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"The
motor from Majorca don't look like
what it oughta!"
Rolls Royce - Modern Car Restoration
Leather Recolouring
Part II
The door panels were also done, there was little wear on these and less
discolouration, but it's especially important to get the handle clean
and free of human contamination before recolouring can begin.
As already mentioned, the walnut trim had been sent
away to Cooper
Woodtrim for refurbishment which is why they are missing in the photo
above. The rest of the detail was masked and the door panel recoloured
with a spray gun.
The steering wheel posed a new problem for us. it appears
that the leather on the face had become loose and had obvious bubbles.
It's quite likely that heat from direct sunlight had caused the leather
to expand, and also soften the glue underneath that held it down flat.
We considered sending it to a trimmer to remove the
leather and glue it back in place, but this is a sealed unit containing
the airbag and the explosive devices which make it work... such things
are best not to tampered with. However, we know that when leather gets
wet and then dries, it contracts. So we carefully made it damp and then
heated it several times and luckily it shrunk back. There are no guarantees
that this will last, but it's certainly worth a go when you consider
what it would cost for a fitted replacement unit from a dealership.
Steering wheels can be really tricky. They are very high wear areas and
often the colour can wear through fairly quickly and they are exposed
to lots of sun and heat which makes them dry. You can find that your
hands are in contact with dry bare leather, the moisture from your
hands along with any dirt and grime will become absorbed. This transfer
tends to be acidic and will eat away at the leather. So special preparation
is used when doing steering wheels, they are very carefully cleaned
and keyed.
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Darrel repainting the steering wheel. |
Once again, Darrel mixed the pigments by eye to an
exact match, this time using a special extra hard wearing formula. Apart
from that, the process was exactly as described on the previous page.
All in all, it took Darrel around 30 hours over 4 days
to complete the front and partial back seats, door panels and steering
wheel. Darrel himself says that it was one of the best jobs he has ever
done and the results were amazing. Although we take great pains not to
'over promise' what we are capable of, this was one of those occasions
where the leather came up pretty much like brand new.
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The steering wheel
after completion. |
Rolls Royce Restoration
1. Intro & Wheel Refurbishment
2. Glass Repair
3. Rust Repair
4. Leather Recolouring - Seats
5. Leather Recolouring - Steering Wheel
6. Dent Repair
7. work in progress
Modern Car Restoration
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Valeting Articles: Index Page
A list of articles on various car care and car valeting subjects |
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