[Beverly Sharp]

Anyone have experience with dyeing MB Tex material? I found a firm, nice (nothing wrong) drivers seat in a wrecked '81 240D to replace the totally broken-down seat in my '77 300D. However, the 240 seat is blue and my interior is Bamboo. Would dyeing the blue material a Bamboo color work ok, or would it be better to take my covers off (they have no tears or stains) and put them on the 240 seat?
Hemersam

 

[mike-81-240d]

IMO I would just swap the covers. If the seat is a dark color to begin with Dye is not going to turn out all the pleasing, unless you are dying it to another dark color.

 

[MBeige]

IMO I would just swap the covers. If the seat is a dark color to begin with Dye is not going to turn out all the pleasing, unless you are dying it to another dark color.

If the upholstery is bad, swapping the covers won't help because a '77 seat would be differently configured from an '81 seat. The headrests are also different. Swapping the bottom cushion is actually the easy part, but the backrest is another story due to the large frame and presence of horsehair padding (some bottom cushions have rubberized foam instead - no horsehair padding).

If the padding is bad, you may be able to use the padding from the '81. However the backrest, as mentioned earlier, is mostly horsehair padding and might not transfer over easily.

Ideally it would be better to get the correct year seat to begin with but that's probably a tough call as well.

 

[Beverly Sharp]

dyeing?

Good advice from you both. You're probably right is saying going from dark blue to bamboo might not come out so good. I also think I'll just have the seat part switched out and put the bamboo cover on the "new" seat. The back rest on my car isn't bad at all; it's just the seat part which is totally collapsed (previous owner a VERY BIG man).
Hemersam

 

[SoCal240d]

I have dyed many interiors and with very good results. Yes, you should try to dye the same color when possible. But, dye technology like everything is so much better than 20 years ago. SEM Color Coat dye one of the more popular and available brands used to be lacquer based and would crack over time. Whatever it is made of now covers much better and lasts a lot longer. I have re-dyed light over dark like you are trying to do, and it looked fine. It is a cheap alternative to doing the job right and reupholstering but let's say in six months some of the dye wears off and you begin to see the blue underneath. Just lightly prep it and dust on a light touch-up coat. If you do use SEM dye, use ALL of the products; the surface prep (they have one for leather or vinyl) and the adhesion promoter. DO NOT SKIMP AND ONLY BUY THE DYE AND JUST CLEAN IT WITH ALCOHOL AND SHOOT IT! Not following the directions is what gives these products a bad wrap. Abpout $40 in materials including one can of dye. Additional cans are about $12 each. Attached is a pic of my Bentley T2 interior. All dyed with SEM including the dash and side panels. This picture was taken about 1 year after the re-dye.

 

[123Stevo]

I have also used SEM Color Coat dye many times with great success, go for it and as stated above, do all the prep and it well turn out great.

 

[Beverly Sharp]

?

MBeige: is the seat cushion part of my '77 300D the same as that of the '81 240D? If so, that's the only part I'll switch out. Thanks.
Hemersam

 

[MBeige]

MBeige: is the seat cushion part of my '77 300D the same as that of the '81 240D? If so, that's the only part I'll switch out. Thanks.
Hemersam

Probably not, due to the design change from '77 to '80 and '81 up. However, you might be able to modify the cushion (if it is foam) to fit your '77. The contour should be similar but the dimension might be a bit different.

I did the same with my '83, and got the cushion from an '81 300D because it was made of foam and not horsehair.

On top of replacing the cushion I added a thin layer of additional foam (1/2 inch).

It went from this (both front seats looked like this):

To this:

And it has held up pretty well. The change was performed in 2005 to 2006. My uncle, who drove my car when my grandpa had failing mental health before he passed away, was also a huge guy.

 

[Beverly Sharp]

?

MBeige: I probably didn't explain my question very well, so let me re-do it. The bottom seat in the 240D is in great shape, nice and firm; all I need to do is remove it, replace the MBTex cover with my Bamboo cover and install it in my car. I wouldn't have to mess with cushions or anything else like that. So, given this, will the seat bolt up in my car without any problems? Thanks.
Hemersam

 

[MBeige]

MBeige: I probably didn't explain my question very well, so let me re-do it. The bottom seat in the 240D is in great shape, nice and firm; all I need to do is remove it, replace the MBTex cover with my Bamboo cover and install it in my car. I wouldn't have to mess with cushions or anything else like that. So, given this, will the seat bolt up in my car without any problems? Thanks.
Hemersam

You might run into some problems with mounting. As I recall the early models had a different mounting setup. Since there is a "facelift" in terms of interior design pre-80 to post-80, the less items you swap over, the less problems you'll encounter.

If you'll remove the bottom cushion from the 240D, and swap over your MB-Tex cover on it, you'll be fine but you'll now have to consider if the seat frame will bolt on to your older model.

If you'll remove the foam from the 240D and transplant only the foam into your 300D, you'll have less problems to worry about.

You'll be halfway there the moment you replace the MB-Tex anyway, all you need to do is remove the hog rings on the horsehair padding and remove and vacuum the horsehair out of the frame, replace it with the foam pad (if it does have a foam pad), replace the hog rings and then install the original upholstery. No need to worry about re-dying.

You can inspect the 240D from behind the front seat to check if it has the orange foam pad. Getting the foam pad also allows you with more options, because the front passenger seat foam pad should be the same as the driver seat foam pad.

Worst case scenario, grab the bottom half of the 240D seat, and try your method first. If the frame does not bolt up, you can use my method and still manage to fix your seat problem.

 

[dkr]

My experience with "dye" is that most of the consumer-available products do not penetrate underneath the surface. Instead they create their own surface. You can get a near perfect color match, but if it is something you are sitting on or putting pressure on, the color will flake off over time and will get all over your clothing.

Dkr.

 

[Beverly Sharp]

dyeing?

I very much appreciate all the input I've gotten on this problem of mine. I've definitely decided against the re-dyeing approach and will try to work out a "switch" solution. MBeige: your post is detailed and very helpful, but the problem with my seat is not so much the padding, whichever it might be, but the springs; most of them are broken and the seat is in horrible condition. At this point, a lawn chair would be better .

The shop I went to said there is absolutely no way my seat can be reconstructed. Thus, just transplanting the foam from the 240D to my car will not do the job. So, if the 240 seat base won't bolt up as is, why couldn't new holes, etc., be drilled so as to make it fit?
Hemersam

 

[Beverly Sharp]

?

Anyone know the answer on this "switch" issue? Thanks.
Hemersam

 

[MBeige]

I don't recall what thread it was but somebody performed a swap and documented it on this board. As I recall there were slight differences in the mounting that made it difficult.

There is also the option to retain the original mounting base, but swap the frame to get the benefit of good springs from the 240D. The base has the triangle-shaped slides that allow fore-aft adjustment as well as height adjustment.

I've done a moderate search and found this:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123-e-ce-d-cd-td/1326798-what-year-did-seat-come.html

It may help guide your decision as to whether you'd want to:

1. Fix the springs instead
2. Attempt to swap the spring boxes

Or:

3. Attempt to swap the whole bottom section and simply transplant over the early '77 300D upholstery onto the newer 240D seat base.

I forgot, make sure you also swap over the seatbelt!!! The '77 has a different style latch mechanism that changed in '80 or '81. Only catch I can see if everything else goes well, is if the backrest frame will bolt on to the bottom seat frame with no issues.

 

[SoCal240d]

My experience with "dye" is that most of the consumer-available products do not penetrate underneath the surface. Instead they create their own surface. You can get a near perfect color match, but if it is something you are sitting on or putting pressure on, the color will flake off over time and will get all over your clothing.

Dkr.

Dye is not designed to nor does it penetrate the surface if used on sealed leather or vinyl. Cloth and carpet it will penetrate. Your experiences are similar to the ones I had years ago the first few times I dyed some leather seats. I made the usual amateur mistakes by not using all the products like the adhesion promoter and the most common beginner mistake is applying too much product instead of thin even coats. I also did not let it dry enough between coats. The modern dyes are an excellent alternative to replacing expensive interior pieces and does not flake off when applied on a defect free surface (i.e. no cracks in leather) and per instructions.

 

[caspermj]

Agreed....surprisingly good results!

 

[Beverly Sharp]

seats

Problem solved (three broken springs in original seat) by removing the bamboo MBTex cover (excellent condition) of my seat base and putting it on the seat base of a 240D seat base (junk yard find) which was firm and in great shape. It worked out beautifully and is very comfortable and supportive. I was lucky to find a w123 seat base in such good condition; I am a happy camper at the moment.
Hemersam