Quality imitation leather for upholstery.

I'm looking to get my roadster upholstered in imitation leather, naugahide, what is a good quality brand, that looks and feels like leather?
Thanks for your help on this.
HemiDeuce.

 

Naugahyde is the brand name of a vinyl product. I have this in my 'bird and love it. It's definitely not leather, but the look and feel are great for a vinyl product. It wears well and 90% of the time I drive the car is with the top off so it gets beat on by the sun quite often. One of my concerns was cooking myself when I sat in it on a sunny day. It may be the color (red), but it does not get too hot.

 

This is just my opinion, but if you check some of the auction sites, eBay for example, you can find real leather for prices that many times are less than you would spend for fake leather. Use "leather hides" as your search request.

There is no way that, given a choice, fake comes close to comparing to the real thing. As I said, just my opinion. Whatever you chose, good luck!

 

Ultra leather is a fantastic wearing product and will outlast leather but it usually more expensive than leather plus it doesnt have the great leather smell. Coast Leathers is a good place to start as their hides are imported from Italy and Mexico and start at $100.00 a hide with no scaring or tick marks.

 

Thanks everybody for your replies. I've been told that leather doesn't look that great after it's been wet, and in a roadster that's bound to happen, so that's my reason for looking for a reasonable alternative.
HemiDeuce.

 

good thread, i'm looking too for some of the thin stuff, I did my seats in real leather for the seating surfaces,but the backs and sides are imitation. easier to keep clean. I've been able to get a few scraps at work,but it's really expensive,I've been using it to wrap small items like the center console, and pieces and parts for the interior, I need to find it in larger quantities though. The off topic has molded door and rear quarter trim pieces,that i upholstered in cloth,but the Georgia sun really did a number on them, so I want to use the same thing to cover those areas.

 

this is the imitation stuff on this center console I just covered.

 

My old 51 Ford convertible had original leather trimmed seats, The backs and cushions of the seats were real leather but the skirts and panels were artificial leather.

 

You may be interested in a product called Allante. Many of your higher end cars with "leather interior" use this or something similar on the majority of surfaces assuming there is any real leather at all in the car. It works much like any vinyl when molding it but likes a little bit more slack. Try Miami Rubber Corporation they have many grains and colors to choose from.

 

Do a search on Rave...............

 

That's why I went with the 'Hyde. Mine is out in the sun all the time, has been driven in the rain topless, and rarely sees a vacuum. I did do perforated inserts for the look and breathability.

 

PM CJSteak. He had the seat in his Willys truck done this year in something that is very convincing. Not cheap, but worth the money.

 

I had a car done in BMW vinyl. It looked realy good and wasnt too bad on the price. My friend that was doing my seats turned me on to it.

 

I don't know the name brand, but, everyone around here uses "boat Material". Seems to be a little heavier grade. looks good.

 

check with some of the high end boat upholstery people in that area. A lot of them use the type of material that you are looking for.

 

In my opinion, genuine leather is one of the easiest fabrics to clean and to keep clean. A little PM and leather will look fantastic for many many years. A good leather cleaner from any of the better known suppliers will remove just about any type of stain and restore the vibrancy to the leather. As leather ages it becomes softer, provided it is cared for. Leather also will not get any where near as hot as a synthetic product. It may be hot when you first sit on it, but it will NOT turn your ass into a fried egg! And you can never beat the aroma of REAL leather. All very favorable points on the side of the real thing...

 

Have Rave material in my last few job ..the best of the Naug or aka as Ultraleather

RAVE is the best alternative to leather. Its feel is unlike any other contract vinyl. Smooth to the touch and as tough as any other contract vinyl, RAVE is for those who demand not only quality durability, but quality feel.

 

hey did you have a sample left over of that in black? just a tiny piece wanted to compare it to this stuff i've got. and how much was it a yard?

 

I also agree on the Rave. I used the Flame Red in one of my trucks and love it.
Give yourautotrim.com a call, I didn't see it on there website anymore but thats where I get mine.

 

Ray Eller did the seat in my forty Ford pickup in Allante vinyl - he's been doing hihgh end interior work for a lot of years and told me that Allante was the most leather-like vinyl out there.

 

This is what makes the HAMB so great, lots of input and real world experience, thanks guys.
HemiDeuce.

 

pretty sure that was what i had in my 47....oh so soft , felt like leather. hide a few scraps of leather under the seats and you'd probably swear it was real. and miami rubber was where it came from.....

 

Brandon, I've done the same thing! Some craps of real leather and some conditioner in the bottom of the lower cushion and the customer who paid for and agreed to imitation swears its real leather. I've seen them freak thinking the bill would be some insane amount they hadn't agreed to.

Most of the time one version or another is the same as modern OEM on any luxury brand. Allante is the closest I've found to the real thing at a decent price but it can be modeled to extreme shapes or multiple sided objects. For example the 70- 81 Firebird consoles. It doesn't look like much but it takes a decent amount of experience to pull off a quality cover job in single sheet with no seems. I personally hate the look seems where they don't need to be and eliminate as many as possible for cleaner look.

One thing to consider is that Ultraleather which Miami carries too has jumped up to $70 a yard +/- while Allante is $20 +/- I still respect and prefer real leather so for the money of Ultra some times it is worth stepping up to the real thing depending on how complex the interior is, the size of the covered surfaces and what you or the customer is willing to invest.

 

all right so do you have some links as to who sells the Allante?

 

I've done both and keep coming back to leather. Nothin like it. I've had better luck selling a car with leather than plastic. Leather has worn good in the cars I've had, cleans easy and you can't beat the patina of a good ole worn leather interior. Cows wear leather and live outside for their entire life!

 

how much fabric is required generally to do a bench seat?? thanks A

 

I use only "Rich Corinthian" myself....



sorry,I had too.

 

Glad the hear about Alante, it was recommended by the guy doing my 47, The sample had a good feel and I wasn't going to spend the $ for Ultra leather or real leather. Just waiting to see what it will look like when done.

 

Low on tech but high on nostalgia.

 

Alright to carry this thread to the next level, any recomendations on quality leather and what to look for?
HemiDeuce.