My 2000 S2000
07-29-2015 | 11:42 AM
#21
Community Organizer
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 20,983
Likes: 185
From: in my garage
My girlfriend Laurie brought her 09 Accord coupe over for some electrical install/troubleshooting. I fixed her fog lights and installed a new Amp'ed emblem for her:
Then we decided to clean up the engine bay. A quick squirt of water and a 20 minute wipedown followed by an application of Silkolene Pro Prep and we went from this:
To this:
Yeah, boy!!
Then we decided to clean up the engine bay. A quick squirt of water and a 20 minute wipedown followed by an application of Silkolene Pro Prep and we went from this:
To this:
Yeah, boy!!
Silkolene Pro Prep for under the hood. 
07-29-2015 | 08:02 PM
#23
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 333
Likes: 1
From: NoVA - Fairfax / FFX STN
Great job on the car! She looks fantastic. And you're right, my rear subs rattle like a mofo. I just haven't had the time to determine where it's coming from, but it's definitely a PITA!
Keep up the great mods!
Keep up the great mods!
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dwb993 (01-27-2017)
08-13-2015 | 07:47 PM
#25
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 745
Likes: 140
From: Palm Bay, FL
08-16-2015 | 04:37 PM
#26
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 745
Likes: 140
From: Palm Bay, FL
Adventures in Upholstery Renovation
EDIT: Link to pics: http://s984.photobucket.com/user/dwb...%20Restoration
When I purchased my car, there was some wear already present on the drivers side upper bolster. In addition, the lower bolsters on both seats had deteriorated. In my second season with them and they have only gotten worse.
I purchased a set of black seats to get the red ones out of use for a while. While they look nice, I miss my red seats!
I began with repairing the lower seat bolsters following the DIY I found on S2KI. Basically, you lift up the leather cover and build the bolster back up with duck tape and pieces of sponge.
I've been researching many repair methods and came upon a product called Magic Mender (Magic Mender), which is a water based urethane product. After several emails back & forth, I went ahead and purchased their "All-In-One Repair Kit", which comes with enough product to repair the amount of damage I had.
The kit was very easy to order---they have a Honda Red selection and the color is very close. It includes the repair compound, mesh, cleaner, tool and color. I began by breaking down the seats and giving them a good cleaning with soap and water and a scrub brush. Wow, were they dirty! I highly recommend everyone pull the seats out and just give them a good cleaning. I was impressed already and I hadn't even started my repair!!
So after the wash, you use their prep cleaner product on all areas needing repair/recoloring. For the large holes I had, I trimmed the frayed areas to give a clean line. Then insert the mesh into the hole and secure with some compound. Once that dried, I began applying the compound in layers to build up the area. The stuff is pretty easy to work with, just keep the plastic spreader tool clean the whole time. Use a hair dryer to cure the product a bit faster and take your time. I need to repeat that---TAKE YOUR TIME!! If you rush things, you will only make more work for yourself. Once it is built up to the level you want, begin applying thinner and thinner coats and work on getting the surface as smooth as possible. Total cure time is 24 hours, so I let my repair sit for that long before I began final prep work. The kit includes a fine grade sandpaper which I used to get the repaired area as smooth as possible.
Some "In-Progress" pics:
Once you have the repair completed and smooth, its time to color the area. Again, we are using a water-based urethane sealant with coloring added. The instructions call for application with a small sponge, but I chose to get a Preval sprayer from Home Depot. Its basically a can of air like you use to clean computer parts. The Color Flex can just screws right into it and you have an instant sprayer. I diluted with water at 3 parts color to 1 part water. Have a piece of cardboard handy to make sure you have a good spray pattern and to mask off any area you don't want colored. Here again, take your time and apply light coats only. Red needs more coats to achieve the same coverage, so plan for even more time if you are using that color. I found that an initial application of color at full strength with the sponge helped get things started. Then I used the sprayer to apply several coats, using the sponge to dab some color and prevent runs. Once the coat was laid down how I wanted it, I used the hair dryer to assist with the dry time. It took several coats to get decent coverage. I basically did the whole seat (front only) for all 4 pieces. I ran a bit low when doing the passenger seat back, so I think I could use ordering one more can of the Color Flex to apply another coat or two on that portion.
Color pics:
First piece colored:
Is it perfect? No. But I was not looking for perfect. If I were, I'd have taken it to an upholstery shop and had it done. I think it is very livable, however. I need to let the Color Flex cure for 24 hours, then I will hit it with some 303 Aerospace and see how it looks. Because the repair and color is urethane, you cannot use any type of solvent based cleaner on them--that includes ammonia, so be extra careful when cleaning the windows. Soap and water is all you will need to clean them and 303 will make them shiny and protect them from UV.
My black seats need some repair work, although nowhere near as bad as these were. When I swap them out, I may repair them, too! I'm thinking I want to swap the plastic behind the headrest for the silver units on the black seats. I think that will look good on the red seats in the SSM car.
EDIT: Link to pics: http://s984.photobucket.com/user/dwb...%20Restoration
When I purchased my car, there was some wear already present on the drivers side upper bolster. In addition, the lower bolsters on both seats had deteriorated. In my second season with them and they have only gotten worse.
I purchased a set of black seats to get the red ones out of use for a while. While they look nice, I miss my red seats!
I began with repairing the lower seat bolsters following the DIY I found on S2KI. Basically, you lift up the leather cover and build the bolster back up with duck tape and pieces of sponge.
I've been researching many repair methods and came upon a product called Magic Mender (Magic Mender), which is a water based urethane product. After several emails back & forth, I went ahead and purchased their "All-In-One Repair Kit", which comes with enough product to repair the amount of damage I had.
The kit was very easy to order---they have a Honda Red selection and the color is very close. It includes the repair compound, mesh, cleaner, tool and color. I began by breaking down the seats and giving them a good cleaning with soap and water and a scrub brush. Wow, were they dirty! I highly recommend everyone pull the seats out and just give them a good cleaning. I was impressed already and I hadn't even started my repair!!
So after the wash, you use their prep cleaner product on all areas needing repair/recoloring. For the large holes I had, I trimmed the frayed areas to give a clean line. Then insert the mesh into the hole and secure with some compound. Once that dried, I began applying the compound in layers to build up the area. The stuff is pretty easy to work with, just keep the plastic spreader tool clean the whole time. Use a hair dryer to cure the product a bit faster and take your time. I need to repeat that---TAKE YOUR TIME!! If you rush things, you will only make more work for yourself. Once it is built up to the level you want, begin applying thinner and thinner coats and work on getting the surface as smooth as possible. Total cure time is 24 hours, so I let my repair sit for that long before I began final prep work. The kit includes a fine grade sandpaper which I used to get the repaired area as smooth as possible.
Some "In-Progress" pics:
Once you have the repair completed and smooth, its time to color the area. Again, we are using a water-based urethane sealant with coloring added. The instructions call for application with a small sponge, but I chose to get a Preval sprayer from Home Depot. Its basically a can of air like you use to clean computer parts. The Color Flex can just screws right into it and you have an instant sprayer. I diluted with water at 3 parts color to 1 part water. Have a piece of cardboard handy to make sure you have a good spray pattern and to mask off any area you don't want colored. Here again, take your time and apply light coats only. Red needs more coats to achieve the same coverage, so plan for even more time if you are using that color. I found that an initial application of color at full strength with the sponge helped get things started. Then I used the sprayer to apply several coats, using the sponge to dab some color and prevent runs. Once the coat was laid down how I wanted it, I used the hair dryer to assist with the dry time. It took several coats to get decent coverage. I basically did the whole seat (front only) for all 4 pieces. I ran a bit low when doing the passenger seat back, so I think I could use ordering one more can of the Color Flex to apply another coat or two on that portion.
Color pics:
First piece colored:
Is it perfect? No. But I was not looking for perfect. If I were, I'd have taken it to an upholstery shop and had it done. I think it is very livable, however. I need to let the Color Flex cure for 24 hours, then I will hit it with some 303 Aerospace and see how it looks. Because the repair and color is urethane, you cannot use any type of solvent based cleaner on them--that includes ammonia, so be extra careful when cleaning the windows. Soap and water is all you will need to clean them and 303 will make them shiny and protect them from UV.
My black seats need some repair work, although nowhere near as bad as these were. When I swap them out, I may repair them, too! I'm thinking I want to swap the plastic behind the headrest for the silver units on the black seats. I think that will look good on the red seats in the SSM car.
Last edited by dwb993; 07-21-2017 at 08:44 AM.
08-17-2015 | 06:53 AM
#30
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 745
Likes: 140
From: Palm Bay, FL
Thanks, guys.
I was impressed with the results, too. As baZurk mentions, the coverage is fantastic---even filling in those hairline cracks in the leather. The repaired area is still soft and supple and feels like the original material.
I've ordered another bottle of the Color Flex because I think it could still use one or two more applications. So, for 2 seats in an S2K in red, order the large size (12oz) bottle of the Color Flex.
I was impressed with the results, too. As baZurk mentions, the coverage is fantastic---even filling in those hairline cracks in the leather. The repaired area is still soft and supple and feels like the original material.
I've ordered another bottle of the Color Flex because I think it could still use one or two more applications. So, for 2 seats in an S2K in red, order the large size (12oz) bottle of the Color Flex.