Restoring leather seats in my '63 Riv

[JanZverina]

I thought some of you might be interested in a recent project I undertook to improve the look of the white leather rear seats in my 1963 Riv, part of the uplevel trim option 748. The original hides naturally yellowed over time, and the previous owner used some awful bright white vinyl paint, which had to be removed with reducer. Rub N Restore https://rubnrestore.com/ in Colorado helped me blend a matching color after sending me sample swatches. Their product is an acrylic finish (not a dye) but different from thicker urethane aerosolized paints, which is why one can get an even result with lighter coats. Attached are some before and after pictures. (The little triangular piece at the top of the seat backs cover some sun damage near at the center seams that couldn't be repaired easily.) It sure looks a lot better than before for a 58 year-old Riv!

 

[protrash63]

Looks nice!  Wish mine were even close to using but no chance.  Doing the fronts as well?

[RivNut]

@JanZverina Take a look at the pattern on a 64 seat. It will have a solid panel running horizontally across the top of the seat. Could be an easy way to fix yours.

[JanZverina]

@Ed: Thanks for the tip! I'll take a look.

@protrash63: The front seats were redone very well (and to the factory pattern) sometime before I purchased the car in 2013 and they too have yellowed with age and of course sun exposure. This is probably true with other interior colors, but it seems that every white interior component yellows with age at a different rate. One component that yellowed noticeably are the large hard plastic panels directly beneath the full-length front door armrests. As they're molded in color, I used some 1500/then 2000 grit sandpaper followed by a good plastic polish to get a better consistent match, which was my goal across all the key interior components.

[XframeFX]

Thanks Jan. Rub 'n Restore has this product. I always wanted to find something better than old school neetsfoot oil. This is a restore product. more than I need? what maintenance product is best for 'seasoned leather'?

I left my backseat as-is, but clutter is gone. However a little sun burnt at the top:

 

[RivNut]

Check out a product called Leatherique.

[JanZverina]

Hi John,

The Rub N Restore folks are very helpful so they could provide guidance. If you're looking to refinish the lower cushion to remove some of the  scratches, they could help with a custom match color-wise, which will cost extra. In my case, the color I needed was between Marine White and Ivory, so I ordered two 8 oz. bottles and mixed smaller batches to the proper shade. You may be able to do the same with their standard colors such as Red Chile and something else. The sealer would be applied afterward if needed.

[JanZverina]

@Ed: Leatherique is a dye and I have used it on an parts of an older Jag XJ6 sedan interior, so that's an option also worth exploring.

[Craig Balzer]

4 hours ago, JanZverina said:

Leatherique is a dye

Actually, Leatherique makes both dyes and cleaners/conditioners.

 

[Jolly_John]

Hi, Jan. Thanks for posting about your project. Are the Rub N Restore products (the color coat and the sealer) applied by hand, without the use of a brush or spray gun? Also, how do they blend with the surrounding leather, or do you need to refinish a complete panel or seat insert? I will look at their website in a day or so, but thought I'd ask you first. John

[JanZverina]

Hi Jolly_John,

Complete details are on their website but yes, the color is generally applied using a slightly damp sponge, recoating as needed in my case as I was using a very light color and the seat had darkened a bit over 58 years. It dries pretty quickly for a recoat. Finishing a complete panel or insert is probably best, as you might prefer to color match at a seam.

[XframeFX]

10 hours ago, JanZverina said:

Finishing a complete panel or insert is probably best, as you might prefer to color match at a seam.

So, spot treating is not wise? I just want to address the top of my back seat which has darkened or charred along the width.

Thinking of using just the conditioner primer/sealer. Want to keep it simple as the rest of the red leather skin is fine.

[JanZverina]

Hi John,

Just a suggestion, but maybe take some good photos in various lights and send it to Rub N Restore. They may advise that you recolor that area to lighten it a bit before using a sealer or conditioner. Even a close match may do the trick as the top of the back seat will usually be a different shade than the rest due to various lighting conditions, exposure, shadows, etc. I haven't applied the conditioner primer/sealer on my seats. IIRC RNR said it wasn't needed after I mentioned that I don't think anyone ever sat back there, so it certainly doesn't get heavy use!