In November 2017, Practical Classics magazine asked us to be apart of another very special project to help raise money for Lennox Children's Cancer Fund.
Our Technical & Training Manager, Craig Stevenson restored the leather interior of a 1958 Austin Westminster A105 Estate Auto, ready for the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration show which we attended in March.
Before starting the restoration process, he examined the leather for any holes, scuffs and discolouration. He then took a small sample of undamaged leather from the underside of the seat and gave it to our colour department for a colour match. As we didn't have the original Westminster colour on record, our colour department made a new Leather Colourant, matching the original colour of the interior to keep it looking as authentic as possible.
Once the leather interior had been assessed and the colour had been matched, Craig needed to prep the leather.
He used our Leather Prep to remove the manufactured finish, Alcohol Cleaner to remove any silicones like spray on polishes or waxes that aren't soluble in solvents and Leather Binder to strengthen the leather. Before recolouring the leather, any holes, scuffs and scratches had to be repaired.
The products used to recolour and repair the leather can be bought separately or as part of our Leather Colourant Kit and Leather Repair Kit.
After recolouring the main body of the seats, Craig then turned his attention to the contrasting vinyl trim which due to the age of the interior, had started to crack. Rather than replacing the trim, Craig repaired the cracking by filling each individual crack and smoothing it down with sandpaper before recolouring and applying a finish.
Many thanks to Craig for all his hard work!
The team at Practical Classics were thrilled with the results and couldn't wait to show off the finished product on stage at the show.
All of the products used in the restoration were our own and can be purchased on our website. If you have any questions about restoring your own interior or any of our products, please contact us via email: [email protected] or call 0844 879 3691
