LRCC

I've just purchased a Series IIa Dormobile that needs the seats recovering.
Currently the rears and the front passenger are the original 'elephant hide' the base of the drivers seat has been recovered, the back of the drivers seat is damaged and the passenger seat cover is starting to crack.
http://www.exmoortrim.co.uk/store/serie ... etail.html

The Exmoor Trim covers look the business but I'd welcome any feedback because they are an expensive purchase (about 1/5th of what I paid for the car before I factor in freight).

How close is the material to the original 'elephant hide' ?
Did they fit well ?

The alternative is to run up some covers in a similar material as I have an industrial sewing machine.

Thanks,

Colin

Hi Colin,

AlexB on here had his re-covered by a local upholsterer at a reasonable price - not sure it was elephant hide though

DanC on here has used a set from Exmoor, see HERE for his post.

Hope that helps,
Robin.

RMS wrote:Hi Colin,

AlexB on here had his re-covered by a local upholsterer at a reasonable price - not sure it was elephant hide though

DanC on here has used a set from Exmoor, see HERE for his post.

Hope that helps,
Robin.

Thanks Robin,

I asked if Exmoor would supply fronts only and they said no so I might have to keep an eye on the exchange rate.

If it wasn't for the 'elephant hide' I could probably make them, I've never done piping but I'm sure I can learn on YouTube......

I'll check a few upholstery suppliers and see what options are available in grey before going back to Exmoor.


Colin

Hi Colin . I fitted a full set of the Exmore trim covers to my Dormobile last year. the coluor is lighter than the original and grain is not as heavy ,they are a snug fit ! no tight fit would be more accurate .the best tip I could give if fitting new sear covers would be where possible leave the old seat cover the seat but carefully cut the piping off using a very sharp blade and fit the new cover over everything,they are all back in this helps it to keep its shape and also lets you see where the covers should sit in their original position. Remove some of the clips but not all of them ,then work around the seat and you can then swap clips as you go till the whole seat is covered. If the seat is ripped/split and the foam and/or horse hair filling may be out of shape more work is needed to restore the fabric and shape,if it is only a split in the cover use a broad tape like gaffer tape to smooth the split out (other tapes are available ) before fitting the new cover. all of this work is easier done in a warm environment as this helps to keep the new cover pliable. also broken springs can be repaired at this point. I also painted the framework while it was out of the vehicle. on average it took me about 2hrs per cushion ( counting the base as 1 cushion and seat back as another cushion ).passenger seat which is bigger took a bit longer just because of its size. All of the seats are now back in place and look very nice indeed shame about the rest of the dormobile but its an ongoing project. if there is any other points just ask as I have bound to have missed some things out. cheers Les

lightweightles wrote:Hi Colin . I fitted a full set of the Exmore trim covers to my Dormobile last year. the coluor is lighter than the original and grain is not as heavy ,they are a snug fit ! no tight fit would be more accurate .the best tip I could give if fitting new sear covers would be where possible leave the old seat cover the seat but carefully cut the piping off using a very sharp blade and fit the new cover over everything,they are all back in this helps it to keep its shape and also lets you see where the covers should sit in their original position. Remove some of the clips but not all of them ,then work around the seat and you can then swap clips as you go till the whole seat is covered. If the seat is ripped/split and the foam and/or horse hair filling may be out of shape more work is needed to restore the fabric and shape,if it is only a split in the cover use a broad tape like gaffer tape to smooth the split out (other tapes are available ) before fitting the new cover. all of this work is easier done in a warm environment as this helps to keep the new cover pliable. also broken springs can be repaired at this point. I also painted the framework while it was out of the vehicle. on average it took me about 2hrs per cushion ( counting the base as 1 cushion and seat back as another cushion ).passenger seat which is bigger took a bit longer just because of its size. All of the seats are now back in place and look very nice indeed shame about the rest of the dormobile but its an ongoing project. if there is any other points just ask as I have bound to have missed some things out. cheers Les

Thanks Les,
I need to do something to fix the front seats even if it's only a short term fix.

I did find this but I'm not sure whether the material is suitable. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HEAVY-SOFT-V ... 1233173418

As previously mentioned, I have an industrial sewing machine (and limited experience) so it's only the fact that I would like to keep it original that steered me towards the Exmoor covers.
Could you post a closeup picture of the Exmoor elephant hide material.

Thanks,

Colin

Found some grey automotive vinyl today with a similar grain to the original.
Colour isn't a brilliant match.
Did the original have a darker colour in the grain, or is it dirt ? I'll have to try and clean some to find out.



Plastic piping seems difficult to obtain locally but you can get a white PVC (wrapped over cord) piping.

I need to get the front seats fixed sooner rather than later so I may be stuck with what I can get locally. The grey PVC is 1.37mtr wide and $25 per metre and the piping $4.95 per metre.

A picture of the elephant hide from Exmoor would help the decision.

Colin

The Exmoor piping is actually white vinyl, its a little different to the original and better to sleep on.

DanC wrote:The Exmoor piping is actually white vinyl, its a little different to the original and better to sleep on.

That's probably what I was offered.

Anyone able to post a picture of the Exmoor 'elephant hide' ?

Colin

Have a look here Colin - http://www.yourautotrim.com/elephant.html

Mine are worn out black vinyl / gaffer tape but I thought when I eventually get them recovered I'd go for "crocodile skin" and give it that african safari feel

jerryd wrote:Have a look here Colin - http://www.yourautotrim.com/elephant.html

Mine are worn out black vinyl / gaffer tape but I thought when I eventually get them recovered I'd go for "crocodile skin" and give it that african safari feel

Jerry,

That's not far off what I can get from the local trim supplier.

I wondered if the Exmoor material looked much different.


Colin