dave, so it is really made of mousehair ???? great, i get my first lambo and i will be allergic to it ... :)

    by the way pm sent
     
  4. Tspringer

    Tspringer F1 Veteran

    Apr 11, 2002
    6,155
    What Dave says is right on. Of course its not real mousehair..... its a sort of synthetic suede like cloth. Reoriginals sells a good repro.



    Terry
     
  5. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah

    good to know, i have enough allergies. dont need any car related ones !
     
  6. boxerboy

    boxerboy Karting

    Dec 4, 2003
    89
    back in the 80's, I was restoring a '69 type L Dino, had the dash recovered with original "mousehair". When the car was on the road, the gorgeous black material yellowed up within 3 years. I removed the dash, not difficult on the Dino, went to my local shoe store and bought 2 cans of black suede dye in spray cans. Followed the directions, the results looked just like the original, plus it never yellowed again.
     
    Ak Jim likes this.
  7. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    #7 thecarreaper, Nov 19, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

    damn, now thats a cool trick !!! thanks ! the dash in the Lambo doesnt look "too" bad. car wont be here till next week, ill know more then. i just dont want to treat it like the other lesser cars i have had and screw it up !
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  8. John Corbani

    John Corbani Formula 3
    Honorary Owner

    May 5, 2005
    1,153
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Full Name:
    John Corbani
    I have cleaned my Dino's dash with soft water and Murphy's Oil Soap. Had car 19+ years and it gets late afternoon sun most days. Lives in a car-port. Is a daily driver.

    1 teaspoon of soap in a quart of warm water. Use soft sponge, damp but not dripping. Do the whole thing, dont try to spot it. Rinse sponge frequently. Let dry in the shade with windows open.

    Do not rinse. You want to leave a little oil behind; keeps cover and stiching soft. If you use too much oil, it will come out and leave a film on the inside of the windshield when you leave car in sun. THEN you want to rinse just a little.

    Dries to a nice flat finish that lasts 3-4 months. Dash looks as good as the day I bought it.

    John
     
  9. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah

    i would have never thought of that ! thanks for the tip !!! michael
     
  10. V-12 Power

    V-12 Power Rookie

    Jun 1, 2005
    10
    Savannah, GA
    Full Name:
    Jay
    Guys are correct with the Mousehair. Brush it gently in one motion with a dry or SLIGHTLY damp cloth. Do not make circuler motions or any scrubbing motions or you will be very upset with the result. Otu of the Sun and you will be fine.

    V-12 Power RULES!
     
  11. FLYZDINO

    FLYZDINO Karting

    Aug 31, 2005
    71
    for regular care to remove road dust I use a soft natural bristle shoe brush along with a similar paint brush. I have re-dyed the dash ( had faded and had windshield leak water rings) with a black spray for suede leather. came out great has been about a year since and still holding up well.

    Anybody tried Lexol soap?

    have fun
    Zannos
     
  12. 365GTC/4

    365GTC/4 Formula 3

    Apr 7, 2005
    2,287
    Melbourne, Australia
    Full Name:
    John
    I have the same problem with my mouse hair. It is in great condition ie the fur is still fine, but it is just sun faded and has water stains. Is that spray for suede shoes? Also did you use the spray direct onto the mouse hair or did you spray it first onto a cloth and then rub it in? The reason for asking is if you use the spray can on the dash in-situ, how did you stop spray particles landing on the seat leather etc etc. Did you mask and cover everything?
    Thanks
    John
     
  13. Drew Altemara

    Drew Altemara Formula 3

    Feb 11, 2002
    1,504
    Tuscaloosa, AL
    Full Name:
    Drew Altemara
    I just redyed the dash on my Daytona using a spray dye called simplyspray. The mouse fur was on the dash was in good shape but the sun had turned it brown. I masked off the dash instruments, windshield, removed a lot of parts, etc. Took a lot of time. I sprayed it directly on the dash. You have to mask everything with newspaper. The main time is however masking against the windshield. The results were perfect. This product is a spray dye for fabrics that resists UV's and can actually be washed. I thought that may make it more water stain resistant. It took me half a dozen cans as they are small. Here is their web site:

    www.simplyspray.com

    Drew Altemara
     
  14. FLYZDINO

    FLYZDINO Karting

    Aug 31, 2005
    71
    I have the same problem with my mouse hair. It is in great condition ie the fur is still fine, but it is just sun faded and has water stains. Is that spray for suede shoes?

    -spray from shoe repair store

    Also did you use the spray direct onto the mouse hair or did you spray it first onto a cloth and then rub it in?

    -sprayed directly, blends well

    The reason for asking is if you use the spray can on the dash in-situ, how did you stop spray particles landing on the seat leather etc etc. Did you mask and cover everything?

    -cover, tape or use a piece of cardboard as you are spraying to block overspray, spend alot of time in the prep and tape.

    -overspray comes off pretty easy from on porous surfaces, however.



    Good luck,
    Zannos
     
  15. racerboy9

    racerboy9 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 3, 2003
    2,499
    I used VHT fabric spray (black) on my faded dash and couldn't tell the redo from the original.
     
  16. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah

    any "greasy" leather spray will keep the dye from sticking to the leather and door panels. to be safe though, i would just drape 32 gallon trash bags on the seats and tape them over the console and door panels.
     
  17. ENZOSON

    ENZOSON Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2004
    659
    Erie, Colorado
    Full Name:
    PIETRO
  18. pauls

    pauls Formula Junior

    Apr 25, 2004
    524
    If all you need to do is "dust", I use the same sticky lint remover I use on my business suit. It comes in a roll that has a slightly sticky surface. You roll it over the dash and all the dust, etc sticks to the roll. Go to any fine men’s clothing store and pick one up. They are cheap. In the hard to get areas I will use 1" masking tape, make a circle on itself, put it around two fingers and roll it along the mouse hair.
     
  19. nerodino

    nerodino Formula 3
    BANNED

    May 19, 2005
    1,161
    Suffolk UK
    Full Name:
    Graham
    Hi All,
    My car is currently in an awful lot of bits whilst undergoing a "more than expected,i should have known better" rebuild, thing is the dash is in exceptional condition apart from the fact it's BALD. I guess as i've come this far i had better have it reupholstered, i see that Superformance sell it @ £65.00 per/mt. Has any body used it from them and can recommend it's authenticity/quality?
    p.s. Part of me tends to think along the lines of the fact that as iv'e gotten older and lost a bit of hair ,then why should'nt the car?
    Thanks in advance for any help/advice,
    Graham.
     
  20. FLYZDINO

    FLYZDINO Karting

    Aug 31, 2005
    71
    My dash has certain plateaus that are thinning, actually more of a worn in look. I like it! Its not a new car. Well kept and new are different. No fading or water rings ( thanks to suede spray ), but a few crows feet lets me know she's real and not Memorex. Its all personal preference.

    Z
     
  21. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    mine is not perfect either, and its an old , early early vin Lambo. i see no reason to mess with it. i would focus on safety and reliability issues and cosmetics last. drive em guys!!!!
     
  22. pauls

    pauls Formula Junior

    Apr 25, 2004
    524
    I am not aware of Superpeformance. If you want to send me their email address and I'll try to get a swatch. I can compare it to the newly recovered Reoriginals material on my dash. So far the closest mousehair to original material comes from Reoriginals. Watch out...it's expensive.
     
  23. pauls

    pauls Formula Junior

    Apr 25, 2004
    524
    I asked for a swatch. Will let you know.
     
  24. nerodino

    nerodino Formula 3
    BANNED

    May 19, 2005
    1,161
    Suffolk UK
    Full Name:
    Graham
    To Pauls thanks for that , also the man above me better known as DM and stuff (Dave)has also kindly given me a good lead on some.
    Superformance is just outside London and roughly 5 miles from my place of work so therefore i could call in and get a swatch, but then i,ve nothing to compare it to ,so i'll shut up and wait to hear from you!
    Kindest Regards,
    Graham.
     

Share This Page