Originality Police

Daniel, the leather that Hydes sells is Heins Reinke leather. Unfortunately, Reinke won't sell to the general public, so Aaron is the best route. I can vouch for Aaron at Hydes. He knows all of the ins and outs about leather. Extremely nice fella. Definitely worth the time.

thanks Daniel..I'm onto it.

quote:

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Originally posted by S class

My blue-on-blue 6.9 also needs leather, so I'm eager to hear feedback and experiences on this topic.

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116.036 - trusty rusty
116.036 - Rooikat
116.024 - the merc
116.028 - Penelope
116.032 - Esmeralda
126.037 - Scheckter
126.037
107.046

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These guys have the real McCoy leather:

www.hydesleather.com

Guy's name is Aaron. I think they only supply the skins, but might also trim and sew the pattern for the seat for you. I am sure if you got the money honey, they got the time[:D]

Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9
Vancouver, BC

My blue-on-blue 6.9 also needs leather, so I'm eager to hear feedback and experiences on this topic.

---

116.036 - trusty rusty
116.036 - Rooikat
116.024 - the merc
116.028 - Penelope
116.032 - Esmeralda
126.037 - Scheckter
126.037
107.046

---

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Folks: I have a very simple question. Can anyone point me in the right direction to source blue leather for a W116?
I can tell you that GAHH is not correct. I can tell you that some offerrings from Hans Reinke is not correct.
It has to be dark blue..it has to be slightly glossy and has to have the Pebble pattern.
Surely I cannot be the first person to reach the point of needing leather for their W116..........[|)]?
Love to hear from you!

Art, thank you so much for writing back. Since you can see the pictures, I'm going to assume that most can see them. On my end, all I see are 6 small funny looking icons that are square with some green and blue picture in them. It very well maybe a problem with my browser....I'm not sure. Either way, I'm glad to know that the pictures are visible. Thank you. :)

Aaron,
I made it Sticky which should have no effect on anything in the posting thread; all it does is ensure the thread stays at the top of the pile. As I look at the thread now, your original posting [which you said you copied from the one you posted the night before] has the same three photos showing your original leather samples, the colours/surface patterns still available from Mercedes and what other suppliers were offering in 2015 are still there, exactly as they were before I made it Sticky.

So I am confused as to what you are referring. There are six pieces in the first image with the top left perforated, five in the second and six in the third with one piece above two above three. Have I misunderstood you?
Art

To the administrators/tech fellas:

I see this post was made to be a Sticky....and in doing so, the original pictures in the first post are no longer visible. Would someone please look into this? These pictures not being visible ruins the point of the whole post. [:(]

AgSilver - It's on order from Classic Center. It'll be on there by LodeFest. I should add the heel pad is not blue. It's just looks that way in the photo. It's black.

1966 230SL
1969 300SEL #1703
1985 300TD
1990 350SDL
1992 500E
2002 SL500
2008 GL320 CDI
2009 GL320 BT - SOLD

Has anyone found a satisfactory Cognac supplier yet?
Thanks Jim

jim

Outstanding!

You might want to put a new rubber pad on the brake peddle.

300SEL 6.3
E55 AMG
CLK63 AMG Gone
Ferrari 400GTC4
ML400CDI BiTurbo
ML350 CDI BT
9146GT

Oh wow! and look at those beautiful chromed hinges.
No need to dress these up with a cheap plastic cover plate.

Here's the new interior in the 6.3. It's "Old Timer" leather and wilton wool velour carpet from GAHH, all done per the data card. They both match OEM perfectly. David also rewebbed the seatbelts.





[img]







1966 230SL
1969 300SEL #1703
1985 300TD
1990 350SDL
1992 500E
2002 SL500
2008 GL320 CDI
2009 GL320 BT - SOLD

THANKS Aaron I'm on the case.!

Unfortunately, most shops that restore 300SL's and the like don't use the correct leather. They either don't know it exists, or they (both shop and car owner) refuse to spend the extra money to buy the correct leather. Every time I've been to a Concourse D`Elegance in which a Gullwing/Roadster or a 190Sl were being judged, neither would win anything due to them having the correct leather.

If any of you are going to go through the expense and effort to restore your interior, then buy the good stuff. It doesn't matter if the car will be judged or if it's just going to be a "driver" quality car. They all deserve the correct materials. The correct leather is generally $400-$500 more per hide than the less expensive incorrect leather. So for a 6.3, that would approximately be an extra $1,500-$1,800 in additional cost. The same goes for a W116. For the 600, I'd be comfortable saying to factor in an extra plus or minus $3,500 since is has more leather inside.

Something else I'd like to bring to light is carpeting. In the M-100 world, the 600, 6.3, and 6.9 cars only had two types of carpeting; wool or velour (unless other wise stated when ordered, of course) There were some unusual colors in the early years, such as rust red. However, for the most part most of the cars had standard colors that most of us are familiar with. The color I'd like to make mention of is blue.

There were 2-3 different shades of blue carpeting AND leather. In general, most would have had light of dark blue. My aggravation comes from the companies that supply carpet set for our cars. They only offer one shade of blue. The same goes for the leather. Though Aeristo and HANS REINKE do offer the correct two shades of leather. However, I've yet to see anyone offer the other shades of blue carpeting. If you car originally had light blue carpeting that was replaced with dark blue carpeting, then the car is no longer original.

As mainstream and as cost effective manufacturing carpeting is in this day and age, I can't understand why ALL of the original colors aren't offered. Granted, the early wool carpeting with black flecking throughout the color could prove difficult to reproduce, but it's not entirely impossible by any stretch of the imagination. For those of us that have the early wool carpeting in green this would be a lovely addition, as the green hasn't been available in nearly 30 years. By now most original wool carpeting is starting to shrink and show it's age. Maybe in the near future this won't be so much of a problem. Not holing my breath, though.

Recently I have seen some outstanding interior restorations. One being a W109 6.3 and the other a 1961 300SL roadster. The only item lacking on both restorations was the original fragrance of the DB leather. It's good, but it just ain't the same.

300SEL 6.3
E55 AMG
CLK63 AMG Gone
Ferrari 400GTC4
ML400CDI BiTurbo
ML350 CDI BT
9146GT

Randy, I believe you can buy direct from GAHH, and on-line, too. Unless someone has some left over from a job, most places won't sell less than half a hide anyway. This old timer leather will not be correct for your W116. That's not to say that old timer leather wouldn't look good in a W1167, as it would look spectacular. If you're ok with that, them all the better.

For W116 chassis, the best examples i've found for them are made by a company called HANS REINKE. They're based in Hamburg, DE, but have other facilities throughout Europe. They'll only sell to trim shops, though, so you'd have to go that route. For the blue you're looking for I'd recommend they're 9122 dunkelblau.

As a matter of fact, HANS REINKE is who is making the old timer leather.

KIPF, I have the samples, I just didn't get them from GAHH. You're welcome to post anything you wish, but when I finally post all of my findings, the black will be covered anyway. Thank you for the thoughtfulness. :)

How does one go about getting part of a hide?

I see that GAHH 's minimum is half a hide of about 25 sq feet at xyz $/sq foot and it makes it about a US $400 purchase.
I only want 4/5 sq feet for a repair.

I am trying to find a GAHH Agent in Aust but that's a work in progress.

As an alternative: does any one have some left over from their job?
I seek Salerno pebble blue for my '78 6.9.

Tks

Aaron, I have a sample of the black Old Timer. I can take a pic and post here or email to you for you to use with the others. It's MUCH thicker than other samples I have seen. David Latham will be installing new carpet and hides in the 6.3 in the upcoming weeks. I can ask him for some photos of the process if anyone thinks it would be helpful.

1966 230SL
1969 300SEL #1703
1985 300TD
1990 350SDL
2002 SL500
2008 GL320 CDI
2009 GL320 BT - SOLD

KiPf: I'm glad you got the Oldtimer samples.....I've been trying to get samples from them for months now. I eventually gave up and found two other places that sell the same product as GAHH. The Cognac has much to be desired, but all of the other colors are spot on, and the grain, sheen, and texture are also correct.

AGSILVER, thank you for the kind words. I only know what I know because I made a lot of mistakes in the past. ;) Mike also speaks words of wisdom. The Leatherique is fantastic for this particular type of leather. In a pinch, you could also use Mink oil, as that is the main ingredient in Leatherique.

I have enough samples to post some pictures of now, and I will. It's just such an ordeal to resize every single picture. I'll do it though. Too many of you have been patiently waiting.