Interior Refreshening Project

[MalibuLX3]

Keep us updated as you make progress on the front seats. I've been thinking about replacing my seat covers, and was planning on getting the eBay ones. However, reading out the leather ones you mentioned, I might go that way instead.

 

[DD Ranch]

Looking great. Good work.

Interested to see this through to completion.

I just picked up a 91 245 with the black dash and am used to the tan interiors (which I like)in both my 84 sedan and 85 wagon, so I am considering doing something similar, or some version of what you are doing.

Agreed on the black door sills.

Opinions? I think a set of that wood trim someone here is making would look great as a transition on your dash.

Also interested in the seats as mine need new covers.

 

[MSGGrunt]

I would love wood trim, but I was on his site and I didn't see that the were progressing, but I could be wrong. This morning I got around to covering the rear shelf in matching leather that the seats are covered in. I am happy with how it came out. The only thing I would change is I would wrap the leather around the underside for a cleaner edge.

 

[MSGGrunt]

The seats are done minus adding the headrests.

My observations:

- The leather is very thick and I expect very durable.

- Because of the above I recommend letting it warm up in the sun a little before the install.

- The vinyl cover are much more pliable, but thinner material

- Because of the thickness of the leather the uprights have some puckering that I hope will "wear in" over time. If not I would still opt for the durability of the leather over the eBay vinyl kits. I installed a vinyl kit in my wagon so I know my reasonings for liking the leather more.

- Passengers side seat now has the same adjustability as the driver's seat. All I had to do was swap over the seat base frame and swap in the passenger mounting rails.

- The original tan seats have tan hinge covers, but all of my extra ones, minus the ones on the seats still installed in the car, are black. Instead of painting them and worrying about scratching and the black showing through I just left them black. I don't dislike the contrast and it's not like there aren't other things in the car, door sill covers, that are black.

 

[EivlEvo]

2 things. Did you also include the heaters for the seats?

Also I'm mostly impressed that you were able to remove all of this stuff in tact!

 

[nel621]

1) did you use hog rings?
2) did you over lap the front half of the seat top over the back half on the rod? Hard to expain but I think you know what I mean. You could also massage the leather with a heat gun to smooth it out.
I like!

 

[nel621]

http://turbobricks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=340940&highlight=volvo+240+wood+trim

 

[MSGGrunt]

I did use the seat heaters.

I used hog rings. Really the only right way to do it.

Not sure about the overlapping. I duplicated how the Factory covers were installed.

One of the hardest things was getting the little metal disc that hold the seat back adjustor off.

 

[MSGGrunt]

That link asks me to re-sign in when I'm already signed in and then doesn't recognize my log-0n info.

 

[nel621]

Search in For Sale for Johann245 or type in Real wood Trim in For Sale forum.

 

[MSGGrunt]

A live and learn moment. When I covered the parcel shelf I trimmed the leather flush with the fiber board backing when I had thought originally of rolling the leather over the edge. The front and back edge isn't an issue as it can't be seen, but the right and left sides have a gap and you can see where the leather was trimmed. I am not happy with this, but not enough to recover another shelf. I am thinking some of that rubber trim that the sell that you put along the edge of car doors painted the same camel color just might take up the gap AND make it look more "finished.

If anyone does this themselves I recommend rolling the leather at least on the ends.

 

[MSGGrunt]

I am still waiting on the rear seat leather before I replace the rear side pillar trim pieces and headrests.

 

[nel621]

Door edge guard sounds like a good solution.

 

[MSGGrunt]

Another learn as you go for anyone following in my footsteps. The headrests, being foam covered in vinyl, seem to take a lot more paint before the base color, in my case black, doesn't show through. Being that SEM is rather expensive at around $16.00 per can, I decided to give them a base coat using DupliColor's vinyl and fabric paint at only $6.00 a can and then top coat them with the proper SEM color.

 

[MSGGrunt]

Front seats are finished and installed. I really like the looks. The headrests are a bit darker than the leather, but perfectly match the darker piping in the seats as well as the rest of the painted plastic and dash. I am still waiting on finding a tan rear carpet.

Door panels and door pockets are next.

 

[photoman327]

looks good and I may have missed it but leather or Vinyl seat cover? I have had to fix all my door handles on my black 93 244 and while I had the door panels off I added mega Matt to the inside of the doors. made a huge difference in the sound closing the doors. if get around to pulling the carpet that stuff is going on the floors as well. your interior is looking great!

 

[MSGGrunt]

Leather from a company called Lseat.com. I am waiting on the rear covers as they are making a set out of the cloth covers I sent them.

 

[MSGGrunt]

I just goy an email from Lseat.com that the rear covers are done and ready to ship. They were even kind enough to send me a picture of the covers. I sent them the old cover to my front center folding armrest and had them make a cover so everything matches.

I found a nice rear carpet that is on its was from a forum member too.

 

[MSGGrunt]

As I posted earlier I wish I had wrapped the leather around the ends of the parcel shelf and needed to find a solution to make it look cleaner. Well, I found that solution in the rubber edge trim designed to go on the ends of doors. I painted it with the SEM camel to match the rest of the plastic pieces and the shelf looks much cleaner now.

 

[Vol242vo]

Superb job!