care of "mousehair" dash

Here's a unique and simple solution to bringing the black color back to your mousehair. It's worked on my Dino for the last 28 years. It took a real leap of faith to do it the first time, but now I use it once about every two years or so. Armorall! The ORIGINAL blend.

1. Gently blow away the dust and dirt with an air hose.
2. Spritz on the Armorall so it's well dampened but not saturated.
3. Use a dark colored (so the lint won't show) soft cloth (flannel is great) to gently rub in and distribute the Armorall.
4. Let it dry.

Take the leap of faith and try it on the inside of the glove box. You'll be amazed. The worse part of this method is cleaning the windsreen when you're done. The new triangular paddles on a stick help solve this problem.

Try it, you'll love it!

Bill

 

Hello Everyone,

I worked on my Dino's dash this weekend and applied the suede dye spray. I also spent some time on the steering wheel with leather dye.

I like the results.


Pietro
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Pietro.

Nice,

Very nice.

Dave

 

Pietro, Now you feel proud huh?
puts my bald eagle to shame!
Graham.

 

I received the mousehair swatch from Superpeformance and it is identicle to Reoriginal's stock. So if you are buying new fabric cost will dictate the supplier. The material is great!

 

Can you share what brand of spray dye you used on your Dino's dash? Also has it held up well to the sun?

 

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This is what I used.
https://www.shoetreemarketplace.com/product-p/100040.htm

 

I’ve re-dyed & restored few Daytona dash “mousehair” covers over the years and all seem to have held up pretty well, the oldest job now 15+ years old and still looks better than it did before the “restoration”.
The most difficult aspect is to keep the white stitching (if/where applicable) getting affected with black/dark gray dye.

While there are several different reproduction materials available, unfortunately none are “exactly” correct, but some appear closer than others.

 

Well..... this is again a topic for an “old timer”..

“Mousehair” dash material-as it’s lovingly referred as: is in reality, a leather backed bacterial that has a “flocked” cotton application which is what gives it its light diffusion/anti glare properties...it’s REAL purpose/function.
The peculiar appearance degrades rapidly due to, principally, two factors: sunlight, and moisture. The “staining which is common, is moisture reacting with the glue used at manufacture/installation in Italy. The fading of color is just reactivi

 

Phones....

Reactivity to UV light...the greater exposure, the more the “graying”...

Moisture is the real enemy here...light too, but the heat from sun cooks the goo flu and as it drys out: stains are then “set”
There is, in truth(IMO), no real way to “fix” this condition short of redoing the dash. It’s like pouring blood on a compound fracture...you aren’t REALLY addressing the root cause of the “disorder”
I have long ago given up on secondary supplied materials as the stuff is made in a bygone era-much as the “mousetrap” valve spring tempering technology...it’s long ago died off...
Tho ONLY way I ever have gotten satisfaction is by using a true leathersmith AND a fabrics(exotic) guy to work in tandem(last roll of OE stuff gotten was in 1981-and it was rotting in the roll!)
Remember it is STILL just, flocked COTTON, and will start to degrade the day it’s made...the dash for the 288 GTO-while better by a considerable margin-still has some similar issues, and hasn’t been available OE/ORIGINAL since 1990s(bought the last bolt).
Custom fab is costly due to rejection rate...
Eventually we got it-but it was costly, but it was worth it( several Spyders)
Finding such practitioners of these trades-still alive-let alone willing, will be...difficult

To get it “right”, I’ve found, is typically costly AND equally arduous tasks....
FWIW

 

The best results I have seen on original mousehair, if in good condition, is shade and DO NOT touch it.
If in bad condition, then all the products above are worth a shot.
Nothing like original mousehair, if you are lucky enough to have it...

Regards, Alberto

 

I agree, nothing like original. I am lucky to have it.
John

 

Use distilled water and dampen the whole area.
Think of this like the kneck tie stain solution - you dampen the whole silk tie then let slowly dry

 

This ^^.

John J said: ↑

Thank you, Ken!
While I'm at it, I'll push my luck, & ask my question here. I recently purchased a 246 Dino with the original mouse hair dash. While in good condition for its age, there are some water stains probably caused by the vent window leaking. Does anyone know how to remove the water stains without damaging the finish? I'm told by Chris Dugan of Dugan Enterprises in Oceanside, CA, who did the PPI on the Dino for me, that the dash is actually flocked vinyl. He is also looking into some solutions as well. According to Chris, the car is worthy of Classiche certification, so I want to keep the original dash yet have it look as pristine as possible. Thanks in advance for any insight on this.
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Might take more than one attempt.
Try to avoid any rubbing/scrubbing, but if you must, try using a very soft bristle brush in a slightly circular motion (while the material is still damp) without applying little to no pressure.

And if you end up replacing it, there are several different "mouse hair" materials on the market, some more authentic than others. Choose accordingly.