How to soften 1983 k5 blazer original vinyl seats

[DnS421]

Hey guys, I’m in the process of getting my uncles old 1883 k5 blazer back on the road and the truck has the original blue vinyl seats and they are absolutely perfect like new, however they are very dry and have no playability left. Getting in and out of the truck to start it up while working on it is starting to make the seams separate a little so I was wondering how to bring back some of the playability on these seats? Any tips or tricks or good products to use?

 

[Grit dog]

Sorry to tell you. You can’t reverse dry rot. If the seats are that nice, a set of new replica seat covers is not a ton of money.

 

[bucket]

Cold weather plays a roll too. The vinyl seat in my '79 has a bunch of cracks and splits on the driver's side. When it gets real cold, all those little broken spots in the vinyl can be like razor blades and the seat vinyl itself is stiff. But in the summer time, it's soft as a baby's bottom and the cracked spots are just a minor inconvenience.

 

[Magna86]

You can wipe them down with baby oil or mineral oil/Murphys Oil Soap/Leather Softener/Conditioner or if you have some available saddle soap. Clean the seats first then rub the seats down and let them soak in the product. Then wipe off the excess. Wont be a miracle for tired seats but will make them more soft and smoother to hopefully stop you from splitting seams.

 

[Camar068]

coconut oil and/or all the above products

 

[Backfoot100]

I did a search for this exact thing a few months ago and the hands down, best reviews I could find was something called Leather Honey. There's a cleaner and a conditioner. I bought some to try out and I gotta say, the stuff is amazing. Directions say you can use it on vinyl, plastic, rubber too. I used it on the seats, door panels, dash and steering wheel of my '01 Regal and I was impressed.