A Radical Idea? Or An Old Standard?

I'm opening my self up for lots of comments on this one.
The top on my '75 TR6 is the original. In general it is in excellent shape. It's shrunken a little on the sides so the velcro doesn't do it's job, the windows need to be cleaned. Neither of these are real issues. The problem was the color had become more gray than black in some areas. Plus there were dark spots in the gray.
I tried several cleaners and some "Revitalizers, Rejuvinators" but none really worked. Years ago I used something called tire black, or something similar, on my tires and top. As I recall it was an awful lot like shoe polish. Everything now days seems to be like Armorall, greasy and too shiny.
Last weekend I took the plunge and put a coat of black Kiwi Shoe Polish on my top. It looks great. In fact I followed up with another coat last night. I let it dry and buffed it with a soft cloth. Nothing has come off on my car cover, the color is uniform and black and there is not too much shine. It not as shiny as the old Amco replacement tops of yesteryear.
Has anyone else ever done this? I'll keep you posted on the long term results. For now I'm happy (maybe a happy idiot?)
Some of you may remember that I use Pledge furniture polish on my dash top and crash pads. It works great. I'm working on something to clean the reflective strip.

Maybe you should try Grecian Formula.

Yo Bob!!

I have used the Kiwi line of shoe polish quite
successfully. I installed green and cream colored
marble mosaic countertops in our kitchen and needed
a decent finishing product.

After much experimentation, I tried Kiwi neutral shoe
polish. Fantastic!! 8 coats hand laid and buffed.
After 6 years and 2 per year new coats, it is still
a work of art.

d

Ok, lets see. You could replace your top for some ungodly anount of money which, if you are like me, you don't have or buy a can of shoe polish every so often and spend a little "quality time" with the 6. Boy, that's a tough one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Old car detailers trick from the dawning of time. Used on tires, rubber trim, etc. Works well on shoes too, or so I hear. Have my doubts about that one though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If you ever happen to run across a product called "Black Again" I'd suggest picking it up. That's taken previously white trim and returned it to the original black. Even trim that I've bleached with halogenated solvents recovered with it.

Another old world trick, motor oil. You've already noticed how shiny faded old paint looks from your greasy hands. Take an oily rag and wipe the car down. It'll look remarkable for a week or so.

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Another old world trick, motor oil. You've already noticed how shiny faded old paint looks from your greasy hands. Take an oily rag and wipe the car down. It'll look remarkable for a week or so.

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I've used that one more than a few times...Great old trick...Armoral works pretty well also....Especially the new Armoral tire gel stuff.

NAPA sells a vinal( I know thats not how its spelled but its early, vinal dye in a spray can that actually melts into the top, you might try that

After tape-ing off the white piping on my original rear seat I sprayed out the NAPA burgendy vinyl dye and it actually came out really good. The PO put a Michelin tire on the rear seat and there it sat for ten years. No matter what I tried I could not get the Michelin lettering or black stain off the vinyl. This NAPA vinyl dye stuff covered it great. Comes in a 12 oz. spray can. Recommend light coats to build up a finish coat. Practice on a piece of cardboard to see what it takes to make it run.

I wonder if the KIWI black will eventually soak thru the vinyl and start to appear on the inside canvas of the roof ...

" It'll look remarkable for a week or so"
I also waxed the car with Zymol last weekend. It looks better than anything I've used for quite a few years. The label says it's all natural and contains a couple of oils. I remember using carnuba paste wax on my first car, a '69 MGB. It was a faded dark blue. The oil in the wax made it look great for a couple of days. After a week the oil had evaporated and the fade was obvious. I was young and still paying for the car ($1250 in '72). I couldn't afford new paint so I waxed it every week for most of the summer. Eventually I saved enough to get a full repaint ($125).
I winder how long the Zymol shine will last.

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I winder how long the Zymol shine will last.

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Zymol is all I ever use. Best darn wax on the market as far as I am concerned.

Bill

I use Zymol on my indoor cars....It will last a long while on a car that isn't exposed to the elements....But for cars that have to sit outside, or are driven daily I like Nu finish...It lasts usually about 3 months or more before it loses it's gleam.