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Advice
and Tips on Repairing Your Car's Upholstery
By Bruce
Hermann
As
an owner of a vintage car that has needed complete restoration,
I know the value of do-it-yourself projects. By doing the car
repairs or restorations yourself, you can save thousands of dollars.
One of the most often needed repairs for vintage cars is the upholstery.
Let me give you some easy tips for repairing it yourself. First
of all, you should always clean the upholstery before starting
any repair projects. Use an upholstery cleaner that is made specifically
for the type of upholstery you have and always follow the manufacturers
instructions to the letter. I prefer to spot test the cleaner
in an out-of-the-way place just to be sure. You will be amazed
at what a good cleaning can do for old upholstery! Sometimes it
will reveal potential problem areas that you can repair before
they become a big problem.
Repairing
Leather upholstery tips:
If
sewing or recovering the seat is not possible, you could try a
leather repair kit that can be found at any automotive store.
The kit will come with a plastic substance that you will tint
to match as close to your car upholstery color as possible. You'll
have to apply it and then let it dry. I don't recommend this for
large areas. It is usually o.k. for small areas if the color is
well matched. Black or White upholstery is the easiest to match.
Repairing
Vinyl upholstery tips:
Don't
try using glue to repair your vinyl! It seems like an easy fix,
but the adhesive in the glue can actually destroy the foam padding
underneath the vinyl. You don't want to create more problems!
Instead, simply cut a patch of excess vinyl found under the seat
and use adhesive specifically made for vinyl upholstery to patch
it. Again, follow the adhesive manufacturers instructions carefully.
If
it is just the piping around the seat that needs repair, use this
simple trick: Take a match stick and remove the match. Add some
contact cement to one end of the match and work it into the damaged
area. Then apply the cement to the other end and work that end
of the stick in. Fold it in as you go if necessary. Make sure
you let the cement dry completely before using the seat.
Do
some research ahead of time and see if this do it yourself project
is something you think you can do. You don't want that vintage
muscle car looking awesome on the outside and old as dirt on the
inside. With a little work you can get it in top notch shape!
If
you are a vintage car or hot rod fan, take a look at this. This
is one hot
classic car It's a tire smokin, ground pounding muscle
car that has stood the test of time and it's making a comeback
as a much sought after collector car.
Article
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