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Leather care for 1974 Eldorado

Started by 13912, January 28, 2017, 01:48:57 AM

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13912

My 1974 ELDORADO convertible  has what appear to be the original leather seats that are dry and somewhat stiff. I have been using Connolly hide care and massaging it into the seats then doining some buffing then placing the car in the sun- when available-  to bake the cream into the leather. For weeks after the application the seats are sticky. Can someone suggest an alternate cream or how I'm applying or buffing ?
Thanks Bob Dwyer

joeinbcs

I don't have dry seats on any of my current cars, but have had this issue in the past.
The best product I've found is called Elephant Wax.  It is kind of greasy when you apply it (but its not got anything to do with Elephants...a totally synthetic product), but soaks in and softens and seems to even out the color as well.  I have bought it on Amazon: 
https://www.amazon.com/Colourlock-924346-Elephant-Leather-Preserver/dp/B01FWCAXU2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485618527&sr=8-3&keywords=elephant+wax
Joe Northrop
9633 Whispering Ridge
College Station, TX  77845
joenorthrop@yahoo.com
979-324-6432

1967 Eldorado, Atlantis Blue Firemist (slick top), Blue leather.

Series75

I saw the detailed on Gas Monkey Garage show use Elephant Wax and tried it.   It's ok, not amazing.   Tom

Carl Fielding


Daddio

If you only want to soften the leather use neatsfoot oil. Many leather conditioners contain a small amount of this to soften, but also contain a cleaner, wax etc. Neatsfoot is rendered from the same beast the hides came from. Your local hardware or tack shop will have it. It's no good on vinyl, just makes it slippery.
Mike

1956 Thunderbird
SOLD - 1959 Eldorado Biarritz

35-709

Leatherique!  www.leatherique.com  Recommended by the Rolls Royce Owners Club.   
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Carl Fielding

#6
Yes , Leatherique or Lexol. No , give the boot to 'foot. If NF oil did the job properly there would never have been the need for an enormous amount of research to develop state-of-the-art modern products to let you live better through chemistry. Go ask your favorite automotive upholstry expert who has attended a presentation accruing to your benefit. Many chemical factors involved , including Ph. , etc. Now don't get me wrong. 'Foot has its purpose. Great for conditioning baseball gloves. Allows you to beat that pocket into them. Now , unless you are overly narcissistic, you probably won't want an impression of your tail bone beat into your drivers seat. Nor will you be overly enthusiastic about having some of that leather dye rub off on your clothing. Oh yeah : while I'm up and have the Mike , let's talk a bit about saddle soap. Great stuff for saddles ! Seems decades ago , I saw a Cad displaying Longhorns on the bow. I think ol' Captain Tex had also replaced the front 8-ways with a brace of Western Saddles ! Now IMHO , that is cool. VERY cool , in fact. Unless you have likewise improved the ergonomics of your "Kitty" , leave the 'soap to the cowboys! Saddle butter , neither. I use Lexol cleaner , followed by Lexol conditioner. Many extremely high end detail shops use Lexol or Leatherique, of which I cannot personally speak. But I do have respect for science , chemistry , and progress measured by the passage of time and accumulation of knowledge. And for my dear CLC brothers and sisters who may be rolling their eyes back in response to my often displayed smart a$$ and irreverent self : hey I'm not TRYING to be that way. It just comes naturally!  I hope to see y'all on down the long hot dusty trail.  -  Cadillac Carl

David Greenburg

Another vote for  Leatherique.  It does a great job cleaning and preserving old leather. I have never used it to try and restore very dried out "cardboardy" leather, but it is supposed to be very good for that.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

13912

Thanks all for your suggestions. I ordered Elephant wax &  Lexol- already had Leatherique that I had forgotten about- & will try them separately on the two front seats & half the rear. Look forward to the project !
Bob

dochawk

Quote from: joeinbcs on January 28, 2017, 10:51:24 AM
I don't have dry seats on any of my current cars, but have had this issue in the past.
The best product I've found is called Elephant Wax.  It is kind of greasy when you apply it (but its not got anything to do with Elephants...a totally synthetic product),

My wife says the same thing about her Cetaphil, but I know better:  poor baby dolphins :)

hawk
1972 Eldorado convertible,  1997 Eldorado ETC (now awaiting parts swap from '95 donor), 1993 Fleetwood but no 1926 (yet)

V63

I have not found anything that's remotely impressive. An experiment with lex oil was to take a dried up hunk of leather and toss it into a container of product. Pull it out a week later...no softening,  but soggy, hard leather. Enough said.

If you find a product that you can soak a crispy piece of leather ....and pull out a soft supple piece then I'm more of a believer.

I appreciate luxury English cars and am amazed to see how poorly (generally) the leather ages. I have decided that the reason for that is the preservation contentious owners slathering the seat with product. I do know Connelly leather is sourced from Danish cows as they do not use barbed wire in Denmark.

My conclusion is less is more...keep your leather from getting wet, and out of the sun.

I've noticed, White leather leather has the highest failure rate...seems white vinyl too.




Carl Fielding

Valuable experiment , and an observation which I also have noticed. Did you soak in Lexol cleaner , or conditioner ? It has seemed to me that white leather suffers illogically. Any other witnesses to this strange phenomenon?  - Carl