Restoring And Refinishing E-type Jaguar Leather
Here's a good example of what I can do with faded classic car leather.
I received a call from a client I hadn't heard from in 10 years. When I was based in Auckland, I did a lot of work for him but since moving to Timaru, we had sort of lost contact.
Anyway, after a good long catch-up, he wanted to send me his E-type seats and trim pieces to be refinished.
I explained that the cost of freight could be a factor but he was insistent that he wanted the 'top job' done and freight was not an issue. He'd had several 'very average' leather jobs done after I'd left Auckland, so this time he wasn't going to run the risk.
Here what the leather looked like before I got started ...
Now, his instructions were very clear and precise ... "Paul, I know the leather is cracked in places, but I'm absolutely fine with that. If you can bring it back to its original colour, with a natural sheen, that will be fantastic!"
Having vinyl on the sides and outside backs, only the leather was to be restored ... after all, the vinyl door trims were still in the car, so I had to get as close a colour match to the original as possible.
Here they are ... back to the original colour ...
The centre console lid was rather cracked but as I explained to my client, the cracks won't disappear but will become a lot less noticeable.
The headrests and the centre consol lid before ...
... and after. The cracking looks much better, don't you think?
Once all the leather had been refinished, I carefully repacked it and sent it back to my client ... who was thrilled!
"Now that's what I call a first-class job! Of all the years in the leather industry, no one has even come close to your level of craftsmanship. Thanks, Paul. "
I must confess, I thought the leather came up good too!