Some questions about leather interior...

[rscheiring]

Oddly enough, most fabric or craft stores will think you're nuts if you ask for hog rings/pliers. I use www.upholsterysupply.com but there are others. Rings are cheap (get a couple lbs), the pliers are like $30 I think.

Before you know it, you'll be peddling your upholstery services on R3vlimited.com!

[Sean]

Oddly enough, most fabric or craft stores will think you're nuts if you ask for hog rings/pliers. I use www.upholsterysupply.com but there are others. Rings are cheap (get a couple lbs), the pliers are like $30 I think.

Before you know it, you'll be peddling your upholstery services on R3vlimited.com!

I'm guessing they're a special kind of pliers? Not like the normal ones that I would find in our toolbox?

I'll take a look at the site, thanks man!

It'd be hard to compete with the current upholstery guys... :D;)

[bwanac]

Hey Sean is the backseat we are talking about the one commonly found in convertibles?

Because those things tear at the upper seams all the times. Good luck with it.

Yes, we were off topic. But someone as hot as Carmella deserves attention!

[Sean]

Hey Sean is the backseat we are talking about the one commonly found in convertibles?

Because those things tear at the upper seams all the times. Good luck with it.

Yes, we were off topic. But someone as hot as Carmella deserves attention!

Nope, normal kind found in any coupe. It's ripping on both sides, at the top - close to the seat belts. each side has a rip in teh seam a few inches long. It's not all tht bad actually.

[rscheiring]

I'm guessing they're a special kind of pliers? Not like the normal ones that I would find in our toolbox?

Not a tool I've seen anywhere else. They have an area removed in the center of the plier to hold the hog ring.
Here are the pliers:

and here is a hogring (open, and then what its like after being closed by the pliers)

[bwanac]

Oh, yeah that should be easy enough to fix then.

[Sean]

Cool, thanks for the pics.

I'll see what I can find. If I have any other questions, I'll post em.

Thanks again, Rob! :)

[Sean]

BUMP!


Added some pics!

Take a look on the first page, and let me know what you guys think.

[bmw4life]

My friend just got a 325is and the seats had worse cracks than yours. He took it to a guy and he redyed the seats, there are still a few cracks but nothing to bad. They look almost new.

[Sean]

My friend just got a 325is and the seats had worse cracks than yours. He took it to a guy and he redyed the seats, there are still a few cracks but nothing to bad. They look almost new.

Do you know how much that cost him?

Maybe that's an option then, to just redye them myself...hmmm

[rscheiring]

There was a thread on this some time ago (dying/leatherique on seats), but I looked and can't find it. I think some folks actually sand them first.

But if you go to all the trouble, will the dye match your other seat (given that is your objective here)? It would seem a lot easier to just find matching new leather, or find another passenger seat in the same gray and just swap the leather onto the driver side.

The backseat should be easy, as the leather looks in good shape, just the thread near the top let go (and then is starts to unravel down).

Here is one more idea for you - use the centers from your passenger seat to make bolsters for the driver seat, then just reupholster both centers in cloth, suede, contrasting leather, whatever!