The Long Lost Update

It struck me today how unreliable I have been in updating this blog! How is the restoration progressing, you ask? Slowly, but surely... At least there isn't a month that goes by in which some decisive restoration event doesn't occur.

Wood:

The preparation is complete (every single last piece), and I have also acquired the tools (compressor, spraygun and related equipment, as well as the necessary paint and chemicals) to complete the job - that deserves a post on its own.

Leather:

All the seats have been removed, and J has completely (and carefully) stripped all the upholstery from the leather, and the leather from the seats. 95% of the leather is salvageable (and in remarkably good condition) but one or two panels will have to be replaced - with a similar type and exact colour. I suspect she has a rather long task ahead of her!

The seats of this car is upholstered using natural fibre (from South America, I believe) and the springs in them would make for a wonderfully sturdy mattress. A nice find inside the seat was a card from the upholsterer, indicating the date and place of upholstery.

Interiour Disassembly

Most of the doors have been disassembled: Looking at the before- and after-image of the left rear door, it is hard to imagine the hours of effort required to removed (without damaging) the many rubbers, window glass, window frames, opening and locking mechanisms, etc. Here again can be soon the remarkable completeness of this car, right down to the little plastic covers which keep dust and moisture out.

All seats and carpeting have also been removed (not visible in the earlier image above) leaving a rather empty shell. The carpeting in this car is thicker and softer than any short-hair carpet I have even seen (even in a house) but sadly, has been ruined by water (the carpet appears to also contain a lot of natural fibre). I shall have to shop around for a replacement, and cut it to size. I am a bit concerned at getting the curvature (over the transmission tunnel, etc) right for a carpet this thick.

Next steps:

• Start finishing the wood (staining, coating, repeated wet-sanding and polishing)
• Rip the old and brittle stitching from all the leather, find replacement panels for the one or two damaged ones, and start stitching it all up again - by hand, mind you, as a machine will effectively cut through the existing stitching holes, destroying the panels.
• Remove all exterior trimmings and chrome, and send the car to a panel shop to perform minor repairs and replacement of rusted panels

Time will be very pressing, as the intended first purpose of this car is to serve as wedding coach to the hard-working couple restoring it :-)

The Leather Dilemma

I was under the impression that the cars that came out with real leather interior (versus the "MB Tex" vinyl) had seats with perforated panels, like the more modern Mercedes cars. This car, however, has a real blue leather interior that uses solid panels. It is, however, the original interior, and research has led me to believe that other people have seen this configuration as well.

This is the donor car before disassembly:


The seats (made of the most incredibly-thick blue leather) only show typical wear. The leather is not torn or punctured anywhere, but there are two challenges:

• In places (such as the top of the rear seat) the leather has completely hardened from the sun, like carboard.
• The stitching that holds the panels together is completely brittle, and breaks even if you sit on it.

A local leather trimmer said that he "can't restore the seats, but he has some great imitation-leather to sell me" but from what I've seen that other people have restored, I am adamant that it can be done, and, furthermore, that we will do this ourselves (what's life without a challenge).

With careful disassembly, softening (re-humidifying) of the leather (likely using instructions I found in a very informative document produced for the Australian museum society), and hand-stitching them through the original stitching holes, I believe we will turn this interior into a beautiful one, without losing the charm of the original materials. This will be done after we refinish the wood, and I will document this in detail (hopefully helping somebody going through the same dilemma).