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Post by Brendan69 on Aug 19, 2019 15:55:45 GMT
i think the best place to put the radio is in the centre console, and there is still enough room to put your 2 switches and cigar lighter. You could use a donor panel to do this and keep the original panel spare if you ever wanted to revert back. I thought you had retired Velvet, or are you just finishing off bookings already in your diary??Regards, |
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Post by velvet on Aug 19, 2019 21:45:09 GMT
i've retired in the sense that i'm not taking on anymore work Brendan, but i still have 5 more full p5 retrims to do and thats aside the 2 i'm working on at the moment. Its got to the point that the sight of p5 seats is starting to make me feel ill.! lol
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Post by Brendan69 on Aug 20, 2019 18:01:07 GMT
Ive asked before and ill ask again, who we got now who is trustworthy in the trade/system to approach??? I know Aldridge trimmers are good but there must be another P5/P5B trimmer out there somewhere in the uk???
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Post by Brendan69 on Aug 21, 2019 9:14:06 GMT
UPDATE: After some www searching I found this company last night on the www. linkThey actually have a series of pictures showing a Admiralty Blue/Buckskin P5B they have done and TBH the results look great so I will email them for further advice and maybe get one of their guys to come and appraise my car and give me a quote. Just out of interest, has anyone had any dealings with this firm??? Cheers |
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Aug 21, 2019 9:37:40 GMT
Recolouring is a process you can do yourself Brendan and save ££'s they have coloured the seats well "but" the foam under the covers has collapsed so a bit pointless best to redo the foam first.  |
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Post by Brendan69 on Aug 21, 2019 17:26:56 GMT
Yes John I agree 100%. My front seats need new foams FIRST before anything else is done to them. My rear seats are still like new in terms of the foam still being nice and firm. No sagging at all on them but it'll be due to not really anyone riding in the back of my car for 48 years.
My car has a wonderful patina too inside which I want to retain as best I can. There is certainly no need at all for a re trim anywhere. Just a real good re-foam up front and a professional clean/treatment will suffice.
Cheers
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Post by Sam Bee on Aug 21, 2019 17:42:07 GMT
Thoroughly recommend 'The Trimming Centre' in Lewes, East Sussex. I think in their third generation. Used to be in the centre of Brighton and before that in south London. They have been supplying and fitting Webasto sunroof too since the 1950s, they did two of mine. And they have renovated my P5 seats. www.thetrimmingcentre.co.uk. |
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Post by lagain on Aug 21, 2019 18:35:16 GMT
They re-covered my motorbike seat a year or so ago and made an excellent job of it. When I had my seats re-covered some 25 years ago I used Mike Thomas, who is still in business near Petersfield and certainly recommended. mtdstrimming.com/The problem with Mulberry is that when the colour rubs off it shows white underneath. I had mine recoloured but it did not last long so had it re-trimmed and it still looks like new. |
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Post by lagain on Sept 5, 2019 20:17:25 GMT
Yes John I agree 100%. My front seats need new foams FIRST before anything else is done to them. My rear seats are still like new in terms of the foam still being nice and firm. No sagging at all on them but it'll be due to not really anyone riding in the back of my car for 48 years. My car has a wonderful patina too inside which I want to retain as best I can. There is certainly no need at all for a re trim anywhere. Just a real good re-foam up front and a professional clean/treatment will suffice. Cheers I remember when I had the foam in all my seat squabs replaced about 5 years ago, the trimmer said that if the leather had been the original he would not have taken the job on in case the leather split due to old age. Keep treating it with a leather product. I used to use Connellys hide food but now use Autoglym. I think that the first owner of my car used to leave her out in the sun, even though he only had her for 3 years the sun damaged the backs of the rear seats - the surface of the leather pickled up. In the early 80s a chap came down from Connellys in London to Sussex , by train and re-coloured all the leather. It only lasted a few years before it started to look shabby again, so eventually I had the leather replaced and it still looks very good. |
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Post by velvet on Sept 6, 2019 9:10:05 GMT
Lagain, todays leather is a different product to the old connolly vaumol leather in the way its tanned and produced. It doesn't need feeding like the old leather did, and its UV absorbtion is far superior. Infact it doesn't even have the smell the old connolly used to have (wet blue), oh for sure keep doing it as it doesn't do any harm but unless you can get underneath to the suede part then you're not doing anything except giving it a waxy finish. The active ingredient is Lanolin and unless the leather is broken then the Lanolin cant get through the surface skin to do any good, and if the surface skin is broken (cracks in the leather) then its too late anyway. You're trimmer was right, when you strip down an old 50 year old leather seat, the leather especially where it was adhesived to the seat frame is so brittle that it has the consitancy of cardboard and just dissintagrates in your hands, its the reason why i dont take on repairs to restitch the common seams that have come undone due to the thread perishing.  Attachment Deleted |
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Sept 6, 2019 16:41:11 GMT
I suppose the old leather has disappeared Mick?
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Post by velvet on Sept 6, 2019 20:18:17 GMT
Well John to say its not available anymore is not really true, Andrew muirhead leather is close to the old connolly and there's a few small companies that still do it the old fashioned organic way but its so expensive (about four times as expensive as the traditional italian leather i use) so there is no value and especially as it doesn't last as long before cracks start to appear.
To be honest the problem is that these so called 'auto leather' which is 1.6mm is actually a little too thick, and the thicker the leather the quicker it creases, that is why your shoe leather (about 3mm thick) will crease where your foot bends, from the very first time you wear them and the creases are permanent, and its in the creases where eventually the cracks appear, and then the leather breaks.
The way i do it to get the look as original as possible is i use traditional 1.1mm upholstery leather and then scrim it with 3mm foam scrim and back the lot with a thin cotton/linen post cutting and prior to stitching, this effectively thickens the leather and also stiffens it a bit, trouble with that is its very labourious and you gotta do everything three times, (cut the panels to be stitched, then adhere scrim and cut again, then adhere cotton/linen, and cut the excess again), but the result is fabulous and spot-on and you dont have to struggle when putting the finished cover on the seat as you dont have to pull the heart out of it trying to get rid of the creases as there wont be any creases there!
Bear in mind that the most important part of the leather is the top skin surface which is only a few microns thick, the rest is just suede, so the difference between auto leather and upholstery leather is the thickness of the underside suede, the important top skin layer is the same.
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Post by enigmas on Sept 6, 2019 22:50:36 GMT
That's really valuable information Mick for the non professional but keen carer/restorer.  I had all the interior seats, carpeting and front door armrests reupholstered in my coupe a number of years ago. The automotive upholsterer (a fastidious, emotionally sensitive, uptight prima donna  ) used a leather from New Zealand IIRC and did an excellent job. Based on your knowledge/experience what sort of surface/protective coating is best for modern car seat leather? The climate in OZ can range from 1°C - 2°C during Winter and up to 40°C during Summer in Victoria where I live. The car is kept undercover these days and generally out of the weather. |
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Sept 7, 2019 7:10:03 GMT
Thank you Mick your a Fountain of Knowledge |
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Post by Brendan69 on Sept 7, 2019 9:14:52 GMT
I propose a vote: Velvet is NOT allowed to retire, ill start it off with the first vote. LOL
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Post by velvet on Sept 7, 2019 15:41:07 GMT
Yes Vince, UV rays, heat and sunlight is probably leather's worst enemy. The only sure way to protect it from the sun is to make loose covers and fit them only for the hottest summer months. They are easy to make and can be done on a typical domestic sewing machine, they are easy to do as accuratesy is not required, just a general slight over-size to the seat dimensions. Velcro (hook-&-loop) to keep them in place, and white cotton aprox 5mtrs is the best material as its machine washable (and reflects sunlight). I've done this to my personal P5 but not to protect from UV but to protect from dirt as my interior is ivory. .    |
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Post by enigmas on Sept 7, 2019 23:16:16 GMT
Thanks for the advice Mick it's much appreciated. I keep a thin travel (nanna) rug folded in the back seat area. If it's hot, sunny and the car is out in an unshaded area I usually place it over the rear seat backrest and parcel shelf. This seems to be a vulnerable section of the interior due to the coupe's large sloping rear windscreen.
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Post by velvet on Sept 13, 2019 11:02:57 GMT
I've been asked a few times about the heel matt and where to get a coloured one, to be honest the rubber matting available in fawn is rubbish and rips easy but making your own is easy and shouldn't cost you more than £25. All you need is a bit of scrap Lino and a metre of vynle hooding (also known as everflex). both martrims and woolies do it. Cut a piece of lino to the shape of the heel matt, adhesive some vynle hooding to the lino and turn it under, then take the whole diverside carpet matt with the new heel matt you've made to your local trimmer and i'm sure he will run a stitch round the matt for you for a pint of beer ! . Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedAttachment Deleted |
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Post by Brendan69 on Sept 13, 2019 14:18:36 GMT
Great tip is that Velvet.
Ive managed to find a guy local to me who is a trimmer and owns a few classic cars of his own too, 1 being a 1968 Rover P6 - 3500cc which he bought and showed me yesterday. He has done a superb job on his interior re-trim which gives me confidence in his abilities. He came very highly recommended to me too by Rover P5/P5B/P6 expert Colin Gould who is not far away from me too albeit im pretty sure he is about to retire this year and I was informed yesterday he has done a deal on selling his business which I gather he has been trying to do for a few years now bless him. All good and great things come to an end one day I suppose just like Velvet is doing in time.
Anyhow, this guy has looked over my P5B front seats yesterday and he can most certainly re-do the foams inside of them for me so as soon as this years shows are over for me locally ( 2 left ) I shall remove my 2 x front seats and get them over to him. He was quite impressed with my cars excellent patina interior too for a 47 year old car and advised me accordingly on how to keep it that way with the products I am currently using ( Autoglym ) which he also uses himself.
Cheers
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Post by David on Sept 13, 2019 18:38:16 GMT
The story behind the origins of the rear seat foot rests can be found in the October issue of Take Five ;-)
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Post by velvet on Sept 19, 2019 14:39:20 GMT
Finished a full re-trim on this beauty yesterday, No expense spared on this one, full restoration and all running gear powdercoated including seat frames and other ancilleries. & stainless nuts and bolts where possible with buffed-up carb elbows & pots etc... She looks stunning ! Screens to go in next week by somebody who's done them before, (fingers crossed on that one, hope he does a good job) and all new and rechromed and polished brightwork to follow after that including wheels, she really is superb! . Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedAttachment Deleted |
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Post by tarnowl on Sept 20, 2019 6:45:16 GMT
Finished a full re-trim on this beauty yesterday, No expense spared on this one, full restoration and all running gear powdercoated including seat frames and other ancilleries. & stainless nuts and bolts where possible with buffed-up carb elbows & pots etc... She looks stunning ! Screens to go in next week by somebody who's done them before, (fingers crossed on that one, hope he does a good job) and all new and rechromed and polished brightwork to follow after that including wheels, she really is superb! . Wow, she really does look fantastic!👍 A really lovely job Mick. |
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Post by velvet on Mar 10, 2020 17:47:39 GMT
Completed a full re-trim on this concourse fully restored P5b including webasto sun-roof and boot lining. This is a 'factory black' colour (quite rare) and no expence has been spared! Rechromed everything ; wheels, bumpers, handles etc. STUNNING CAR !!! Thanx to John Wallett for getting me out of a sticky situation! More pics here: www.facebook.com/rover.trimming.9Attachment Deleted  |
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Post by tarnowl on Mar 11, 2020 9:01:15 GMT
Completed a full re-trim on this concourse fully restored P5b including webasto sun-roof and boot lining. This is a 'factory black' colour (quite rare) and no expence has been spared! Rechromed everything ; wheels, bumpers, handles etc. STUNNING CAR !!! Thanx to John Wallett for getting me out of a sticky situation! More pics here: www.facebook.com/rover.trimming.9Really fantastic job Mick. Wow, that Webasto is enormous! Many congrats on yet another job well done!😄🍾 |
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) used a leather from New Zealand IIRC and did an excellent job.
