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lighiche
02-27-2014, 11:13 AM
I'm nearing the end of a complete up-down/in-out restoration of a 1962 Series IIA 109 SW. I have every scrap of original elephant hide interior, most of which is in good-for-being-50+-years-old shape (like me). As expected the seat bottoms for the front seats are all blown out and there's a perpendicular tear about two-thirds of the way down the middle bench bottom cushion. The arm rest on the passenger door card is also torn. Otherwise, the rest of the elephant hide is in good shape.

So here're the questions:
Is it worth preserving what I have?
Will this 50 year old vinyl hold up to daily use?
Or should I save it for the museum/Concours d'Elegance and buy a full set of new Exmoor Trim elephant hide?
I'm not a fan of the way the Exmoor door cards attach, nor that they're a one-size-fits-all-Series...Would anyone consider restoring the original elephant hide panels - say through Badger Coachworks - and replacing the seat bottom cushions alone with the Exmoor bits?


Thanks y'all.

o2batsea
02-27-2014, 01:01 PM
Nobody is producing door cards that exactly match the early 2A elephant hide. They reproduction are made to fit a wider range of doors, and will not fit correctly around the square box door latches. Also the latch covers are NLA. That said, the Exmoor reproduction elephant hide material is a VERY close match. Not exact, but so close that anyone who isn't holding an original bit next to the Exmoor vinyl would not be able to tell the difference.
I am in the process of having Julian/Exmoor make me an entire interior from their EH vinyl to cover my early tray back 110 seats and the full width bench middle seat. RN is kindly acting as go between for me. Thanks Arthur!
The door cards I kinda want to do myself as they are easy to do and I have enough genuine EH to go around. The armrests I will carve out of High Density foam myself. The backing board I am going to epoxy resin infuse layers of heavy paper (the kind they use to protect floors on construction sites) so that it will be stiff, take fasteners and not rot. I have vacuum bagging supplies, so this will be a really neat thing. I have a couple sets of early door cards with pockets, so I have templates for the new ones.
One trick I learned is to use a heat gun to warm the stiff vinyl. It gets supple and even a little stretchy, so it won't tear. I have also heard that you can rub it with vaseline and it will soften after a few weeks.

utahseries
02-27-2014, 04:20 PM
Badger has some pretty good stuff.
http://www.badgercoachworks.com/index_files/Page1619.htm

lighiche
03-05-2014, 03:19 AM
Anyone know where I might find a double handful of the spring clips used to hold the original interior panels in place?

darbsclt
03-05-2014, 06:31 AM
Just a friendly suggestion... a part number or picture might help avoid any confusion re: the "spring clips" you are wanting.

lighiche
03-05-2014, 05:50 PM
Well that's just it, I can't find a part number. They are the clips that hold the original door and side elephant hide-covered fiberboard panels in place that provide an "invisible" attachment to the body of the vehicle, unlike the RN panels that are simply screwed into place. These clips are what held all interior panels in place at one time. I can't find a part number and so far my search hasn't turned up any exploded diagram of the interior or even a correct name for these clips. None of the major parts sites - RN, Pangolin, Atlantic British, ECR, Pegasus, Moss Motors, the list goes on - have them. Mine can't be the only Series truck to have had these clips holding the door panel in place.....

o2batsea
03-05-2014, 06:17 PM
I haven't seen them. I just harvest them from perished door cards I have accumulated. They're two parts, a spring clip that pushes into the hole in the door frame, and a retainer that attaches both to the door card.

darbsclt
03-05-2014, 06:45 PM
Hmmm (scratching head)... looking at the S2/S2a Parts Catalog, it seems that screws were used to attach door trim.

But looking at the S3 Catalog, spring clips start to appear (for models with antiburst door locks)... Part # 73037

I'm not sure if that helps... but our hosts seem to have the spring clips in stock... http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=73037

lighiche
03-05-2014, 06:57 PM
Yep, that's it.

lighiche
03-05-2014, 07:00 PM
Hmmm (scratching head)... looking at the S2/S2a Parts Catalog, it seems that screws were used to attach door trim.

But looking at the S3 Catalog, spring clips start to appear (for models with antiburst door locks)... Part # 73037

I'm not sure if that helps... but our hosts seem to have the spring clips in stock... http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=73037

And here's where it gets weird. My 109 is a 1962 IIA, beyond doubt. The door panels have been confirmed by no less an authority than Chris at Badger Coachworks to be Series II era panels. And now I'm hearing that the attachments are Series III?

Yikes!

lighiche
03-05-2014, 07:05 PM
Hmmm (scratching head)... looking at the S2/S2a Parts Catalog, it seems that screws were used to attach door trim.

But looking at the S3 Catalog, spring clips start to appear (for models with antiburst door locks)... Part # 73037

I'm not sure if that helps... but our hosts seem to have the spring clips in stock... http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=73037


I really appreciate the research, but those aren't the clips that I have. And RN's product, great as it is, does use screws as the attachment, which is easier and perhaps stouter but less elegant. Fifty years ago the attachment, these clips, was invisible. That was the beauty of these clips. Other auto manufacturers used something similar, but they were just enough different that I haven't found any that work.

taffhill
03-06-2014, 09:03 AM
Our hosts would obviously be the first port of call, but for that "hard to find" part I would ask further afield, try: http://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk or Blanchard, Both in UK but will ship anywhere... Good luck with the hunt Taff

o2batsea
03-06-2014, 10:21 AM
Since they're hidden anyway, why not a modern equivalent?
http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Door_Trim_Panel_Clips_Retainers_s/268.htm

tvharwood
03-06-2014, 03:03 PM
These guys have the correct clips, same as used on the Rolls Royce. Ted http://www.bresco.com/acatalog/Trim_Pad_Clips.html

o2batsea
03-06-2014, 04:56 PM
I knew I'd seen them somewhere.

lighiche
03-06-2014, 05:34 PM
These guys have the correct clips, same as used on the Rolls Royce. Ted http://www.bresco.com/acatalog/Trim_Pad_Clips.html

Outdangstanding! That's fantastic. Thank you. This is a major coup. I am grateful!

lighiche
03-06-2014, 05:34 PM
:thumb-up:;);)
I knew I'd seen them somewhere.