Horsey on the headrest: replacement

Have any 308/328 owners ever redone your interiors and found a way to replicate the prancing horse embossed on the headrest? It looks like it is heat- or pressure-stamped in there, although it is faint.

I believe the newer cars 360/430, 550/575, etc, have a much larger horse in relief - totally different.

I'd guess the best option is to order new seat/headrest covers from Ferrari UK?

My seats are still in very nice condition, some bolster rub, but at some point I'll want that new leather feel/smell back, and I like the horse logo for looks and originality.

 

i really loved the red horsies on my old GTB. not correct for the year , but i still loved that interior. pics always help.


i hope you can find a way to duplicate them!
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Mine are original - very faintly stamped into the leather:
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Maybe someone can make a branding iron or stencil so you can airbrush it on.

 

I talked with someone today about making a die to stamp it - they'd have to do it from scratch, but it's an option.

 

Don't look to start piddling with your seats, Jon. From the pictures I've seen, they look superb. Redo them and you'll start looking for seat covers. Worse yet, sheepskins!

Don't be tempted to do Something Stupid
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ps the horse is loud and clear in that picture you posted.

 

Probably won't, but the chafe is actually starting to get under my skin a bit.

 

I'm glad to hear you'll probably leave your seats alone. I didn't want to see you getting high hopes that the horse could be custom embossed any better than yours is now.

Barry

 

I am redoing the interior on my 80 308 got my seatcovers from Lyle Tanner the headrests had the horses stmaped in the head rests like later models had. They will sell head rest covers by themselves. I have it in the shop now while they are installing the interior they are going to install Birdman's fuse blocks. Lyle Tanners web address is

http://www.ferraripartsexchange.com/

they have been very helpful with everything and seem to be the least expensive parts supplier I have dealt with

 

It's very clear, my seat covers are here to stay.

For matching, I'd probably do them all at once. But good info -- thanks! Wonder if they're the same as the originals.

 

As soon as I get my car back I will post some pictures.

 

Why not just redye the seats to get rid of the bolster rub? See www.fca-se.org/conc_leather.htm and many similar experiences here on FChat.

 

I'm happy to hear that. More than you know.

 

If you're looking for that new car smell again the re dye isn't gunna cut it. I had mine dyed when i took delivery in June. Im not happy with the way they turned out and am going to re-skin them over the winter.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125071
I had my seats dyes professionally and although they look good enough, they now feel very stiff and brittle and seem to show cracks more prominantly.

 

Connolly dye, even the re-dye spray, was and is lacquer-based, which makes the leather feel brittle. To properly redye and get the original softness back, you have to strip off all the old dye surface, condition the leather, and then redye with a water-based product such as Leatherique.

 

THE FACTORY ONE IS STAMPED, OTHER OPTIONS ARE LASER ENGRAVING EMBROIDERING OR EMBOSSING. AND REGARDING LEATHER DYE "PROFESSIONALS" I HAVEN'T SEEN AN INTERIOR LOOK GOOD AFTER ABOUT A YEAR.

 

Mine were leatherique dyed before I got the car. The color is great, and the leather is fairly soft. But I'd like the stitching to be original/undyed, and the thought of new leather smell in a 328 is appealing.

But, pretty much everyone I've asked has said my seats look great and that I should leave them alone for now.

I guess I've got everything else on the car near perfect, so it's tempting to redo the seats.

 

I understand your concerns now, Jon. Check with Mike Charness if it's possible to correct your dyed stitching. I seem to remember him mentioning this in the past. It would probably be tedious and time-consuming exercise.

Unless you can find NOS seat and headrest covers, you might not be happy with the appearance of the stitching. And for color matching, you would also need door and console covers.

As mentioned, Lyle Tanner is a good source. So is Re-Originals. Check other owners' redone interiors and see which ones meet your standards.

Barry

 

The interior kits that we sell are also stamped the same as the original head rests. We sell all interior kits for Ferrari including convert tops .

 

Jon: For something fairly close to new leather smell you might try Gliptone GT11 Liquid Leather Conditioner (www.liquidleather.com). Even with shipping and currency conversion it isn’t very expensive, and after applying it you can stuff the applicator cloth under a seat for a longer-lasting effect.

 

... or just dab some in my nostril.

Thanks John, I'll probably end up taking an all-or-nothing-at-all approach. The seats are too good for another re-dye, they're already soft, and I'm not sure about mixing leatherique with other conditioners for sniff appeal.

Basically, I have very nice 20-year old leather seats, and I think I want very nice 20-day old leather seats.

Anyway, it can all wait till the cruel San Diego winter when my car's in for the annual service/massage session.

 

Did you say you wanted sheepskins!!! ;-)

 

The Voice.

Call me irresponsible, but once again, I couldn't resist.
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Yep, got that one. Couldn't figure out how to work Ciribiribin into an FChat post though.