Leather seats

[Yale]

Kare,

Yeah there's no mystery that the untreated leather seats get stiff. That's why I was so upset when the mechanic destroyed my drivers seat because he forgotten he had promised to treat them. He owned a 365 gt at one time and felt those seats never needed any looking after. Perhaps Ferrari changed the type of leather they used or he is so unused to careing about things like this that he didn't even notice the degradation on his own car.

[John Vardanian]

Has anyone tried just plain, colorless Kiwi shoe polish? I did last year for the first time--applied two small cans at one setting. It's been nearly a year and I've never had the skins so supple.

john

[Yale]

Those are color specific aren't they? I wonder if those cans come in orange? I would see the shoe shine guys with cans of black and brown which had a can of darkly colored goop. Perhaps that isn't that color imparting as its not a dye. Hmmm

[330GT]

In 2004, Lowell Brown had his car at the FCA nationals in Monterey. i helped him detail the car for the concours. He had used red shoe polish on the back seats, but evidently had not buffed it enough as i ended up with the back of my T shirt being red. So if you go this route, be sure and wipe it off well and check for any remaining with a white cloth.

[Lowell]

In 2004, Lowell Brown had his car at the FCA nationals in Monterey. i helped him detail the car for the concours. He had used red shoe polish on the back seats, but evidently had not buffed it enough as i ended up with the back of my T shirt being red. So if you go this route, be sure and wipe it off well and check for any remaining with a white cloth.

The advantage of using shoe polish is that you can match the color and remove most of the polish if you got it wrong. Moreover, you can add more to get a deeper color. Then all you need is Kerry to polish it in.
In fact, after 2004, I have occasionally used a little more red polish on the seats and drive shaft tunnel --- and I have put quite a lot more of it on the package shelf, but no one sits there. Anyway, if you do rub the shoe polish a lot with terry cloth towels and wait a week or so, not much will come off. And after a month or so, nothing rubs off. You use the cream type of shoe polish, not the waxy stuff. The disadvantages of leather dye is that it can make the leather brittle, and that you have to get it right the first time. I do have some leather dye, but I have always been too scarred to use it.

Another thing that I have found for the old leather seats is to douse them with neatsfoot oil. You put the stuff on your hands and rub it in ---- use a fair amount and then rub the leather with terry cloth towels to remove the excess. It makes the old leather nice and soft and pliable.

[Lowell]

Has anyone tried just plain, colorless Kiwi shoe polish? I did last year for the first time--applied two small cans at one setting. It's been nearly a year and I've never had the skins so supple.

john

I would think that Kiwi is not a good idea --- too waxy. But I have not tried it.

[kare]

I picked up a French product called Akene intended for saddles and brides. Horse products have two great advantages why I like them; they are not multi-purpose products also tailored to treat the vinyl interiors (you can't tell modern leather and vinyl apart without cutting through to see the backside) and/or wash up soft drinks your kids spill on the back seat. And they don't smell like peppermint or lemon like so many car products do.

I also think they are of higher quality; if you sell horse people a bad product and it ruins their hand-sewn saddle, they'll come back and kick your butt.

[Lowell]

Neatsfoot Oil is what they use for horse saddles out here in the wild west of the USA. It has no odor.

[John Vardanian]

Has anyone tried just plain, colorless Kiwi shoe polish? I did last year for the first time--applied two small cans at one setting. It's been nearly a year and I've never had the skins so supple.

john

I would think that Kiwi is not a good idea --- too waxy. But I have not tried it.

Hi Lowell, it is waxy. So, after applying it you find yourself having to work it in with a rag a few times after application. I think all the other leather products are the same thing, only lighter duty. Just like Vaseline is the base and (the real working ingerdient) in high priced ladies' skin products.

john

[mdempsey]

Queen to come out FCA 2012

[TOMKIZER]

Mark,

I know I said my Pagoda would be done before Zac could finish your Queen, but it won't. I'm getting too old to work on a car full time. I'm going to take my time and finish it this Fall and Winter. It's not even back from the body restorer yet. I told him to take his time also.

When I saw your post, I searched FCA2012, the host hotel availability and flights. Then I lay down until I came to my senses and realized that a $10,000, one-week trip across the continent just to see your car is probably not the best idea I ever had.

So please take lots of photos and post them here.

Good Luck,

Tom Kizer

[mdempsey]

well Tom I am sorry to hear you won't make it. I will have to drive it to see you after it comes back East. That's a promise. Hope all is well.