Roadster NA

[Roadster7]

This wheel is rare. Maybe not 310mm-rare, but pretty close. Prior to this, it was installed in a older Porsche 911.

With an almost 40 year-old wheel, you can expect some wear on the leather. Overall mine is in great shape other than one small spot, and years and years of sweat, grime, and conditioner built up on the surface. It will clean up nicely.


Materials used for this restoration:
- Paper towels
- Acetone
- Gloves
- Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol
- Foam brushes
- Fiebing's black leather dye
- Zelikovitz flat/matte professional top coat
- Adam's blog post on his Prototipo restoration




A couple "before" photos:

[Roadster7]

Removing the old finish

Strip the leather of any finish using paper towels and acetone. Leather has grain, and rubbing in one direction rather than scrubbing back and forth is not only better at removing the grime and finish, but it's more gentle too. Paper towels need to be soaked in acetone, but not dripping wet. Once the wheel was clean, I let it dry for a few hours then cleaned again for 20 min with alcohol.

This took me roughly 5 hours total.

[Roadster7]

Applying dye

Apply dye according to instructions on bottle. I used a foam brush, applied two coats and wiped off the excess with a microfiber towel. This dye isn't water based, so it got absorbed and dried quickly. Rubbing lightly with a microfiber towel helps keep everything even.

Half wheel with one coat:



Two coats completed:

[Roadster7]

Applying top coat

This took two attempts. At first I applied two very thick layers using the foam brush, and i did it slowly. By the time I came around the entire rim, the place I started had already begun to dry. What's worse is the foam brush created bubbles during application. I thought they would go away, but the finish dried with them still there. I won't even include photos of this it a-was so bad. I also applied so much, you couldn't even tell there was leather underneath.

The only solution was to strip it again and start from scratch. Acetone > dye > top coat. This time, I applied a very thin film of top coat quickly with a foam brush, then went over with a damp paper towel. The paper towel shouldn't be soaked in top coat but just barely enough to not be dry. Rubbing this over the leather helps it impregnate the leather instead of just sitting on top. The end result is very flat, but buffing with a paper towel once dried helps smooth out the finish and remove any extra top coat and brush strokes that might be visible. The best part about this is that the leather feels amazing. This top coat is very nice in that it doesn't cover up the leather if applied correctly, it just protects it. It doesn't feel cheap or fake -- you're still touching leather when holding the wheel.



One last step is to apply some conditioner. Leather Honey was a great recommendation. A little goes a long way.






Unfortunately, RIP my Prototipo logo thanks to the blue tape I used to cover up the spokes. Oh well, it only adds to the patina.

[Roadster7]

Overall impressions

I would have never done this without Adam's writeup and additional help. Huge shout out to him for that.
Momo Prototipo Restoration

I also wouldn't have started this restoration had the leather not been sticky and nasty to begin with. Now it just feels like soft 40 year old Italian leather.

[HarryB]

Amazing results! Have been through Adams writeup before, yet it is still amazing how much these wheels can be revived. For someone like me that loves restos, this is like the most satisfying thing in the world; taking something "ugly" and neglected and making it beautiful again. Hats off.

[Roadster7]

Thanks Harry!

[ueru]

From the top-down pics on instagram, I thought that was a UCC horn button and became immediately jealous haha. The results look amazing!!

[Roadster7]

From the top-down pics on instagram, I thought that was a UCC horn button and became immediately jealous haha. The results look amazing!!

Haha that would be dope.

[Roadster7]

A few weeks after I installed my carpet console, I found a set of Zoom trim rings originally from the Nakamae console. I've been meaning to install the shift surround for over a year now, but procrastinated until now. This ring is larger than the Motolita I originally used, so rather than it sitting on top of the rubber shift boot, it can fit around it and lower the entire console closer to the tunnel.

I also added some batting under the carpet to fill some of the voids and for extra support. Once the ring was fitted, the only piece I couldn't reuse was the leather shift boot - it has 9 holes left over from the smaller diameter ring. And it was ugly.

I had a huge piece of leather left over from the dash restoration so I decided to try making my own shift boot.


Patterns:




Holes punched for first stitch:




About 4 hours in at this point:




Finish stitch. Holes punched with a chisel.




All panels together, ready for the 4th stitch.






The little hole punch I made for bolt holes:

[Roadster7]

Fabricated a retaining ring matching the Zoom ring to go under the carpet and leather, similar to my Motolita setup but without the legs. No photos of this but it's sheet aluminum and has 5 holes. Glued a rubber o-ring inside into the leather (this is what the tabs are for at the narrow end of the boot), and I think that's about it. Anyways, final product:











If anyone is interested in the Motolita ring, support frame, and bolts, it will be for sale.

[Greasemonkey2000]

[HarryB]

Excellent result, congrats!

[BRGNA8]

Ive said it before, I'll say it again....i love LOVE the details mate! Absolutely love your MX5

[Tee]

Amazing DIY work, I didn't know it was possible to restore the leather like that wow!