I know the value of do-it-yourself projects as an owner of a vintage car that has needed complete restoration. You can save thousands of dollars by doing the car repairs or restorations yourself. One of the most often needed repairs for vintage cars is the upholstery. This is some easy tips for repairing it yourself. First of all, you should always clean the upholstery before starting any repair projects. Use upholstery cleaner that is made specifically for the type of upholstery you have and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. You will be amazed at what a good cleaning can do for old upholstery. It will reveal potential problem areas that you can repair before they become a big problem.Repairing Leather upholstery tips:
You could try a leather repair kit that can be found at any automotive store if sewing or recovering the seat is not possible. The kit will come with a plastic substance that you will tint to match as close to your car upholstery color as possible. You'll have to apply it and then let it dry. It is usually o.k. for small areas if the color is well matched. Black or White upholstery is the easiest to match.
Repairing Vinyl upholstery tips:
Don't try using glue to repair your vinyl. It seems like an easy fix, but the adhesive in the glue can actually destroy the foam padding underneath the vinyl. Instead, simply cut a patch of excess vinyl found under the seat and use adhesive specifically made for vinyl upholstery to patch it. Follow the adhesive manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Use this simple trick if it is just the piping around the seat that needs repair: Take a match stick and remove the match. Add some contact cement to one end of the match and work it into the damaged area. Then apply the cement to the other end and work that end of the stick in. Fold it in as you go if necessary. Make sure you let the cement dry completely before using the seat.
Do some research ahead of time and see if this do it yourself project is something you think you can do. You don't want that vintage muscle car looking awesome on the outside and old as dirt on the inside.