Lol! Right?
Hoping to get the Xidas swapped over soon. Had to get it legal first. [emoji4]
It looks REALLY high parked next to the NA.
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Lol! Right?
Hoping to get the Xidas swapped over soon. Had to get it legal first. [emoji4]
It looks REALLY high parked next to the NA.
Congrat. Looks like fun!
Awesome progress so far!!!
Thanks for your help Alex! :)
I pulled the MSM seats from my NA to prep them for refinishing. They aren’t too bad, so I don’t anticipate too much of an issue.
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The driver’s side bolster shows the most wear:
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I started using a fresh sponge with a little soap and warm water. I washed and scrubbed them (gently), twice, then wiped them down with fresh water and clean towels, twice.
I waited for them to dry, then applied Colourlock heavy cleaning foam. I worked it in side to side, rubbing all the leather surfaces:
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After doing both seats, I went back and rinsed it off with fresh, warm water and another clean towel (twice again to be sure to get it all off).
I am waiting for the surfaces to dry before applying the dye. I used the clean scotchbright of the sponge to rough the surfaces.
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I hit my groove, so I kept going. :) My set isn’t nearly as bad as the set I restored for my friend.
I started with the tedious, detailed bit.
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The trick here is that the dye will color the contrasting top stitch, so I have to be reaaaaally careful and take my time. Here’s how I did it:
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Yeah, I dipped a q-tip in the dye, and steadied my hand against the bolster. Sort of like pin striping, but the q tip leaves a more natural texture than a brush (would leave brush strokes). I chase each application with the heat gun and after 2 applications, I start to make progress:
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After 4 light applications, it looks great:
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With the tough part done, I focus on working the rest of the seats. This is a little less tedious, and done with a fine synthetic sponge. The dye has to be applied by dabbing/stippling the panel end to end, then apply the heat with the gun. Two to three passes on each leather panel took me about 2 hours for both seats, 3-3.5 altogether for cleaning and dye applications. Like I said, this pair was already in pretty good condition.
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I will let these sit for a couple of hours and apply the UV protectant and wear prohibitor.
I waited a couple of hours, then applied the UV protection and wear prohibitor:
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After about an hour, I worked in the protectant. This is AKA elephant fat. Agent Orange should be thoroughly aroused at the combination of leather, latex, and lube:
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I massaged in the fat and then, yup you guessed it, applied heat to get the leather to pull it in.
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I will soon wipe off the excess with a clean towel and let the seats rest over night.
Final buff. Altogether, about 5 hours including rest.
Driver’s seat:
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Passenger seat:
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I think you’ll be more successful dying black than my buddy who did it in tan. He did the same process, sanding, scuffing and staining but the amazing results soon faded.
I won’t disagree. Tan, and lighter colors, are much tougher and are treated differently. Not all leather dyes are as durable either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent[emoji1282
I have had great results with darker colors but the entire surface should be treated.
Lighter colors absorb dirt and oils in ways that show differently if they were re-dyed in spots. The extra steps afterward help to prevent the absorption.
Wow, they look almost brand new!
No moss under my feet. ;) Did a little work today.
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Vacuumed and washed the floor pans and tunnel (ugh!).
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Starting to transfer the dash...be back later!
Knocked off more ugly by swapping the guts of my tan dash to a black one.
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Washed the HVAC tubes, too!
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Busy 24 hours, but satisfying. The best is yet to come!
Damn, you waste no time! Great work sir!