Vinyl dash restoration

[turbokinetic]

My 1984 Century project car has been in the sun for a while and the dash pad feels sunburned on the top surface. The vinyl there has a slightly off-color and is a little more brittle than the other surfaces.
There is a tiny split coming from a defroster vent. It is barely noticable, maybe 1/8" long.
First; what have you guys had good luck with for a vinyl repair? I have seen kits that claim to repair cracked vinyl dash caps by filling in with a compound that sets up like the original vinyl. Anyway today I drilled a tiny hole at the end of the crack to hopefully prevent it from spreading.
For the rest of the dash what treatment will help restore the vinyl and prevent further cracking in other areas? It's getting hard to find brown dash in the junkyards. Seems blue and tan are the most common in this region. I would rather preserve this one if possible.
What is amazing is, the interior in my T-Type is from a 1983 model car, and it is still perfect! No shrinking, de-bonding or cracking.
Thanks in advance,
David

[LordDurock]

i have no idea but i know mien used to be burgndy and now is black

[turbokinetic]

That's what is happening to mine (turning black). I'm going to try some different cleaners on it in a hard-to-see area. If anything restores the color, I'll let you know.
Also, is there any way to repair "gaps" in the steering wheel? My T-Type has a soft wheel and it is still fine. The 84 has the standard wheel and there is one 1/4" gap in the plastic grip.
I have thought about filling it in with Bondo-Hair fiberglass resin and repainting the wheel.

[LordDurock]

no idea i dont the samething happing i was just going to buy a wheel form the yard

[turbokinetic]

I've got nothing to loose so I'll try the fiberglass on the wheel. It will not be soon though.
I've got to go on a service call tomorrow, it is a 4 hour ride from home. May be on the road a few days.
Then, my turbocharger repair parts will be here tomorrow (according to UPS tracking) so when I get home, I will concentrate on getting the turbo and engine re-assembled, and the rest of the turbo system fabricated.
The car is in a friend's barn up on stands and I don't want to feel like I am taking advantage of him.
Once I get the engine running I can pull the car in and out of the barn as needed, without leaving it "camped out" in the way of his projects.
Anyway when I try to repair the steering wheel I'll take pictures and show all what I try and the results it give.
I'm sure the plastic chrome strip in the wheel grip will have to be removed but I can live without that or find a way to re-create it.

[88 Coupe]

I've never tried a repair, but my 85 Escort was splitting up pretty bad before I junked it.
Whatever you end up doing, to preserve it I recommend getting a $4 window shade for the windshield. One with a picture of sunglasses would be nice and old school to match the vintage of the car.

[LordDurock]

the vindow shade sounds like a good idea i have on crack right down the center of my dash. (but it the least for my cosmetic problems. :D