has any one switched to leather interior

[DONNIE BROOKS]

thinking of going with leather on sides ,any drawbacks,thanks

 

[olds443]

I assume you have bucket seats and are talking about doing the side bolsters in leather and leaving the centes in fabric? Is this correct? If that is what you mean I had a pair of buckets in my Cutlass that were like that and I didn't really see any drawback to them. In the winter it's nice to drop onto the cloth and not get hit with the cold leather and in the summer they don't seem to be a problem either. The leather may wear a little better on the sides than the cloth as well but I think that is all mostly how different drivers "wear" there seats. I know a lot of people slide in and rub there back, others like to plop down, each one has it's own way of wearing the seatins down.

 

[DONNIE BROOKS]

thanks

had a problem with fading ,cloth on the side .faded in less than a year .figured leather would be better.

 

[olds443]

original seats or recovered? If they are original I wouldn't be surprised that they faded fast. Anyways, I was reading another thread and member Jsta6 in Florida has leather GN seats, maybe send him a pm and see how his is wearing.
Btw, your Regal is sweet.

 

[Turbo1dr]

Leather doesn't breath very good in the summer leaving your back sweatty in the Summer...even with the AC on on short trips.

They are also cold in the Winter. Once you get your butt and back warm... don't move, because you'll have to re-warm the seat in another spot.

However, you can't beat the smell you get when you first enter the car after a new leather interior is installed!

 

[rev. 3:11]

I did my own using the Jax set; front/rear seats, headrest & door panels.
I opted to delete the doorlock knobs for a smoother look on the door panels
This is the first time I have ever reupholstered & it was a learning experience at times
If you opt to do it get a GOOD set of hog-ring pliers!
I have gotten very positive feedback from everyone who has seen the new interior and I am pretty pleased with it as well
here are some pics of the seats (before install) I'll try to post pics of everything (seats, door panels etc.) as-is 2morrow!
D

 

[olds443]

Leather doesn't breath very good in the summer leaving your back sweatty in the Summer...even with the AC on on short trips.

They are also cold in the Winter. Once you get your butt and back warm... don't move, because you'll have to re-warm the seat in another spot.

However, you can't beat the smell you get when you first enter the car after a new leather interior is installed!

This is funny because it's so true. I got a quote a few years ago to have a seat recovered in cloth versus leather. The shop owner was pretty honest and said you really can't go wrong with cloth for the above mentioned reasons. If I hadn't come across a great deal on nice leather seats I would probably stick with cloth myself.
That being said, I don't think you would notice the heat/cold if you just did the sides.

 

[DONNIE BROOKS]

thanks

for the feed back,

 

[THE BLACK MAMBA]

I did my own using the Jax set; front/rear seats, headrest & door panels.
I opted to delete the doorlock knobs for a smoother look on the door panels
This is the first time I have ever reupholstered & it was a learning experience at times
If you opt to do it get a GOOD set of hog-ring pliers!
I have gotten very positive feedback from everyone who has seen the new interior and I am pretty pleased with it as well
here are some pics of the seats (before install) I'll try to post pics of everything (seats, door panels etc.) as-is 2morrow!
D

Where did you get your hog-ring pliers from? I have some leather seat covers from Jax also...want to do it myself..any tips or tricks when install....sorry for the thread jacking

 

[olds443]

You can get the pliers from many places including Eastwood, trade/car shows, local upholsterer will probably sell a pair and Harbor freight

 

[rev. 3:11]

Just saw some nice ones @ Harbor Freight (never saw 'em when I needed 'em!! );
I bought mine online but they were ElCheepo & wildly uncomfortable! The HF have angled handles, but I didn't see any hog-rings
I took a lot of pics during disassembly and marked the location of the hog-rings on the frames w/ a Sharpie. Be sure to line up the stitched lines on top & bottom of seats (mine may be a little off). The doors are a little tricky due to the inside dew sweep (it is stapled to the backer board and bends VERY easily) I'm still trying to get out and snap some pics of the interior will post soon...
D