'Elephant Hide' Vinyl

[gromit]

Has anyone had any joy in finding an equivalent modern vinyl ?

I know I can get it from Exmoor but I've seen several comments that it's not the same as the original elephant hide. If anyone has Exmoor elephant hide could they post a picture.

I've found some 'similar' vinyl but only in the USA, locally I can find grey with a similar grain but not the light surface with dark in the creases.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/10/821.jpg (http://s1245.photobucket.com/user/cradley/media/Dormobile/DSCF3487_zpsqhqdwdif.jpg.html)


Colin

[digger]

Grommit,

PM sent...

[gromit]

It's proving difficult to find the correct grain pattern & colouring, hence why Exmoor are having to get it remanufactured.
You can find a fairly good grain match but the colouring is more difficult. I found threads on other forums as people try the same searches as I have.

This is close

www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Super-quality-elephant-skin-car-upholstery_60097672222.html (http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Super-quality-elephant-skin-car-upholstery_60097672222.html) for some reason this link doesn't always work.

Grain isn't correct and 'minimum 800 metres' is a bit of an issue.

This stuff looks real, choose whether you want Sumatran, Indian, Asian or African elephant.
ELEPHANT Technology Leather (http://www.josephnoble.com/collections/elephant/)

But isn't correct.

Maybe the best option is Exmoor ?


Colin

[incisor]

exmoor and some fine ash.... ;)

[jerryd]

exmoor and some fine ash.... ;)

I'd have thought some dirty oily work jeans would soon give you the correct shading ;)

When I do mine I'm going to feature "crocodile skin" or "zebra skin" as I fancy an African theme

[damiane]

At the risk of resucitating more wild ideas for getting the bloody vinyl to the right colour, has anyone had any success finding the right elephant? :D

[gromit]

Damian,
Exmoor have it specially made, not identical to the original but very close. I tried many suppliers without success.

I have to order seat covers for the Dormobile soon , landed the covers will be about $1K.


Colin

[crackers]

Do a real aussie job - use whatever vinyl you like then fit seat covers from SuperCheap :D

Seriously, I hadn't considered that to be a problem. How fussy are you being? (that's not me being picky, I'm just trying to work out where I fit into the herd).

[gromit]

Restore - To bring back to a former, original or normal condition.

You can of course fit whatever seats/covers you like but, as always, originality (or as close as possible/practical to originality) is often a value add.

To some it isn't important, and I understand that.
Personally it depends on the individual vehicle. I have a Series I which has a lot of period modifications, I won't try to revert most of the mods back to standard. The seatbacks are the originals but the bases have been changed, I may replace the bases and make them closer to original in the future.
My Dormobile is original so my aim is for the seatcovers to be as close to original as possible. It currently has it's original elephant hide seat covers but the fronts are beyond repair.
I'm about to recover the seats in my FFR, I can't match the colour exactly but otherwise I'll try to match the originals.

Each to their own. You could fit leopard skin covers and paint the outside bright pink but you may find you limit your market when it comes time to sell.


Colin

[damiane]

Restore - To bring back to a former, original or normal condition.

You can of course fit whatever seats/covers you like but, as always, originality (or as close as possible/practical to originality) is often a value add.

To some it isn't important, and I understand that.
Personally it depends on the individual vehicle. I have a Series I which has a lot of period modifications, I won't try to revert most of the mods back to standard. The seatbacks are the originals but the bases have been changed, I may replace the bases and make them closer to original in the future.
My Dormobile is original so my aim is for the seatcovers to be as close to original as possible. It currently has it's original elephant hide seat covers but the fronts are beyond repair.
I'm about to recover the seats in my FFR, I can't match the colour exactly but otherwise I'll try to match the originals.

Each to their own. You could fit leopard skin covers and paint the outside bright pink but you may find you limit your market when it comes time to sell.


Colin

Leopard skin with pink:o I'm pretty sure that is a no-no. Now leopard skin and gold paint is traditional. With pink you would have either tiger or white rhino upholstery depending upon your predisposition :D Predisposition to what you may ask :cool:

Seriously though. $1k for seat covers :o Is that already made up and stitched but requiring foam and fitting or is that just sufficient cover material to cover the seats Colin? I gather that's the landed cost because you can buy a full set of new seats from Exmoor for a "modest" price as I recall.

Mine has the elephant hide upholstery including the fitted "de luxe" roof liner although the underlying colour of the roof liner appears to my eye to be a darker grey than the seats. Whether the difference is a function of age and exposure to UV is uncertain. SO you have the added 'resto's' dilemma: which colour do I try to replicate? I suppose the obvious answer is the roof liner but then you may not be restoring the seats to the colour they were originally. Just another of life's puzzles wrapped in an enigma. :)

But mine will be a working truck even if, along the way, I pretty-up something -with a new coat of paint, for example. I envisage doing the re-upholstering myself since I have the time and an old sewing machine. Maybe I can just go for something traditionally Land Rover, like the tan, rather than elephant hide. Or just plain black, with or without a texture. Someone else can always change them in the future since it's not a "structural" alteration.

My two bobs worth. :D

[gromit]

Damian,

The $1K was for a made up set of Dormobile seat covers. Still have to replace padding etc. Front Seats : Doormobile retrim kit (http://www.exmoortrimshop.com/store/series-2-3/front-seats2013-07-01-12-43-02/doormobile-retrim-kit-detail.html)
The Dormobile seats are steel framed and interior sprung plus the covers have white piping on the edges. I did contact Exmoor to see if they would supply front seat covers only but they wouldn't.

If you're not too fussed about originality try Daleys Daley's - Product Catalogue ? Retrim Auto Grade Vinyls (http://www.daleys.com.au/products/view/293)
They are in Fawkner just off Sydney Road.
The grey swatch at the beginning of this thread was from them

Colin

[Busted Syncro]

G'day All
Found this stuff on Ebay called TOLEX. Maybe worth following up. Here is the link: Marshall Black Elephant Tolex | eBay (http://r.ebay.com/yEi36K)
Chris

[gromit]

G'day All
Found this stuff on Ebay called TOLEX. Maybe worth following up. Here is the link: Marshall Black Elephant Tolex | eBay (http://r.ebay.com/yEi36K)
Chris

Thanks Chris but it's nothing like the Land Rover 'elephant hide' (see the first post in this thread). It's grey but much darker in the creases.

Found lots of vinyl that's 'similar' but NQR. Reading UK forums even the early reproduction from Exmoor was felt to be a poor replica of the original.

I'll have to bite the bullet and order soon.


Colin

[mick88]

Colin,
is the vinyl available from Exmoor, or do they only sell made up seat covers?


Cheers, Mick.

[gromit]

Mick,
Haven't tried buying just the vinyl but Rovers North did have it advertised some years ago (from Exmoor) but is was very expensive per metre.

Probably not much more expensive to get them to supply ready made seatcovers.

Colin

[Looigi]

Hi there,

I am restoring a 1663 Dormobile with the same seats as yours. Where did you go for the seat covers in the end?

Cheers
Chris

[gromit]

I sourced them from Exmoor.
About AUS$1,300 landed. Expensive but the reproduction Elephant Hide is the business.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/dormobile-carawagon-conversions/214323-walter-dormobile-7.html#post2491617

damiane was able to source just the vinyl by the metre from Exmoor so if you have someone who can make them up for you it may be a lower cost option.

How about adding some pictures of your Dormobile to the 'Dormobile & Carawagon Conversions' section of the forum.


Colin

[Looigi]

Cheers Colin,

Did they fit ok?

I will take some pictures tomorrow and try to figure out how to post them.

Chris

[gromit]

Cheers Colin,

Did they fit ok?

I will take some pictures tomorrow and try to figure out how to post them.

Chris


Not fitted yet......too many other projects getting in the way.
I did read on the Land Rover Classic Camper forum that they are a bit tight to fit but I'll have to see when I get round to it.

Colin

[cactipus]

I just received my Elephant hide seats from Exmoor. Very happy with the finish. It is true as far as i can tell from the old seats that the texture on the originals was older. The colour very similar.
The price was $750 AUS delivered (471.25 pounds). I basically jumped on this after the Brexit god bless it.

Cheers

[mick88]

I just received my Elephant hide seats from Exmoor. Very happy with the finish. It is true as far as i can tell from the old seats that the texture on the originals was older. The colour very similar.
The price was $750 AUS delivered (471.25 pounds). I basically jumped on this after the Brexit god bless it.

Cheers


Cactipus has Brexit reduced prices for Aussies purchasing parts out of the UK?


Cheers, Mick.

[cactipus]

Cactipus has Brexit reduced prices for Aussies purchasing parts out of the UK?


Cheers, Mick.

Mick,

Everything out of the UK is 30% cheaper in Aussie dollars than it was this time last year. We haven't seen these levels since July 2013.
Happy days