78 SC Cork Interior Refurb

[Dusty]

Thought I'd document my efforts at bringing this cars interior back to something a bit... nicer. I'm not going for a concourse winning car but don't want a bodge job either. Unfortunately I've got no upholstery experience so I'll be learning on the job and therefore taking things very slowly. Also keen for tips/advice if anyone cares to share. 

Here was the starting point: 

 

Priorities after a major clean were replacing the front seats, getting all the instruments working & lit and repairing the original silverknit carpet to something that doesn't look like a labradors basket, it's pretty far gone and will one day be replaced but not yet.

 

After a bit of search for seats and going in the wrong direction by purchasing a black interior with pasha inserts, SteveT came through with a pair of full leather chairs from his '76 Targa, thanks again mate.

 

They were in good overall condition except for a few flaws but didn't quite colour match any of the other 78 shades of cork that were already in my car. I've therefore embarked on dyeing the interior to get some consistency amongst it all. 

 

Here's the before shots of the fronts seats:

 

Mid-way - after cleaning/prepping and the first coat of dye:

 

 

Unintended consequences... Such a lovely colour 

And the finished product:

 

without flash

 

The colour has ended up very consistent despite my initial concerns after laying the first coat, at that stage it was very uneven. Also difficult to see is that all scuff marks have been removed and the seats are amazingly clean. My tear repairs aren't terrific but good enough from a distance and I'll probably get them professionally re-stitched at a later date. There's also some split piping in one section and I haven't attempted to sort that out, will probably leave it to the pro's as well.

 

Next step is dyeing the rear seats, parcel shelf, and door cards. It's a lengthy process with several stages of cleaning/rejuvenating/prepping before dyeing and each step can take days to work through so I'll update as I'm able. The instrument panel is all operational now after some fuse/bulb and connection repairs and the carpet continues to be very ordinary... I'll get through the leather coloring first before attacking this though, it may even need a priest. 

 

 

 

 

[Coastr]

Good job...what's the product you're using?

[SteveF]

Nice job. Just getting those seats back into the car will make it 100% better.

[Dusty]

Thanks guys. I used the leatherique products from PPCCO (no affiliation). I'd originally ordered just 500mls of the dye but the owner gave me a ring and said 250 Ml's will cover a 911 and that I'm better off getting the prepping products as well.

[Dusty]

Lastnight I pulled the front and rear floorpan carpet mats. Some are in okay condition while others have fag burns and a few tears so I'll ultimately be replacing them but I thought I'd just replace the old underlay with some new stuff from clarks rubber in the interim. 

 

As you can see, the old underlay was torn and the result was a very thin carpet that would shift and tear with ease:

 

 

Basically I just ripped the old underlay off, kept the vinyl piping and glued on the new underlay to give the existing carpets some better structure. here's the result:

 

 

The drivers side mat shows the underlay, also because I'm embarrassed by the other side which is a bit of a dogs breakfast with ciggy holes, tears etc so there's more work to do there... 

 

 

Tonight I'm back to my poo finger ways, attempting to re-dye the rest of the leather interior. The seats/panels there are much more weathered than the front seats so I fear it's going to be a tough job getting colour consistency throughout. I've always noticed the cork colour seen in other peoples front seats is consistent whereas their rear seats, door panels etc always appears to be quite patchy/textured? I like the patchy look but with my front seats now looking so uniform and the rears, sides etc all looking patchy, I'm not sure it's all going to tie in... 

 

[Dusty]

After a good go last night and another tilt this evening, the cars internals are back together. The dye has not fully set (it requires 48hrs) but I figure there's no harm in it drying while it's in the car and I'll be happy knowing I dont have to re-install the rear shelf again... what a pain. 

 

Most of this evenings efforts were spent trying to get the drivers side mat into back to some sort of  usable condition. It basically involved ripping the rubber section off the main, shaving the excellent condition silverknit which was underneath and then re-gluing the shavings across the mat.  I saw this method on youtube and it worked surprisingly well, especially with the thick, fluffy silverknit. As a result the mat has come up in much better condition and will now do me for a little while longer.. 

 

Overall, I'm fairly happy with the job but I think I'll be getting the pro upholsterers to re-stitch the front seats sooner rather than later. It's the first thing I see as I enter the car so I dont feel as if the job is done...! 

 

 

 

 

[Coastr]

Well, I think it looks tons better just by getting the right seats back in there.

 

Did the rear seats just have the tartan laid over the top?  Is that all - you had good cover underneath that?

[Tit]

That's a massive improvement!

[SteveF]

That's a massive improvement!

+1

[Dusty]

yes the tartan was just stapled at the back! Rexel no 6 staples if I'm not mistaken... I was a bit miffed at first that the tartan wasn't genuine although it would've been a nightmare to match up front.

 

The rear covers were in great shape otherwise, except one seat had evidence of a bit of mould at some point. It was easily sanded off and re-dyed.   

[hugh]

Your efforts have definitely paid off, looks fantastic + I'm sure it would have been much cheaper than a new interior and looks just as good!

[ByronBayChris]

Love your work. What an amazing difference

[Coastr]

I seriously don't get the logic in stapling some tartan over the top of serviceable back seats.   There's no accounting for taste I guess.

[poli84]

Wow, well done mate, fantastic results.

 

I've got some Dynamix Dies on order from the UK to re-do my 964 leather so great to see your results with similar techniques. 

Interior is looking fantastic. 

[Dusty]

Thought I'd continue to the door cards while 'in there' . Although everything looked ok externally, there was a bit of rot underneath:

 

 

hey were a bit weathered:

 

 

With some new 3mm MDF, some 3mm foam insulation, a little ebay lightweight soundproofing, a $13 spotlight stapler and some new speakers (forgive me for installing splits), the doors are a lot more solid and neater:

 

 

So while happy with results, I cant deny that it's a lot of work for not much visible reward. The main reason for doing it was to give the speakers a better mounting surface but its more difficult than just jigsawing new mdf using the old cards as a template. You also have to align the drill holes with those already in the door panel which is a real pain, not to mention re-installing the handles, electric window switches, plugs etc. So much of a pain that I just ended up drilling new holes to affix the door buckets and speakers... 

 

On the plus side, the doors make an even more satisfying 'click' upon closing that hasn't worn off after a whole day. I think its beginning to concern my wife.