My E36 "Modena Brown Restoration "

My all time favoruite color in the the e36’s has always been Modena Brown, so i was determined to make it happen soon er or later and especially my E36 being hellrot red i knew it would look good.
Hetting a retrim woud cost over 2.5 k so was not a realistic option so i started looking at the Professional leather dys as it was somwthing i never was intertested in before and to be honest after seinhg some pictures and some peoples work i was amazed at the results that can be achieved.
Being kind of new to this my plan was to source a second hand e36 interior cheap whih in ireland is not easy, but eventually i found a complete vert interior including front and rear leather doorcards etc one up the north So picked that up at a good price.
It was filthy but not really torn or bady worn which was my main concern , i knew my work wold be cut out cleaning it. The reason i did not use my own interior was in case something went wrong i still had the oroginal so with the spare one i had a chance to properly experiment and luckily enought it was sand beige so agreat base color to work on.


So here is the interior i picked up and brought it ready for cleaning

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psddbf171d.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps4aa31c6e.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psa2ab7244.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps8d9d333d.jpg



The plan for the front doorcards was to remove the insert and dye it and bond it back to my black doorcard, this will be the most difficult part of the job
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps8d9d333d.jpg

As you can see its really filthy and needs a serious cleaning, to make lifeeasier i used a steam claner, dr leather, apc, nail brush all sorts of leather cleaner but the biggest help was the steam as it lift all the crap out of the leather

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps769f481f.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps6b3005b6.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps241fea41.jpg

Then i softened any neccesary ares with leather condirioner http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9fe3a10d.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9173a6ec.jpg



After letting them dry you can see the differnece before and after, it m ay look dirty in aptches but its not actual dirt as such but more so light stain which i could not removce but knew the dye would easily cover them
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psbaeaeed0.jpg



http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psa8e0e460.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psb7b77f30.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psc7abcab2.jpg

So after waiting few weeks for my color to mixed up i was getting frustrated ,
I was anxious to get stuck in, the main thing in this kind of job is “Preparation” ios the key to a good result.
So the two main things i wanted to do was to us the cleaner that came eith the kit and the alcohol prep so to make sure i have good clean surface to work on.

Firstly i started on the small centre piece from the rear bench
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps1fcb2269.jpg http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps90cd318d.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps889af7c3.jpg

Look at the color didfference http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psf20fc32f.jpg

Next weas the side panel http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9a4a1866.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psc8cb0db2.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psff92ddfd.jpg

The other side needed some filler http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps6cd59bc5.jpg http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psd64b7500.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps420a6284.jpg

Fianlly got the small pieces all done, to be honest its one of thise colors that hard to photograph but my lighting conditions did not help
[hr]
Here is a sample pic of what the car should look like eventually

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps39ffb44e.png


Starteed on the rear lower seat which was straight forward
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps0192539a.jpg http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9a3f4897.jpg http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps6caeea0f.jpg http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps0d568a73.jpg

The top rear needed some filler
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psa6c45397.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps5d0a3bfd.jpg




Biggest nightmare was the front door cards, i had to remove the insert very slowly with out damaging it and that proved impossibile, i eventually got them, off and luckily only a small bit of that pressed wood or whatever crap ots amde from broke off and was ledt stuck the the frame.
These seem tro be bon ed on my some very strong contact adhesive so i will have to do the same.
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps8d8e8727.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps343cc341.jpg

I was a little annoyed that there was bit of the front insert ripped off so i was thinking oif a way to build it up or fill it in in some way.
Could not really find anything suitable and slightly flexible so i managed to get some platic wood filler and tec 7 and i slowly made the shape again with my hand and plety of washing up liquid as a lubricant, it actaully worked iut well as its super strong and will flex a bit .
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psa79e93f9.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps605dc179.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps1f5d21de.jpg


Had to remove the armrest from the car http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9fb31723.jpg

Nedded some slight filler http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psdc07dd5b.jpg

First coat
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps50460b36.jpg
Second coat and sprayed http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psc800203e.jpg



Satin sealer applied 2 times for strength
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps42d82780.jpgght
Used a very fine detail brush to go over any hard to reach parts or stitching area
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps3c97fc25.jpg
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psf29cff01.jpg



Here is the progress so far, bear in mind all these parts i hve not yet applied the sealer so it will look evern b etter when done but it gives you an idea
Left to do now is the two vaders but not sure i will do them myself or have them done for me
[hr]
and bond the door cards after i dye them
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps76c88bf5.jpg




Keep an eye on this thread for more updates

Good stuff Claudio man! Always love checking out your threads, always an interesting read :)

Should look great when it's done!

These are going to looking great against the Red with the top down.

Time consuming but well worth it

got last few bits done like handles and speaker covers

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps6d08aaed.jpg

also finished the front door inserts

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps2e40fe6d.jpg

applied 3 coats of satin sealer to protect everything
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps58ca8571.jpg

pretty much everything done and sealed except the vaders
turned out really well and the satin finish is nice and not shiny which is what i wanted
the color is this pic is soo off , must be the camera or natural light, really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psa7b3580c.jpg

more updates soon

Wow impressive turn around there. When I saw the first pics I thought you were mad but you really done the business there.

I left everything to cure for a good week before putting it back in the car
Just started with the rear seats and the rear Panels as armrest
Only thing I'm unhappy Is the armrest because there was some wear on it and now is more visible because of the lighter color
Also having the fronts out gave me. Chance to really give it a good Hoover . Didnt really need it anyway
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/20/a9a4uta9.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/20/5atuta2y.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/20/gara4uvu.jpg

That looks amazing already!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks great,Ill have to get you to do mine : )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by COUPE ///M

Looks great,Ill have to get you to do mine : )

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No worries
There will be a small fee involved !! 😀

[quote=claudio]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by COUPE ///M

Looks great,Ill have to get you to do mine : )

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No problem wouldn't expect you to do it for nothing :)

got some more done ! the toughest part of this job was serating my original door card from its insert so i could bond the leather insert i had ready on to it, i was looking for some black leather ones so it would be easier but mine were in very good condition but i could not find them anywhere, so i slowly started to to lift the inset slowly with some some tools that were flat like a wide chisel etc so i could not damage anything and it took me ages, then i sanded any residue or glue that was leftover and cleaned it with alcohol

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps2c36cc67.jpg


so after researching which would the easiest but strongest glue to work with evo stik impact seemed to be the best becuase you could apply it to both the door card and the insert and you had few minutes to line them up before it sets
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psafaa30df.jpg

initially it worked fine but the prob was that the edges were not sealing properly and that was annoying me so i had to remove it and let it dry and sand it again and prep it again, in the meantime i sourced some strong glue that had an activator spray .

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps1f50b46d.jpg

so this time i applied the impact glue and syringed the glue on the edge of the insert and applied spray to the door card, it instantly formed a very quick bond and tightened the edges .
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps5117eb40.jpg

i left both the cards overnight and fitted them back in the car
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psafb6d836.jpg

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps7f3b3313.jpg

also took the opportunity to clean everything and fit the ac schnitzer pedals
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps791b8211.jpg


http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps9b96228e.jpg

some difference in the leather lux door cards than the standard one as there is extra stitching and padding and look a lot better too.
thats all for the moment !

Claudio for the love of GOD get your misses to get you a camera for Christmas :D:D:D

Good work cant wait to see this in the flesh :cool:

Lol Chris
I had two and they broke , been using the iPhone ! Need to get a good camera

Quote:

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Originally Posted by claudio

Lol Chris
I had two and they broke , been using the iPhone ! Need to get a good camera

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Have few DSLR's for sale

Oh love your project,nice work indeed.

Finally they are ready to be fitted back

Have decided to leave the backing s in black as it a nice contrast . I just have the color the filler on the back if the headrest as it was scraped badly so hopefully it should cover up well

Quick phone pic
I have noticed the phone makes it look lighter than it actually is
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/02/5enaqyda.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/02/atepajyq.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/02/upyde5u4.jpg

They're looking good man! Fair play :)

There stunning!

You leaving the /// stripe off them? Looks better without TBH. :cool:

Don't want to take them off incase of any damage so will leave them for now anyway
Have a wiring harness ready under fished under the carpet ready to solder and heat shrink them with un plugabale connection if ever need to remove [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES][WINKING FACE]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/03/uzy8erav.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/03/etu4y3y6.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/03/5eryjady.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/03/uma7u6um.jpg

Seats are In and wired up [SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

Now to wait for a sunny day eh? :D

Leaving the backs of the seats black was a nice idea. It ties in well with the contrasting colours of the door cards.
Looking great overall

Love it Claudio, are you going to do anything with the dash like this one you posted?

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps39ffb44e.png

That's some job Claudio, Looks :cool:

i think the dash might be over the top, but i wont rule it out though,id like to keep it OEM as much as i can! I need to see proper pics of a full interior with coloured dash
in saying that it would be big money to do the dash etc because they use a special thin leather fore those areas, to give you an idea just the glovebox strip covered is 60 euro.!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by claudio

i think the dash might be over the top, but i wont rule it out though,id like to keep it OEM as much as i can! I need to see proper pics of a full interior with coloured dash
in saying that it would be big money to do the dash etc because they use a special thin leather fore those areas, to give you an idea just the glovebox strip covered is 60 euro.!

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Ah cool, carpet be the next step then :D:D:D

Look great now anyway love the Modena against the Black :cool:

SAVAGE! :cool::cool:

Nice work Claudio.
I have the modena leather myself, and I really like it.

Just read through this again. Excellent stuff :)