If you have an older sports car, especially a driver, just because it’s well worn, doesn’t mean it has to be worn out. Take the example of this 1997 Ferrari F355 I worked on earlier this month. This is a 39K mile, gated six speed spider which looks wonderful. When you opened the door however, the seats really showed their age. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy fix.
As long as the creases haven’t worn all the way through the leather all you need is a little light leather fill, some sanding, and patience to apply many layer’s of the leather dye. The hardest part sometimes is just getting the nerve to sand the surfaces of the seats. It may not be necessary, but I actually clean the leather twice. The first time to remove oils and grime after which I apply leather conditioner and let it sit a while. I’m trying to evaluate how dry the leather has become. I clean it a gain, lightly sand then assess if I need to use any filler. I try to avoid filler as much as possible and really only apply it if the cracks and creases reach deep into the leather. In this case, I only had to fill a few areas.
Once the liquid leather has had a chance to cure, I sand again, spot clean and begin applying the leather dye with a sponge. This method is somewhat tedious, but it creates a wonderfully satin surface when through. The passenger seat was in better shape than the driver’s seat and only needed a couple of layers to become uniform in color. The driver’s seat to as many as seven coats in some areas. But in the end looks wonderful. It still has an appropriate level of wear, but no longer looks worn out. And in the end, that’s what you want with a preservation detail — respect the patina of use, but help preserve it for the future.
