Restored and Refinished the Leather Seats in the Hundy...

[bamachem]

I was torn - OK, bad pun - but I was torn over whether I should spend $1000+ on new leather or attempt a refinish. I didn't have any tears, so I gave it a shot.

I did my reasearch and chose leatherique products. I got the Rejuvinator Oil, Pristine Clean, Prepping Agent, Crack Filler, and Leather Dye. I got enough to do the front and middle rows completely for $170. Not bad, as long as it lives up to it's reputation...

We'll see.

Here's the pics.

First, this is the condition of my leather after a thorough cleaning with a soft brush and soapy water, then toweled dry. You can see that there's LOTS of missing finish coat on the leather.

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_001.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_002.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_003.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_004.jpg

Sorry for the "off" hue, but I took most of the pics w/o the flash to keep from overexposing the images.

First Step: Soak the seats in the Rejuvinator Oil and massage it in with your hands. I did this on Tuesday Evening, let it sit overnight, and cleaned it off Wednesday morning to drive it to work. Repeated again Wednesday evening. This got the leather buttery-soft. Incredible results!

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_005.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_006.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_007.jpg

[bamachem]

Thursday. D-Day. More like S-DAY. Ufff....

Trust me, the most nerve-racking part of this process is that it has to get worse - WAY WORSE - before it can get better.

The next step: WET SAND the leather with Prepping Agent. This removes most of the OEM finish in the worn areas, and a good bit of it on the rest of the seat. The trick is to remove the outer layers w/o buffing all the way down to the grain and creating seude.

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_008.jpg

As you can see, I had some hairline cracking in the driver side seat. Minor stuff in the same places on the PS seat. Both armrests and console cover had some uneven "ripples" in the leather.

This is where the crack-filler comes in. Basically like a latex, I smeared it on VERY thin using an old driver's license. You do NOT want to over-do this step. Go with a very small amount at a time and do it in layers.

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_010.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_011.jpg

After that dries about 20-minutes, you come back and sand w/ 600-grit to make sure you have a nice smooth surface to work with. Any imperfections will show through the dye coat, so as with anything, preparation is key.

First coat of dye:

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_012.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_013.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_014.jpg

[bamachem]

Before you say anything, the dye goes on a MUCH different color than the original seat color. I was told not to worry about it as the color will change over the next week and will "ripen" to the final finish. We'll see.

Regardless, it's better to have "light" colored seats than what I had...

Second coat of dye:


http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_015.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_016.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_017.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_018.jpg

Here's where I messed up a little bit. I didn't get ENOUGH of the crack filler in this area as you can still see some of the hairline cracks. Even so, it's still WAY better than before. I can always "top off" this area and re-dye later if I want.

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_019.jpg

Oh yeah, new LX wheel... Only problem is that it only fits upside down? How do I fix that? :D

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_020.jpg

[bamachem]

Dye coats went on Thursday @ 6pm and again at 10pm.

Here's the seats on Friday morning:

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_021.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_022.jpg

http://4rnr.net/cruiser/leatherique/cruiser-leather_023.jpg

Only down side is that after the last dye coat goes on, you're not supposed to TOUCH the seats at all for 48-hours to allow the dye to properly cure and dry.

The flash is washing out the color, but to the eye, it's VERY close to the console color at this point. There is VERY LITTLE difference between the two. There is a slight powdery finish to the dye. After two days, the final step is to "polish" the leather with a terrycloth towel to the desired shine. We'll see...

It's supposed to bond to the leather and be completely color-fast. We shall see. I have heard of people putting a type of "clear coat" on leather finished for improved wear. Worst-case would be that I may have to do that.

I used this stuff one time in another car I used to have. I dyed it about 4 years ago, and it wore well while I had it. Last I heard, the dye and repair job (to a tear) I did on the driver seat was holding up great...

[04 Rocko Taco]

Looks like a ton of work, but the results look good Andy! I am curious about how the dye will wear and if the color will "ripen" anymore. Definitely keep us updated!!

[Robinhood4x4]

Very nice Andy!

[Lee]

looks like annoying, meticulous work but great job man!

You serious about the steering wheel? :laugh: