Vinyl headrest restoration is now available for all cars.
During the Sixties, when greasy, slicked back hair was in style, headrests were lubricated on a regular basis. Everything from Vaseline, to pomade, to Brylcreme kept the vinyl soft and slippery. But after a quarter century, with hair styles changing (thankfully), and the elements constantly beating up vinyl parts, many headrests are finally showing the scars of battle. Split seams, cracking and warpage are common problems that, up until now, would require searching for a set of decent originals and dying them the correct color.
In sunny southern California there is a company that specializes in the restoration of vinyl parts, Just Dashes. Don’t let the name fool you, they started with dashboards, and because of that restoration experience, now have the technology to restore almost any vinyl interior automotive part. One thing led to another, and now they can restore your original headrests to perfect show quality condition in the original factory color and correct vinyl grain. Using a combination of hand forming and Thermo Vacuum forming, literally destroyed headrests can now be resurrected. Here’s a demonstration of how the process works.
Here is a perfect example of what happens to a vinyl headrest over the years. This GM unit is warped and severely cracked along the bottom bead. Now it’s completely restorable, thanks to today’s restoration technology at Just Dashes.
The original vinyl is heated and reformed back into its original shape. This is necessary for a perfect resto. The vinyl will reassume its shape with the right technique and amount of heat, and be ready for the next step.
Areas that will not respond to reshaping, such as this major crack and warp, are cut away and new material inserted to keep the surface of the headrest level all the way across.
A new second skin of thin but durable material is cut to fit the exterior of the headrest. This preliminary coating will be glued to the original material and form a smooth surface for the foam.
The foam is glued to the headrest and then hand formed to the exact shape. A new bead is installed as on the original. The edges are sanded and the stanchions are covered in tape. Just Dashes uses the correct grain vinyl (same as original) for these headrestorations.
The foam is glued to the headrest and then hand formed to the exact shape. A new bead is installed as on the original. The edges are sanded and the stanchions are covered in tape. Just Dashes uses the correct grain vinyl (same as original) for these headrestorations.
The headrest is now ready for the application of the new vinyl. The surface has been sanded smooth and hand shaped to perfection.
Whoosh! The new material is vacuum formed on the headrests. It will be pulled into every cavity and take the exact form of the original.
Here is a restored GM headrest and an arm rest pad that look like new. Just Dashes can permanently dye your headrests the correct factory color, and unless you’re using acid to slick down your graying locks, the color will last forever.
