I stopped
by East Coast Auto Trim in New Rochelle, NY to meet with the owner about
refurbishing my interior. Frank comes highly recommended from François
Sicard, and has re-upholstered many of the his customer's cars including
this 250GTE. Needless to say that when François wins an award for
one of his restored Ferraris, Frank's upholstery work parallels François
restoration skills.
A car's interior
is an area that people really notice after the paint and chrome, and I
believe that mine should be done as nicely as I can afford. Frank showed
me many different samples of leather and carpeting. His frenetic personality,
and enthusiasm about his business really overwhelmed me with how much there
is to know about interiors! He showed me samples of leather, and the differences
between the way it's dyed. He showed me swatches of carpeting, and the
different grades. It's amazing how many colors of "beige" he had, and what
was even more amazing was he said he kept his selection of samples small
to keep from confusing the customers!
Frank explained that leather is either "vat" dyed or "spray" dyed. "Vat" dyed is where the cow hides are dipped completely in a of container of dye and it permeates all of the leather. "Spray" dyed is exactly as it's named, where only the surface of the leather is dyed. Depending on who does the spraying, and what type of dye is used, "spray" dyed leather is not as durable. The reason for the difference in the two types is with the "spray" dyed leather, a supplier can quickly make up small runs of a particular color and not have to "vat" dye large quantities of their inventory. The disadvantage is that sometimes problems can occur with the way the spayed on dye reacts to sun, weather, and sweat. Frank had a couple of hides at his shop that he was returning to a supplier because they were discoloring before he had even put them on a seat! Why even use "spray" dyed hides, you might ask? One is cost, and second, if you have to match a particular color, and can't find a match in a "vat" dyed hide, then "spray" dye may be your only choice.
I am definitely going with a nice "vat" dyed leather.
I found a beige color that is very similar to the original color of
my seats, but it reminds me more of an interior in a 250 SWB Frank did
several years ago. 
My
interior was re-dyed at some point, and a darker, dirtier brown was used
probably to hide some of the dirt on the old seats, so finding the original
color involves looking for places that wasn't dyed. Frank is going to try
and located a supply of the lighter beige, and see if he can get us a good
price. His concerns about keeping within my budget involves how much leather
I will need to buy. The 330 America is a 2+2 car, meaning it has four seats,
meaning it takes A LOT OF LEATHER! Frank remembers doing a 250 GTE, which
has an identical interior to mine, where it needed five to six hides! He
quickly explained that leather is sold in "hides" and each hide is approximately
60 square feet. Not all of it is usable because all cows are different,
so some waste is expected. A cheap price for leather is about $4.00 a square
foot, but that can go to $10.00 and up! We're shooting for something in
the middle, so for leather alone, I can spend two grand!
The carpeting is another issue in itself. I'm definitely using Wilton wool carpets, but I found out there are three grades, I, II, and III. They're all "cut pile" carpets( I won't explain here, but if you really have to know the difference, e-mail me), but their density is different, and the material they're attached to is also different. We decided to go with a beige that is slightly darker than the seat color. It will give the seats a subtle contrast so the interior will have a little bit of depth. Frank will sew a leather edge, and foot pad on the carpeting just like the original pieces, but this leather will match the color of the carpet. He will also make up a spare floor mat in the same carpeting as he does for all his customers in case one wears out.
The next lesson was in Ferrari seat construction. Frank explained that all Ferraris in the sixties and seventies used molded foam cushions to form the seats. There was no webbing, or springs. Some of the early cars from the fifties used the webbing, but Ferrari stuck with foam soon after that. When he saw my seats a few weeks ago, he remembered one of the seats dropping most of it's foam from underneath, so he knew he would have to rebuild at least one cushion. He assured me he would only fix what was necessary, but he also felt that this kind of work should only be done once, and done right. I agreed.
As
we spoke about my car, Frank's memory of re-upholstering the GTE was refreshed
(pictured here). He remembered that the back seat cushions have this special
curving dip to them, and he has a special trick to make the leather follow
that contour. He also remembered the door panels, and how the map pockets
have a special spring that retracts the pocket back. The more we spoke,
the more I felt confident that he was the ONLY guy that should do my interior!
We agreed that he would try to purchase a set of hides for my interior,
and I would arrange for my seats to be dropped off after the holiday season.
I left his shop with the excitement of a beautiful interior!
1/26/00
Delivering Seats
I
used today to deliver the seats and interior pieces to East Coast Auto
Trim. The 330 America's interior is made up of quite a few pieces, and
Frank wanted them all delivered to his shop so he could use them as templates
for the new leather. François has offered the use of his pickup
truck to get all the pieces to the upholsterer, but I felt the trip from
Danbury, CT to New Rochelle, NY was long enough, let alone the additional
trip to return a pickup truck. I've hauled quite a few things with my Toyota
Camry, and felt that I could definitely fit all the pieces into my car.
After a few minutes of loading, I had all the parts loaded and ready to
go, and I could even see out of the back window!
Frank, of East Coast Auto Trim, has been having trouble locating the exact color we want for my interior. The original color was a light tan color, and it seems to be a difficult color to find, just short of buying Connolly hides. Frank feels with a little more time and luck, we'll find the right leather, color, and price. Patience will bring it's rewards.
2/29/00
Leather Choices
I visited a leather wholesaler that was recommended by a friend in the fur business. In New York City, it helps to use all your contacts to get the best price, quality, and service. We all "know a guy, that has a line on...."
Before I went to the leather wholesaler, I called Frank at East Coast Auto Trim, my upholsterer. He gave me some pointers on what to look for when buying leather, and how much I would need. Connolly leather, the official Ferrari material, sells for approximately $7-8 dollars a square foot. My car has a lot of leather, and Frank thinks six hides will be used to cover the four seats, two door panels, a rear deck, and a center console. One hide measures approximately 55 square feet, but not all of it can be effectively used because of the irregularities of an actual animal skin. My shopping assignment was to see how much I could save on another leather rather than Connolly, and still have the same quality. Connolly is a beautiful leather, but they are not the only company that farms great leather. My job was to see if I could find a suitable replacement.
On
a street lined with wholesale leather and fur businesses, I found the address
I was looking for. The owner showed me some samples and explained that
although he has sold leather to other auto upholsterers, his leather is
not treated or finished like commercial auto leather. Finishes vary from
auto maker to auto maker, some with flame retardant sprays, and others
with sealants to minimize stains, but these had a softer feel to them.
They're imported from Italy and have a rich grain to them. I found a light
color that was close to my original seats, but my concerns were if this
leather could stand up to the rigors of being an automobile interior. The
owner warned that soda stains would not easily come out, and as oils build
up in areas which are constantly touched, these places will darken with
age, and form a patina much like an old leather jacket. Although I don't
plan on being careless in my Ferrari, I started to wonder if Connolly would
have the same problems. I was given a couple of samples to take with me
to think it over.
3/3/00
Before I started my day at the shop, I stopped by East Coast Auto Trim to show Frank the samples I got from the leather wholesaler in the City. Frank felt the leather sample was not going to hold up as a automotive application. Although it was a nice piece of leather, it was too soft to stand up to scuffs, and stains. He explained that automotive leathers are treated with a sealant that keeps water from being absorbed, and scratches from penetrating the surface. The samples I had clearly scratched too easily, and plain water soaked into the skins. I'm sure this leather would be fine in other uses, just not inside a car.
Frank didn't have any luck finding a suitable Connolly replacement either. The color I wanted seemed to only exist in Connolly! We talked price, and how much I could save if we could actually find another supplier, and it came to around $1000 dollars in purchasing a cheaper leather. Frank's business is seasonal, and as the weather gets warmer, he gets a lot of work reupholstering boat interiors. The longer I wait, looking for a cheaper leather, the higher the risk of delaying my job because Frank will be doing a large time-consuming job. I also felt that although $1000 dollars is a lot of money, could I risk knowing I didn't use the correct leather for a Ferrari interior? After some thought, I told Frank to order the Connolly, so we could get started.... Who's idea was it anyway to go and buy a damn Ferrari?!