The last time I had Pearl out on a turnpike I noticed that the vinyl dash cover was starting to lift a bit when I got up to speed. It seems that I have some air coming in under the bottom windshield trim bracket and it is blowing the dash cover up. OK, fine......
The other night I decided to fix it and managed to peel the vinyl back from the bottom rubber windshield gasket, got some adhesive on it and smoothed it back to all of the area that was loose. I have a tonneau stud about half way between the center strut and the door break, so I took out the stud. Surprise! It was a through-hole with a nut on the bottom. Then I used a small, pointed hook and found that I could pry up the vinyl all around that hole. If I could only get the spray nozzle of the upholstery adhesive in there I would be all set. What to do?
I messed with the spray can nozzle and found that I could remove it. OK, NOW what? I looked all around the shop for a piece of tubing that would be a press fit into that nozzle hole and finally stumbled onto a discarded piece of the wire insulator in a piece of "Romex" wire used to wire a house. VOILA! Found a 12" piece of Romex and pulled the insulation off of one of the conductors, stuffed it in there and, by gosh, I had me a long-range nozzle extension.
So I shook the can, carefully pushed the tube into the hole in the vinyl and continued to push until the far end of the tube was about where the vinyl was un-stuck from the dash, then pushed the nozzle button and let her rip, going by the creedo "more is never enough".
Woooooosh, went the can and I could see the vinyl swelling from its new-found, subterranean stickum inside. It started to look like lipo-suction in reverse. "WOW! This is really gonna work!
So I did the same as before and pushed the glue around under the vinyl, but the vinyl was getting sticky from the sweat on my hands so I ran to the kitchen for some wax paper and used that between me and the vinyl. It was shortly after I got back with the wax paper that I noticed that, perhaps because of the 1/4 cup (estimated) of glue I had shot in there that the vinyl was reacting to it and beginning to look like, well.......have you ever seen the skin on the neck of an old lady? That kind-of turkey-looking skin, all wrinkly and stuff? Like on your old aunt Gertrude?? Yup, that's the look. The friggin glue was beginning to affect the vinyl chemically, turning it into turkey skin, right before my eyes.
HOLY CARP!
So now I'm smoothing things more and faster than ever, trying to spread the glue even farther and melt the vinyl even less and the wax paper is almost melting from the friction and I'm sweating more and more and the vinyl is still melting and looking more like turkey skin and what the heck am I gonna do????????
Finally, I decide that I can't do any more damage than I've done and it's just gonna be what it's gonna be so I walk away and leave it for while. When I return a while later it's still wrinkled but I don't think maybe it's quite as bad (or maybe I just WANT to believe that) so I smooth it a little more with the wax-paper barrier and decide to put the stud back in. It was then that I spied the splash of adhesive that leaked through the stud hole onto my carpet. Nuts. So I get out my can of carburetor cleaner, spray a little on a rag and rub the carpet to remove the adhesive. Believe it or not, this stuff works on all sorts of things and upholstery adhesive is one of them, but so is the dye in the carpet so you have to be really careful to get in there, get the glue and get out. Really fast. I did and the glue's now gone from the carpet and the carpet looks as good as before. Whew. At least I won a little something, but my dash cover still looks like turkey skin. Knowing I couldn't screw it up any more than I already had, I decided to slunk off to bed, even though it was only 9:30pm or so.
I went out early the next morning to see how much damage the glue had caused to the vinyl, expecting a big melted mass where my dash cover once was and stopped short just beside the driver's door. I was shocked....... 
When the glue dried and leached out of the vinyl, the vinyl returned almost to its original texture. I can see where the texture changes, but it is hard for even me to easily see it. I couldn't believe it - the damn thing healed itself.
HOLY MOLY!!!!
And let me tell ya....That vinyl is REALLY glued down this time!
P.S.: I'm a professional. Don't do this at home......
Gordon
The Speedstah Guy from Grafton
