First posting on project Scorpio

V

vcallaway

New member
I posted in the introductions about this car that was dumped in my driveway as a challenge.

I have the interior stripped and finally dried out.

The inside of the car looked like this:
seatold.jpg


My process for cleaning mold from leather is to mix a mild solution of anti-bacterial soap and distilled water. After cleaning off all the mold I take petroleum jelly and work it into the leather with my hands. I leave it for around half an hour and then hand buff with a towel. Lastly I work in a good leather conditioner.

Here is a shot of the front passenger seat I just finished up:

seatclean.jpg
 
CharlesW was right!! You are a magician. keep posting the progress and the process we all are learning.

I also am in awe!!
 
Do you notice a difference when you apply the leather conditioner? I would think the petroleum jelly (a/k/a Vaseline) would seal the leather. My understanding is that Vaseline seals off the skin not allowing moisture to escape and is not an actual moisturizer. I could be wrong though.
 
I use the conditioner to remove the bulk of the petroleum jelly. It does seal it, but I feel it does it too much. The petroleum jelly is used more to soften the leather. Leather this badly treated is very hard and brittle. The petroleum jelly gets worked in deeply, but I don't want it to completely seal.

The conditioner I use has a mild solvent and is mostly aloe and lanolin. Just like a good hand cream. In fact you should never use anything on leather that you need to wear gloves to use.

The only time I don't remove the excess petroleum jelly is on motorcycle leather. I've used lots of rain repelling products, but none work as well.
 
Man that is just amazing! Excellent work.
About how long does this process hold up? I assume that the leather is really dark while it is still wet, does the leather still have a somewhat faded look after everything dries?
 
Amazing job on the seat.

One question why do you call it project scorpio?
Does this Mercur have the 2.9 with the prized scorpio intake on it?

"J"
 
WOW! That seat looks great. Keep the pics coming. I also would like to know how long the leather will keep that look when using those products.
 
:howdy That seat looks incredible. I never thought of pretroleum jelly. But it makes since for a seat as neglected as that one. I'm waiting patiently for the rest of the car...
 
Does the fact that "Petroleum Jelly" is a petrolem(oil) product have any long term negative effect on the leather?
Seems kind of like using motor oil.
I'm certainly not taking anything away from the results in the picture, just curious about the long term effect.
As an aside, I have a friend whose wife once used petroleum jelly on the vinyl top of a Ford and it looked great. I never did hear how well it stood up, though.

Charles
 
CharlesW said:
Does the fact that "Petroleum Jelly" is a petrolem(oil) product have any long term negative effect on the leather?

Charles
Click to expand...
Quick follow-up.
I just did a google search for "petroleum jelly on leather" and it seems to be a very common use for the product. It's recommended for many leather products.

To modify a phrase from another member:
"If I have learned one thing through my many years of detailing, it is how much I still have to learn." :)

Charles
 
:eek: You, sir, are a miracle worker! That's an unbelievable turnaround...I can't wait to see the rest of the car when it's done.
 
The finish is permanent. The interior color is offically called Raven which is a dark charcoal. The picture makes it look a bit more shiney than it actually is. It is more of a semi-matte finish.

I use an OTC product called "Tannery Vintage Leather" from CRC. It leaves a very natural finish on the leather. It also smells really nice.

The car is a Merkur Scorpio. They were produced for two years (88-89). It has a 2.9L V6, 4-spd auto (A4LD) and is rear wheel drive. In good shape they are a very nice car. Leather interior, power everything, auto climate control and even rear power reclining seats.

These cars are nearing the magic 20 year mark. 20 years is when a car reaches it's lowest valuation point and get dismantled for parts. If you can find a nice one right now they are still only selling for around $2k. The other Merkur model is the XR4Ti. Those are starting to skyrocket in price. You used to see them on ebay going for less than $1k for a decent one. Now it is rare to find even one for sale and junk is going for $2,500 up. One of my friends just sold a really nice one for almost $12k.

This Scorpio was slated for the parts bin when I opened my big mouth and said it was restorable. Next thing I knew it was in my driveway.
 
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