As my next job I wanted to restore two benches I got my hands on. The leather attached to the back rest was totally gone. It slides inside a groove, but with all the rust and rot it didn't slide out easily. I made one mistake with the first groove. I started by folding the groove open. Sure, that way you can get to remove the old leather with the rusted spring folded into it. However, you destroy the smooth line. Folding it back into place it will never be the same. So, realising that I used lots of WD40 (in stores since 1958), a thin screwdriver to scrape it all loose and lots of elbow grease. One person holding the frame, the other pulling on the leather and it will come out neatly. If anything is left behind you can scrape it out later, sand it. After taking the seat apart, removing the rivets carefully with a drill, the sanding process. Boy, I should have worn that mask. What I coughed up later was rather dark.
I gave it all a base of alluminium paint (anti rust) from Bunnings. And then got the spray painter and compressor out (first time I did this myself)
I was waiting for someone who said he had NOS elephant hide coming (Don't worry, not real elephant skin, just the colour Land Rover used) But there were delays and it was probably going to be expensive. So, when I noticed someone had left their white leather couch on the road for garbage collection I pulled over, got my pocket knive out and stripped it of its skin. I also took the pillows for their filling. The original filling (I still have it) is some type of dried plant material.
I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school's art classes so don't expect neat seems etc. Using the white leather is just a temporary fix until I find the original stuff matching my front seats.
Bunnings didn't seem to have the orginal spring which was sewn into the edge. Used with curtains, so should be available elsewhere. This holds the leather into the groove. But a metal wire of about the same diameter did the trick.
Push/pull it back into the groove. Make sure it fits tightly and doesn't come out easily.
As you may see, if I did a bit better sowing the corners wouldn't be standing out so much. But hey, not bad for a first time.
Close one side and start filling from the other side with...
Now we got all the parts, putting it back together and installing it. As I didn't have the orginal brackets I decided to use some rubber in between as not to damage too much.
And after all that the result is...
Comfortable rear seats/benches, finally!
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Originally Posted by mfc
come out to play. I wouldn't want to have some loose kids in the back by themselves anyway. And whatever the law may allow,... we are still captain of the ship and responsible for all souls on board, right!?
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