Engine Turned Dash Restoration

Anybody have any luck cleaning an engine turned dash (70's GM style) without diminishing the swirls?

I had some problems removing a yellow hue that covered a good portion of my dash. I'm assuming that the yellowing came from the previous owner's attempt to clean it. I used a gun cleaner (one of those new biodegradable Hoppes formulas) and it did a great job of removing the yellowing. However, there seemed to be a "dirty" residue that would not come off. I eventually used some metal polish which did not seem to do a good job removing the residue. I then tried a bit of plastic polish as I wondered if there was a clear laminate over the engine turning. Well... the plastic polish really cleared up the residue (a lot of dark came off on the rag I was using), but then I noticed that the swirls were beginning to diminish. (No plastic laminate, I guess) My assumption is that the plastic polish was more aggressive than the metal polish.

I'm going to stop trying to fix things as I'm obviously making things worse... but I can't find any references to cleaning/restoring this material on the net. The answer may be that the "dirty" residue is just part of the pattern (this material looks different depending on what angle/lighting you're looking at it)

Any input on the subject would be appreciated. I'm hoping that when I re-assemble the dash my "cleaning" is not apparent.

 

How 'bout now? Anybody?

Awww... poop.

 

OK, I dont know if this will help you at all but I have a 1957 Buick that has an "engine turned" dash insert. They are notorious for being in bad shape after 51 years. All the ones I have seen are either yellowed or pimpled. It seems to have a plastic coating over the turned aluminum that just does not stand up over time. And if you polish them, even gently, the turned design just disappears. Due to the concave and uneven contours returning them was out of the question so I bought a sheet of engine turned vinyl, off ebay, and just covered the dash insert with the vinyl. Well it looks almost stock after I sprayed some matt fixative over it. They sell a large variety of designs including several carbon fiber designs. I would suggest doing it when its warm as the vinyl is easier to work with.

Good Luck, John Z :TU:

 

You need to direct a question to some of the Riviera peple directly ... like Rivman, etc. I'm sure they will help.

 

Try performanceyears.com...

Ponchos had those for years.

 

That's pretty much what I've encountered......:rant:

 

Thanks for the feedback. I guess the answer is kinda obvious... I just can't believe how hard the piece was to clean and how easy the swirls were diminished with plastic polish.

I was able to get a replacemnt on ebay. However, the dash was for a non-air car and doesn't include a slot for -the vent control (what 72 Riviera was ordered without air conditioning?!?! over $5,000 and no air? oyou: no wonder the part was available)

I can probably cut a slot into it... but, on the other hand, the original isn't all that bad...