Is Vick Nuts for Taking on This Restoration?

Vick seems to have an affinity for old Nike SB Dunks, which can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it’s impressive to watch him rework and restore super rare and old Nike SB Dunks, but on the other hand… it’s a TON of work.

If there’s anything we know about Vick, he loves a good challenge…perhaps that’s why he picked the 2003 'Buck' Nike SB Dunk to perform his newest restoration on. As with any Dunk this old, it will require a full sole reglue. Why do nice things always have to be so hard? 

In mint condition, a pair of the Buck Nike SB Dunk  is fetching around $1500 on the resale market, and while we’re not going to be selling this pair it’d be cool if Vick could make them look brand new again. 

Do you think he can pull it off? Let’s knock 20 years off of this Dunk! 

Nike Dunk Deconstruction

Now comes the fun part…deconstructing the shoe. It has always looked really fun to just take a shoe apart piece by piece. Who doesn’t love a little destruction? Could be a good way to relieve some pent-up frustration from taking all of those L’s on SNKRS.

Too soon? 

Vick removed the shoelaces and insole, and then cut away at the stitching until the Dunk fell apart. The glue on this Buck Nike SB Dunk is so old that it has lost all of its grab…the stitching around the midsole was the only thing keeping the shoe together. 

Saving Soles 

The thing about taking a shoe completely apart is that it makes the cleaning process a whole lot simpler. Vick used the Sneaker Cleaning Solution and the Brass Bristle Brush to scrub down the sole as a precursor to applying RESHOEVN8R Sole Reive. The Cleaning Solution removed the dirt, but only Sole Revive will remove the yellowing and oxidation from the sole. 

Vick applied the Sole Reive to the entire sole and wrapped it in Saran Wrap before sending it off to the Vick 2000 to catch some UV rays. Yes, the rumors are true: we’re giving away a Vick 2000 indoor UV setup. Make sure you secure your entry NOW while the giveaway is still OPEN! Enter to win your own Vick 200 HERE. 

While over at the RESHOEVN8R Online Cleaning Service station, Vick borrowed their air compressor and vacuum to remove a bunch of pet hair and gunk from the insides of the Dunk. 

Now you know Vick’s biggest pet peeve…hair in his sneakers!

Vick successfully removed all of the pet hair, so now we can start cleaning the uppers with Sneaker Cleaning Solution and the Soft Bristle Brush. After hammering the uppers with the Brush and Solution, we need to prep the shoes for new glue.

Shoe Reglue

Vick removed the old glue on the uppers with an exacto knife, and then used acetone and cotton balls to remove any remaining glue on the sole and midsole. 

Time to put the shoe back together. Vick applied Barge Superstik Glue to each piece of the shoe, and left them to cure for a few hours. Then he bonded them together piece by piece with the heat gun, being extra careful to get the alignment just right. 

While Vick made it look pretty easy, he’s been doing this for a while, so make sure you take your time if you try to tackle a full shoe reglue on your own. Didn’t I tell you these old Dunks can be hard to restore? 

Do Sneakers Need Makeup? 

Now onto some cosmetic work. Vick prepped the white leather areas of the Nike Dunk with an alcohol prep pad, and applied a fresh coat of white paint. Then he used some white thread and a sewing awl to restitch the midsole…probably the most painstaking process of the entire restoration. 

The yellow mid panel has some cracking, so Vick smoothed that out with some 400 grit sandpaper, and then repainted it first with a white base coat, and then with a custom color-matched yellow paint. 

To finish off this restoration we just need a little TLC on the suede. Vick used a Medium Bristle Brush to lightly brush and reset the nap of the suede, and then finished it off with a coat of Mink Oil, which he brushed into the shoe with our Horsehair Brush. The Mink Oil really made the green color pop. 

After what feels like a long time, we made it. Everything on the Nike SB Dunk Bucks is clean, crisp, and precise. Are you as shocked as we are? We’re still in awe with how well this shoe turned out. Forget 2003, the new and improved Buck Nike SB Dunk look like we just grabbed them off the shelf from Many Worlds Clothing. 

A little TLC, Vick Almighty magic, and some quality sneaker care products from RESHOEVN8R really knocked 20 years off of this sneaker. Not only are these shoes wearable again, but they’re Instagram worthy too!

What would you rate this restoration from Vick Almighty?

Let us know down below, and click over to Youtube to watch Vick save even more sneakers.