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brilliant work...

Now it's time to really get down to business with the front seats. The back seats and center arm rest were just the warm-up.

But first things first. It was only by dismantling the front seats that I learned that the backrests are not only adjustable in position, but that the entire backrest can also be folded forward. To do this, the hinge mechanism is connected to a pivot point further forward, which is locked in place by a small lever under the seat. This makes access to the rear seats much easier.


The chrome hinges could be wonderfully restored to their former glory with Nver Dull. With a magnifying glass, of course, you would still see minimal rust spots, but the effort involved in re-chroming is out of all proportion to the cost and result.


The foam cores of the seat upholstery are still fully intact. Only the upholstery bands, which provide the cushion comfort, are completely hardened. To achieve this, the leather cover and the foam core have to be detached from the wooden base plate. What doesn't make things any easier is that the leather, foam core and wood are firmly glued together. However, once everything was gradually separated, I was able to remove the old nailed upholstery strips and staple new upholstery strips to the wooden base plate.

Time to continue with the seat base. I cleaned the leather thoroughly again. Now it reveals all its damage. As can be seen in the first pictures, a seam on the edge of the center section framed by the keader has come undone.


To re-sew this, the entire cover must be detached from the foam core. However, this is glued over the entire surface. Otherwise it would be too easy. Once I had uncovered the area, I was able to sew the seam by hand from the back.


Unfortunately, the leather was already quite brittle, so it tore when I pulled and corrected it while sewing . This was quite annoying and elicited a number of words from me that were not very PG . I stabilized the tears from behind with a thin textile material and leather glue (all included in the set from the leather center). Once this had dried, I filled the cracks from the front with liquid leather in several passes. I was then able to complete the seam and pull the cover back over the foam core.

Admiration extended!!

Gosh That is most impressive! They are lovely seats aren't they. Radfords of that period were quite something

Oh yes, the Radford seats are fantastic in therms of material and design. That's exactly why I'm making this effort.

It is no different with a leather seat or an entire interior than with the sheet metal body. You have to take care of the major damage as well as the small rust spots. With leather seats, these are the seams, everything that affects the substructure, but also the small scratches and damage in the leather skin. These require just as much attention as the small rust spots on the sheet metal. In the end, the overall result depends on how carefully each area has been looked after.


There are some deep scratches in the seat that go all the way to the undercoat. Small scraps are sticking up, but the areas are all still closed. After thorough degreasing, I filled all the scratches again with the pre-colored liquid leather. The material can still be shaped quite well with a mini spatula and blended in with the surroundings. However, several passes are always necessary as the liquid leather shrinks as it dries.


In the end, the areas are not invisible, but the cracks have been filled and the material has regained its stability. Perhaps with more experience and perseverance it is possible to make the areas completely invisible, but in view of the amount of minor damage, you have to weigh up how much effort you put in.

hi doc
your leather work in first class for a lay person as you say more effort can give better results there is always an other day when time permits more attention with the little bits and pieces a big project that will improve your skills i am sure
cheers roger

As previously shown, the rear side compartment has caused a lot of damage to the corner of the backrest. A problem that is known to exist in many Minis, but is even more painful in Radford seats with Colonel leather. Especially if at some point a moderately talented craftsman has stapled the leather around the damage to the wood structure.


The backrest consists of two parts, the actual upholstery and a backshell. With a certain amount of care, it was easy to work out how to separate the two parts. To do this, I first had to remove various upholstery nails in order to be able to remove the clipped-in backshell. This gave me access to the back of the damage. You can see the hole on the left of the backshell.

I cut away the frayed leather until there was only thick, sturdy leather left on the edge. To fill it, I cut a suitable piece of filler, which I had previously taken from the back seat. First I glued a fabric reinforcement from the back so that I could then glue the filler piece in as flush as possible. I


then filled the remaining edges with liquid leather and smoothed them out.

In order for the leather to regain its resilience for everyday use, it must above all become supple again. A lack of care over several decades has made it very brittle and hard. This naturally leads to cracks in the leather, burst seams and it is very susceptible to mechanical stress. Leather softener can be used to make the leather very smooth again. To do this, the softener must be applied to the leather before the paint is applied. Using a roller or, as in my case, an inline skate, you can carefully roll the leather so that the fibers loosen again and the softener can penetrate deep into the structure. This is done in several passes.


After allowing the softener to work in for a few days, I applied the leather tint again. You can only see the repair area on the backrest if you know where it is, get really close to it or feel it with your hand.


Of course, the classic before-and-after comparison is a must. Because that's the real pleasure and makes you forget all the effort.
Finally, the finished seat in beautiful sunlight. I can't resist the superfluous comment that the seat and leather are still a good 50 years old.

Great results Doc, enjoying this journey!

Can we follow the progress elsewhere if this forum does happen to close? Thanks

colinmac1330 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2024 11:38 am Can we follow the progress elsewhere if this forum does happen to close? Thanks

You can read along here with the help of the translation feature on your browser or phone

https://www.mini-forum.de/forum/thread/ ... -de-ville/

It took a couple of takes Doc to realise you are not a contortionist (the photo with your hand in the roller skate, thought it was your leg!)

Have often wondered how one can bring back suppleness to dried out leather, have often noticed with re dyed leather car seats they are horribly stiff. But it surprises me that one can feed in leather creams/oils through the front where one supposes the original dye would create a barrier? Had assumed one would have to feed it in through the reverse undyed side...

The one missing ingredient to your alchemy is how you could replicate that wonderful Connolly leather smell of the 60's a heady mix of dyes/oils/cellulose?

Unbelievable genius! Bravo!!!

Unbelievable genius! Bravo!!!

hi doc
you should become a professional leather seat repairer what you have done there is astounding this car has fallen into the best hands will look superb
when finished excellent work
cheers roger mcnab

hi doc
you should become a professional leather seat repairer what you have done there is astounding this car has fallen into the best hands will look superb
when finished excellent work
cheers roger mcnab

hi doc
you should become a professional leather seat repairer what you have done there is astounding this car has fallen into the best hands will look superb
when finished excellent work
cheers roger mcnab

The quality of your work and the end result is simply stunning, I didn't think that level of transformation could be achieved without a complete retrim.