Cleaning Mold and Mildew on 65 Newport leather interior in like new condition

[resto]

Hey guys, I have just recently bought a 65 Chrysler Newport 4 door with a numbers matching 2bbl 383/727. The body is in pretty great shape. It was sitting for five years when I got it. The interior is near mint condition from the seats, door panels, and headliner except for mold and mildew spots on the interior. It is pure White interior with black exterior. Still has original paint which isn't too bad. Only bad rust is the passenger front floor pan. Its a sexy four door Mopar. I bought it to turn into a driver because I have two small kids. I usually like to buy and sell/trade, but this car will be an awesome car I can take the family out in. I am not doing a full restoration. My question is, what is the best way to kill the mold inside the car? It is a pure white interior with the original black stitching on the seats. I'm worried that using bleach will be harmful to the 50 year old vinyl. I have heard that using water/vinegar solution and an abrasive brush will kill it followed by a leather cleaner and mold preventing solution. Does anyone have any ideas or tricks they have learned over the years that will work? I am wanting to pull the seats out this week and take off the door panels to kill the mold and clean the dirt. There is two windows that wont roll up, and the previous owner must have let it just sit there with the windows half down letting the rain pour inside. Its the passenger side windows ( makes since why the passenger floor pan needs replaced). People that leave their cars outside to rot just drives me crazy. That is why I am trying to save as many as I can before they all disappear. Thank you eveyone for any and all responses. I really appreciate it. Thanks-Jeremy

 

[66SportFury]

Use a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol to kill the mold/mildew. First thing is to use a mask! Use a shop vac with a the brush attachment to vacuum the interior after you remove the seats to get the loose stuff off. Be a good time to check for the build sheet under the back seat!! Then use the mixture to clean/kill the mold and mildew. Use a soft brush. Leave the seats and other interior parts after you clean them out in the sun to dry. Make sure you check under the seats too and the back sides of the other parts. After drying real good in the sun, treat with a good protectant. It worked great on my car as it was sitting outside for a year and got mold and mildew too. Now it's clean and no smell. If you can, let the interior parts sit outside or in a garage after drying in the sun for a few days before reinstalling. You can also use Febreze on the back side of the seats and let air out.

Cool car. Take some pics after you get it all cleaned up. Looks like a nice car that just needs minor things to get it on the road to cruise with. If you decide to sell it, please post it here on the forum first..!

 

[vdk2010]

I recommend the Tornador Black, again! You can put every liquid in the gun!



I started with clear, hot water to remove the loose stuff, then I used a special cleaner and finally I used pure Isopropyl alcohol. It will smell like a hospital for a while, but this smell goes away quickly!

 

[commando1]

[h=2]Cleaning Mold and Mildew on 65 Newport VINYL interior in like new condition[/h]

There. I fixed it.

 

[66SportFury]

There. I fixed it.

Damn Stan, you crack me up! I was going to say something about that too..;)

 

[resto]

There. I fixed it.

Good fix. It was right in the post. I am almost overloaded in cars right now so I thank you and always value your opinion on the forum.

 

[resto]

Use a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol to kill the mold/mildew. First thing is to use a mask! Use a shop vac with a the brush attachment to vacuum the interior after you remove the seats to get the loose stuff off. Be a good time to check for the build sheet under the back seat!! Then use the mixture to clean/kill the mold and mildew. Use a soft brush. Leave the seats and other interior parts after you clean them out in the sun to dry. Make sure you check under the seats too and the back sides of the other parts. After drying real good in the sun, treat with a good protectant. It worked great on my car as it was sitting outside for a year and got mold and mildew too. Now it's clean and no smell. If you can, let the interior parts sit outside or in a garage after drying in the sun for a few days before reinstalling. You can also use Febreze on the back side of the seats and let air out.
Cool car. Take some pics after you get it all cleaned up. Looks like a nice car that just needs minor things to get it on the road to cruise with. If you decide to sell it, please post it here on the forum first..!

Thanks very much for that. I am going to try that, and I want to try the TornadorClean as well, but the alcohol/water mixture was another way I had heard and it was between that or the vinegar. I am going to try to alcohol. You guys on here are great. The interior and the numbers matching 383/727 are what sold me on this car. These cars look great as four doors. Since most people go after the 2 doors, the 4 doors are disappearing. I want my 4yr old daughter and 2yr old son to have some great memories in the back of this car, but if I do decide to sell, this will be the first place I post. I do hope to find the build sheet behind that drivers seat. It needs a trunk lock, back bumper, some windows on track, and then small things. C-body Bob had everything I needed a month ago, but I haven't had a chance to drive to NC yet. I hate to pay that much shipping for a five hour drive. I will post some after pictures.

 

[patrick66]

Take the seats OUT to clean them!!! Carpeting should be replaced, as mold spores are exceptionally hard to remove from carpet. I'd strongly advise in favor of removing the headliner and the insulation, and replacing it with new. Door panels can be scrubbed with a soft bristle brush and a good tire cleaner such as Tire-Brite; along with warm water and dish soap, and they'll look like new. Just be careful not to soak the door panels, as you can risk damaging the door panel cardboard if you use too much water.

DON'T forget to clean under the dash board, the heater/AC vents/hoses, the glove box, and the defroster vents! You'll be amazed how much microscopic crap is in a moldy car.

 

[resto]

Take the seats OUT to clean them!!! Carpeting should be replaced, as mold spores are exceptionally hard to remove from carpet. I'd strongly advise in favor of removing the headliner and the insulation, and replacing it with new. Door panels can be scrubbed with a soft bristle brush and a good tire cleaner such as Tire-Brite; along with warm water and dish soap, and they'll look like new. Just be careful not to soak the door panels, as you can risk damaging the door panel cardboard if you use too much water.

DON'T forget to clean under the dash board, the heater/AC vents/hoses, the glove box, and the defroster vents! You'll be amazed how much microscopic crap is in a moldy car.

Oh yes. The seats have to come out and the carpet is getting replaced. Yeah, it can hide and grow back in the smallest of places. The Headliner is in the greatest shape of any headliner I have ever seen in an old original car. I was going to take it out and replace all insulation underneath. I was going to clean the headliner because it has the least mold/mildew on it. If I should replace it I will, but that will really be a bummer because it is so perfect in condition. I would call it mint if it weren't for the mold. I don't even see them in as good of shape in new cars. 100% no sagging, no tears, nothing except the mold spots. Should I still replace it?

 

[resto]

There. I fixed it.

Stan, you always make me laugh too. I will also never forget how you took up for me months ago and I am still very grateful.

 

[1970cat]

mine sat in a damp garage for about 20 years so i had the same problems. i used simple green and a tooth brush to clean my car, left the seats in the sun for a few days, no problems. the problems will be the smell from any soft trim items such as carpet and the burlap under the seats. the headliner is a pretty stiff material and should clean the same as the seats. i would avoid the tire cleaner as it might bleach the dark threads. also don't be too aggressive with the tooth brush on the threads as they will probably be in frail condition. even after all of that, i still had a smell i couldn't find. turns out the mold really liked the plastic of the steering wheel. i had take the wheel off and clean the back side to eliminate the smell.

 

[resto]

mine sat in a damp garage for about 20 years so i had the same problems. i used simple green and a tooth brush to clean my car, left the seats in the sun for a few days, no problems. the problems will be the smell from any soft trim items such as carpet and the burlap under the seats. the headliner is a pretty stiff material and should clean the same as the seats. i would avoid the tire cleaner as it might bleach the dark threads. also don't be too aggressive with the tooth brush on the threads as they will probably be in frail condition. even after all of that, i still had a smell i couldn't find. turns out the mold really liked the plastic of the steering wheel. i had take the wheel off and clean the back side to eliminate the smell.

I appreciate that. I was actually going to be going the toothbrush route. I was going to use the alcohol/water mix and a vinegar/water for the smell. I will check the simple green. I am definitely wanting to keep those black trim stitches in great shape. With the gloss black paint it is getting one day, and the white wall tires, the black stitching sets it off. I would like that Tornador Black. That video was impressive but the cheapest package I could find was $168. I want that in the tool box one day.

 

[vdk2010]

The Tornador Black is indeed not cheap, but it's definitely worth its money!

Removed 32 years of mice rape pretty awesome..!

 

[66SportFury]

Oh yes. The seats have to come out and the carpet is getting replaced. Yeah, it can hide and grow back in the smallest of places. The Headliner is in the greatest shape of any headliner I have ever seen in an old original car. I was going to take it out and replace all insulation underneath. I was going to clean the headliner because it has the least mold/mildew on it. If I should replace it I will, but that will really be a bummer because it is so perfect in condition. I would call it mint if it weren't for the mold. I don't even see them in as good of shape in new cars. 100% no sagging, no tears, nothing except the mold spots. Should I still replace it?

If you clean the headliner with the water/alcohol mix,.it should be ok. Also,.if the car is cleaned and it doesn't have any moisture in it, the **** will die anyway. I believe if you clean it really good you won't have any more problems. Is the car going to be in a garage? If so leave the widows down for a while or every chance you have if it's left outside and not raining,..leave the windows down. She'll clean up just fine. The build sheet could be in different spots, but I would check under the rear seat first!

 

[resto]

If you clean the headliner with the water/alcohol mix,.it should be ok. Also,.if the car is cleaned and it doesn't have any moisture in it, the **** will die anyway. I believe if you clean it really good you won't have any more problems. Is the car going to be in a garage? If so leave the widows down for a while or every chance you have if it's left outside and not raining,..leave the windows down. She'll clean up just fine. The build sheet could be in different spots, but I would check under the rear seat first!

Thanks. I open the doors during every sunny day. I just moved to a bigger house with a 3 car garage and a detached 1 car powered garage so she will be in the garage. We are finally nearing the end of the move. I just got my last car a few days ago (A body Full Resto) and they are all going to be garaged. I hope to find that build sheet! Then I need to make trip to NC to see C Body Bob. He has every part I need to put her on the road. Needs little things except the back bumper and shipping that would cost three times the asking price. I'm still looking around here near Atlanta.

VDK2010...that looks amazing! I have to get one!

 

[66SportFury]

What A Body do you have? Can you post some pics please!

 

[resto]

What A Body do you have? Can you post some pics please!

I have a 74 Swinger. She was the right price, came with mint parts and all of them except headliner, mint interior(bucket seats), free baby hemi, and so much more. Don't get me shot on here talking about an a body..lol. I love all Mopars. Which I am sure we all do. Is going to be a 4bbl 440(or Dual Quad, haven't made up my mind yet) 4 speed A833. I have already finished the engine bay and she is on dollys to finish the body work. Perfect body. It has an 8 1/4 rear and I need to get an 8 3/4 or dana. Was also wanting the 18 spline 833 and I missed out on a guy selling one for $400 with a 400 block. That was a sad day. This one is my full resto for my business. I plan on keeping the Newport as a family car/daily driver. I also have a '76 F100.....I know I know its a Ford and I'm sorry, but I like the body style of the truck(and a guy traded it to me for my 89 toyota celica 5 speed liftback), but I hate working on it. It has been a damn headache since I got it. Here are some pictures of the a body as requested. She is in the nearing the middle of the resto process. I have also fixed all floor pans and truck pans, all already painted, with new deck lid and quarter. Brand new deck lid, quarter, mint interior all came with the car. Previous owners didn't cut corners on work or money.

 

[bulldogchesty]

Any pictures of Mopars is okay with me. Nice car.

 

[resto]

Any pictures of Mopars is okay with me. Nice car.

Thanks. I am the same way. The seats in the Newport are being pulled out for cleaning today. I will post some pictures of the clean interior. A previous owner tried changing the Newport to floor shift in a terrible way. This Newport is all original and I want to keep it like that, except I am going to spruce the engine up to get some more ponies. In the Dart, I switched a column shift bench seat to a bucket seats floor shift the right way with the part to replace on steering column. They just took it out of this steering column, so I will need one of those now too. The floor shifter they put it is stuck in neutral so I will find out today if they even hooked it up. It is really cheap...even cheap looking to me. Other people may like it. I will show a picture. I had to re-attach the steering column under the hood when I bought it to get it on the Hauler. I know it is worth the $600 I paid for it.... the engine is worth that at least apparently. Its expensive to buy these big blocks, even the ones that are seized. I need a 400cu or 440. I will take a 440 build up over a 426 Hemi any day on the strip, but the 400 is my favorite motor. Lower deck height and the biggest bore size. Is it the biggest out of all the big blocks? If anyone has a 400 let me know. Im in GA.

 

[66SportFury]

Thanks for posting the pics of your Dart! No one will shoot you here for talkin A Bodies! Car is going to be cool when you get it done. I had a 67 Plymouth Valiant (first car) 170 slant. Me and my Dad rebuilt the entire car and I wish I still had it. I also had 2 72s 318 Darts and a 74 and 75 318 Darts.!! I really like A Bodies. They are cool cars,.then again all Mopar's are cool. My 66 is my first C Body. Love the car. I also had 2 Challengers. 74 Rallye 318 car and a 71 R/T 383. Both I wish I still had. Also had LOL,..72 Charger with a 400! Me and a buddy of mine will be doing a 225 slant build 66 Dart soon. He plans on making the 225 cook. Going to be a cool build and will be in Mopar Muscle Mag. Well, good luck on all your builds and keep us posted on the interior clean up!!