Started the refurb on the Chimaera seats....

[nick_mcuk]

So now that I am back in the UK for a few weeks thought I would make a start on the interior refurb on Ron..first part seats.

Only done the driver side so far buy super happy with the results so far.

So some before pics:





The Afters:








All this was done with the kit that Furniture Clinic sell...only thing that I did was use my 50L compressor to run the airbrush I could not face faffing about with the cans of propellant.

All I did was follow the instructions to the letter, super easy to do and the satin finish whilst not super matt is a very nice finish.

One thing I will advise is when using the leather prep make sure you are in a very very well ventilated space as its basically like thinners....I was shocked at the smell in the summer house when I took off my 3M respirator!!

Will do the passenger seat over the next couple of evenings....its no where as bad as the drivers seat but will look well for being done!

[nick_mcuk]

WokingWedger said:

What did you have to do where the leather had abraded?

Used the leather prep (basically celulose thinners judging from the smell) and Green Scotchbrite pad that was in the kit in my case 100% of the wear was to the coatings....you have to remember all automotive leathers are coated so 80% of the creases came out because they are in the coatings.

[nick_mcuk]

Cheers TV8 I already bought the hessian to do this but it turns out some kind soul has already done it with some nice dense foam already.

Given them a really close inspection and its spot on so will keep the hessian for another time

[nick_mcuk]

blaze_away said:

Nick that's an impressive job on those seats.

I see on the furniture clinic website they do several sizes and several finishes between matt and gloss.

What size kit would suggest to do two chim seats and what finish ?

I got a medium kit....still got plenty of colour left and I got the satin finish....its still got a shine to it so if you want it matte get that.

rickprice said:

I have headrests with the TVR logo in contrasting stitching.

Will the dye colour the stitching, do you know?

Rich

Yes it will....its effectively paint so will cover over anything

PhilH42 said:

Chaps,

Its good stuff but make sure you get some layers of super seal on the surfaces or it can become quite tacky! Cross linker x helps the adhesion process, especially on vinyl.

Works great on bringing the steering wheel back as well.

You dont need to tell me I followed the instructions to the "T" thanks...in fact its got 2 coats of the super seal on then a further 2 coats of the satin this is all on top of 3 coats of colour.

[nick_mcuk]

PhilH42 said:

Its info from experience of using it and for anyone who cares to take note, or not as may be the case.

I would be worried about anyone not following the instructions, the colour coat isn't durable at all, it needs the "Super Seal" as a minimum then followed by the top coat finish, be it satin, matte etc etc.

As you said the colour coat on its own is actually tacky to the touch even when dried...

[nick_mcuk]

jazzdude said:

I did this to my seats last year, but Portland Grey, and they came up quite nice, especially with the filler for the cracks.

While your seats are out I recommend you check the foam underneath, and replace the chicken wires with a hessian (plastic) mesh that you then tie into the 'leather' around the edges.

This made a huge difference to the comfort and support to the seat, as well as lifting me higher up on the seat so that the curve of the seatback was in the right place in the small of my back.

See my post already done

nick_mcuk said:

Cheers TV8 I already bought the hessian to do this but it turns out some kind soul has already done it with some nice dense foam already.

Given them a really close inspection and its spot on so will keep the hessian for another time

[nick_mcuk]

pb450 said:

Another thumbs up for the Furniture Clinic products and all that is said here in their use.
Two words; Preparation and Patience. Follow the instuctions precisely (as everyone here agrees) and don't rush any stage. Perfect results are easily achievable.

Absolutely taking time is the key here...I did find that the airbrush that comes with the kit is way more thirsty than my silverline one that I used for the colour.

Either way well chuffed with the drivers seat....going to make a start on the passenger one tonight.

[nick_mcuk]

PhilH42 said:

Yes the colour is tacky but it can also be tacky using just the finishing seal over...super seal was suggested to me for areas of high contact only (say seats) my seats turned out perfectly...basically I ended up using it everywhere in the end!

I have to say the finish on the seat with the satin finish is lovely and smooth..

[nick_mcuk]

Here is a more step by step "photo diary" of the passenger side seat.

Now obviously the passenger seat has nowhere near as much wear on it as the drivers side....but the results are still never the less outstanding!

So these photos were taken after rubbing down with the scotchbrite pad and leather prep (actually used standard thinners as I had run out of the leather prep supplied in the kit)








So then onto the application of the basecoat....this is done with some of the colour on a sponge...its not meant to cover fully its just meant to start filling in the cracks and creases with some base colour.






So then after 2 coats of colour airbrushed on....











And finally after 2 coats of super seal and then 2 further coats of satin finish....Tadaaaaaa!










Chuffed you bet your socks I am...its taken a tired and worn interior and given it a new lease of life, and while its not 100% perfect its a damn sight cheaper than a re-trim!

All in all took me 2 evenings to do this seat

[nick_mcuk]

ChimpOnGas said:

Stunning results, and an excellent super informative thread

This post will really help me with my upcoming Jag XJS seat restoration project.



Thanks, Dave.

No problem its good to share these things...some might be put off and think its too complicated to have a go at...i am fairly practical but I think as long as you follow the instructions to the letter you should be fine...just dont rush.

Would offer to help if you want but think you are a fair way from me in Surrey

Paulprior said:

That looks great, i need to do mine now, as well as the seats i need to do the central part of the centre console as well as the door arm rests, do you think the medium kit is enough for that or would you recommend the next size up?
You said that you used an air brush, as i dont have one of these what comes with the kit?
Paul

Absolutely I think I only used about half of the 1L bottle...I will say the airbrush supplied in the kit seems to be a good bit more thirsty than my Silverline one (bought off Amazon for not a lot)...but that being said it really does depend on how bad the seats are in the first place....2 coats covered really well on my seats and every worn bit was covered fully.

I think I said it before but I used my 50L 3HP compressor to run it...I think it would be a faff using the cans of propellant to power the airbrush....I believe that you can hire a small compressor from Furniture Clinic too so probably worth investigating that....failing that I can be hired with mine for a very reasonable fee

[nick_mcuk]

So more progress on the interior refurb, whilst the carpets are in good order they were suffering from uneven discolouration thanks to the sun.

So when I bought the Leather Colourant and was discussing the carpets with Duncan he recommended their "FabriCoat Upholstery Kit" and they had already got a TVR Biscuit colour on file but couldn't guarantee that it would be a perfect match as they matched it on the verbal description from another TVR owner.

I went with it and it is a different colour to my carpets original colour I gave it a test on the carpet under where the seat....I actually liked it better.

The dye is water-based and you can add some IPA to it to make it penetrate into stubborn surfaces...I did try this but I found it thinned the colour down too much so gave it a bash neat and its perfect...I also use my airbrush hooked to the compressor again to apply the product just a whole heap easier to do!

So a couple of before pics.....





Now the after pics...100% better and the colour is now even...still got about 500ml left...When you apply the colour does obviously sit on the surface but i found that using the included tampico brush to work the colour in makes it all go a lot further, and true to the info on the website the carpets are not all solid and stiff.....

[nick_mcuk]

N7GTX said:

Thats really good there Mr Nick.
Still waiting for you to do the outside of mine.....

Hahah I will give you 10/10 for persistence

[nick_mcuk]

trev4 said:

Looking really good, do you think that my seat is to far gone for this treatment, there is a small hole in the leather.

I dont know I do know Furniture Clinic also offer repair kits....probably best you giev them a call and send them some photos so they can advise.

Ask for Duncan as he really knows his stuff.

[nick_mcuk]

trev4 said:

Thanks I will give him a call

Tell him I sent you

[nick_mcuk]

chris212 said:

I used "The Leather Clinic" kit off eBay. A similar idea to the Furniture Clinic, but doesn't come with the spray gun and can of propellant. I have a compressor and a decent full size spray gun ( as you would use for panel spraying) so didn't need the air brush. I sent a colour sample off and they matched it. Works out cheaper than The Furniture Clinic and the results were great!

I didn't mind paying a bit more for the kit as I have been bitten by eBay "s**t kits" before.

Besides the advice and backup (if needed) was worth the extra.

I too have a proper spray gun but its far more accurate to use a airbrush to get into the creases and seams and build up the colour and topcoats with out applying too much product.

[nick_mcuk]

chris212 said:

Not a s**t kit, or I wouldn't recommend it. I just thought I would share my experience. Sure its worth paying extra if you don't have a gun that you can adjust the spray pattern and flow to suit. The results i achieved are great, and excellent colour match by them.

No what I mean is there is tonnes of s**t on eBay not to mention faked or diluted products....I just wont buy anything like this from there.

I do have a proper HVLP spray gun but for me using the airbrush is far more accurate in the tight spaces...certainly less cumbersome.

Matt99man said:

OP - does this kit keep the breathability of the leather? My chim had the driver's seat restored previously but it's more like vinyl and very sticky when warm.

I dont know mine were clearly done before too, so cant comment. its certainly nice and flexible and not sticky. TBH I have never fond leather seats particualrly comfy in hot weather.

In my research too unless you have super dooper mega expensive leather nearly all furniture and automotive leather is coated/coloured in a similar fashion to what the Furniture Clinic kit does....infact that most cars now actually have fake leather which harks back to the vinyl interiors of the 70's & 80's....BMW, Merc and Audi/VW all have posh names for it though

[nick_mcuk]

So today was the day of finishing the interior off...

This consisted of a really deep clean of the various magnolia and biscuit trim, thankfully Ron has the "Half/Half" interior option which means that the faces of the seats are leather but the rest of the trim is vinyl, meaning you can really go to town and scrub the bejesus out of the vinyl to get it really clean .

So a mixture of a magic sponge, brushes and AutoGlym Trade Super Interior Cleaner.

Here are some WIP pics....also worth noting that I did give the interior a clean when i got the car back in July!






Pics of the freshly cleaned trim....









Then the really exciting bit (well for me anyhow) putting the seats back in!

Passenger side first ...






Then the drivers side....






Then it was time to dress it all off...I used AutoGlym Silicone Pumpasol...its a fantastic silicone based dressing that works so well on older trim but doesn't leave that oil slick look.

Over all the interior actually looks brand new now....so chuffed with the way the seats came out...the carpet recolour has really evened the sun bleached parts out and the whole interior is lovely and fresh/new looking.

Here are some final finished pics.....