Dyed my leather - looks new!

[jamisobe]

I have heard this discussed so I thought some may be interested in seeing my results. My seats were trashed. I've seen leather seats in very bad condition before and mine were worse. They were really cracked up and through in one spot. I also had a seam ripping out on the driver side. I spent $190 in materials including the $10 to have a leather shop sew a seam and about 8 hours of my labor. The gray is slightly lighter than original but it is difficult to discern. I am very happy with the results:

[TX_TLC]

Any before shots? Do you mind elaborating including the name and where you purchased your materials.

This would greatly help the content if searched for in the future.

Looks great!

[jamisobe]

Here is another shot including the steering wheel and the shifters which were all dyed. You can also see my new Kenwood double din head unit.

[vt92]

Looks great! Do you have any 'before' shots?

How did you match up the dye color?

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by vt92

Looks great! Do you have any 'before' shots?

How did you match up the dye color?

You know, I meant to take some before shots, but I was lazy. They were bad. I first sanded with 80 grit before I switched to 220. I used an orbital sander for most.

I used 2 different colors to get where I ended up. The first a Toyota gray ("Nickel") was way too light though it looked right online. The second was a dark BMW gray from an 88-96 7 series. The second is a tad on the light side, but close enough that those who have seen it have asked if I got new skins.

[landtank]

how about a close up of the common wear spot on the driver seat near the controls.

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by TX_TLC

Any before shots? Do you mind elaborating including the name and where you purchased your materials.

This would greatly help the content if searched for in the future.

Looks great!

The name of the product was Colorbond. You can check it out at colorbondtuner.com

[Doc]

That looks fantastic!

[jamisobe]

Here are 2 shots of the driver seat around the controls where it was worn to the fabric (I gave it a few extra coats here) and another shot of where the seam was ripped out. You see where it was sewn if you study it. Compared to they way it was it is now invisible.

[jamisobe]

Thanks Doc. My wife is very picky. She had thought that I replaced the skins.

My dad was visiting and thought I had replaced the seats. He said my cab looked new.

[hfd crusher]

Very nice! I've got seat envy....

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by hfd crusher

Very nice! I've got seat envy....

Thanks

[sc40]

i know what i'm doing this weekend

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by sc40

i know what i'm doing this weekend

Try to not hit the seams when sanding. If you do you can singe them with a lighter torch and then rub them down while hot in the thread direction to make them smooth again.

[barrypt5]

so you used about 13 cans ($190/$13/can=~13 cans?) of that stuff to do the font and rear? are the seats stiffer than they were before they were sprayed or did they retain their flexibility? looks really good !!!

PS did you use any of the clear coat that colorbond sells on their site?

barrypt5

[archie]

Nice! Did the instructions for prep and dyeing come with the dye? Any other informational resources you can reccommend other than MUD? Thanks.

[syrinxstar]

Nice work - thanks for sharing the results. Pretty unbelievable how well these things can be turned around.

[e9999]

sure looks good!

wish we could see the before pics...

is it as supple as before? feels thick or plasticky?

you just spray the stuff like paint? basically some sort of plastic, I guess?

think it will crack?


neat post, good to know!

[BrettinSanAntonio]

That's a world of difference from the last time I saw your rig. The time you put in to it was worth it.

[jamisobe]

When I was 20 or so (about 20 years ago) I had a body shop dye some black leather recaros to match my BMWs tan interior. It worked great and I had that experience as I entered into this project.

My seats were very bad. If you look very closely you can see faint cracks that look as if my seats are just slightly breaking in. Well, they are broke in. Very broke in. I sanded with care. 80 grit at first and then 150 or 220. For the worst cracks or most heavily worn areas like over the driver side controls I applied extra dye and sanded extra several times. Before I sprayed the driver seat I removed the lower skin and took it to a leather shop to have a 7 inch ripped seam sewn. I used a leather repair kit bought at autozone (along with black dye) to fix the one tear I had on the driver seat (the driver seat was in the worst shape by far). All repairs and dyeing occured with the skins on the seat.

They felt a little stiff at first and smelled very strong of new car, but after a few days in the warm truck the suppleness returned and the smell has lessened.

The shifters turned out fabulous as did the steering wheel. Other than the hi/lo shifter they were all very bad. Now they all look new. I also painted the base for the front dome light. It had a yellowish tint to it. The Nickel color I bought first was a close match to the stock color found on the dome base.

I bought and used 11 cans of gray dye to do the front 2 seats, the arm rest, the steering wheel, and the dome light base. I didn't bother with using acetone (fingernail polish remover - don't buy "cleaner"). Rather, I simply used 220 grit where deep sanding was not required. This will clean the surface and give superior adhesion.

I also removed and powerwashed the carpet (i used new padding for the front piece) and steam cleaned the headliner.

[BrettinSanAntonio]

I have stereo envy for your rig. I may have factory buttery leather but my stock sound is starting to wear me down as a human being.

[alaskacruiser]

jamislobe- off-topic I know, but tell me more about the cupholder on the center shift console- how do you like it, what kind is it, where can I find one?

[DRTDuck]

Did you pull the seats out of the truck, tape everything around them, or what?

[DRTDuck]

Sorry, posted after your last, talking about how you left the skins on. Did you spend alot of time masking stuff off, such as when doing the stearing wheel?

[jamisobe]

If I were to do it again I would buy 12 cans of dye and plan on doing the front seats, the steering wheel, the arm rest, and the dome light base (I would add 6-8 cans for the 2nd row - mine were still in good shape so I just cleaned them). Knowing what I know now I would buy 6 of the dark 7 series BMW gray and 6 of the Ford dark medium flint (I debated between those two after I discovered that Toyota Nickel was way too light). I would test the Ford dark medium flint and if it was too dark I would use it as the primer for the two seats to finish up with the BMW 7 series dark gray. Otherwise, if the Ford medium dark flint was a better match I would use the BMW 7 series dark gray as primer for the seats. It may very well be that the Ford gray is too dark. The BMW gray was a near match.

The dome light base is a lighter shade of gray than the leather.

There is no problem with using off colors for primer since the sanded leather seats will absorb 2 cans or so before a finish forms. After the finish forms continue to add layers careful to avoid dripping. You don't want the seats to wear out again anytime soon.

It is a good idea to allow some drying time even though the surface will dry to touch in 30 minutes. I waited overnight a couple of times before deep sanding to allow the dye to become extra cured. Though I have about 8 hours invested I did it over a three day period. The only place I gained any information was the Colorbondtuner.com website and on their rattle cans. Otherwise, I relied on my experience doing body work. Careful sanding and deliberate and relatively even dye application.

The seats feel great. My Dad was amazed at how they turned out and my wife asked me whether I really just gave up and bought skins (I would of bought my winch bumper and winch before I pay for seat skins).

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by BrettinSanAntonio

I have stereo envy for your rig. I may have factory buttery leather but my stock sound is starting to wear me down as a human being.

Its not good to be worn down as a human being. Do you play on Ebay? I got a great deal on my head unit-$100. I had very good door speakers to begin with and decided to pull my 12 inch woofers and external amps (too much weight and sound). I will someday employ my smaller fosgate amp to drive one woofer in the back passenger quarter.

Want to buy a couple of big Kenwood amps and 2 12 inch Kickers?

[jamisobe]

Originally Posted by alaskacruiser

jamislobe- off-topic I know, but tell me more about the cupholder on the center shift console- how do you like it, what kind is it, where can I find one?

I don't remember where I got it but I use it all of the time. Its crucial.

I think I got it at meyers or autozone or something.