Subject: Re: [Healeys] Original leather interior, what was leather, what was vinyl

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 13:27:51 -0500 (EST)

Leather was used as an option on the front seat facings, the part you sit on
or against. Everything else was "Ambla" vinyl. Top and tonneau were Everflex
vinyl.
Aloha
Perry

-----Original Message-----

Trying to piece together the mix of what was leather and what was vinyl on
J8's that came with factory leather interior.  This is what I think based on
earches and couple of books.  Can someone(s) fill in the details as to what
as what?  My guesses below maybe was off base.
Front seats - all leather except the backs of the upright seat backs.  Seats
re pleated with no embossed pattern.  Vinyl pleats had the checkerboard
attern.
Rear seats - not leather but matching color vinyl, again pleated but no
attern. What was surrounding material to rear seats, leather or vinyl?
Door panels?  Don't know what material Where the leather?
Front kick panels - don't know what material?  Were they leather?
Rear left/right panels that hide the top hinges - don't know but assumed
there
as no embossed "square" pattern as with vinyl (amblia) interiors.  So were
hey just plain material that was leather or were they matching vinyl?
Rear fold down shelf.  Have counted 19 vertical pleats with no embossed
attern-but what material?  Also what was thin material that covers the back
nd join the hinged areas and the vertical shelf?
Dash and console covering - vinyl or leather?
Top dash cover  that rearview mirror sits on - assume was always black and
was
inyl
Tonneau and boot covers.  assume was always marine type vinyl
hanks
js64BJ8
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---

From: "Peter Svilans" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 14:09:18 -0500

Hello jjs

The optional leather interior was very rarely seen over here in North 
America on export cars, mostly on home market cars.  Many cars are being 
done in leather nowdays because it was "optional" in the printed literature, 
but historically it wasn't like that.  The ICI "Ambla" vinyl was actually a 
very good quality expanded vinyl which has stood up better than the leather 
has many years on.

The following are listed as Optional Extras in the BJ8 Parts List:

- Seat assembly - AHB6575- in red, blue, black or grey (Pale. Actually more 
of a parchment colour).  As mentioned, seat faces only, vinyl backs, 
matching colour piping, not chrome silver.

- Armrest - AHB 6909- same colours and piping as above

- Rear seat pan - AHB 6200- same colours and piping as above

-Rear seat squab - AHB 6799- same colours and piping as above.  Not square 
pattern like the stock vinyl, but vertical pleats to match pleats on seats 
and pans.

The rest of the interior was vinyl as per stock.

Tops and tonneaus were in Everflex, a British made special weatherproof  PVC 
hooding material in a shallow leather-type grain and a grey cloth backing. 
The top bows were painted a matching grey to blend in.  Wood millwork on the 
bows was trimmed in a thin pale cream leathercloth  (non-stretch vinyl).

Best regards
Peter

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 1:00 PM
Subject: [Healeys] Original leather interior, what was leather,what was 
vinyl

> BJ8's that came with factory leather interior.  This is what I think based 
> on
> searches and couple of books.  Can someone(s) fill in the details as to 
> what
> was what?  My guesses below maybe was off base.
>
>
> are pleated with no embossed pattern.  Vinyl pleats had the checkerboard
> pattern.
>
>
> pattern. What was surrounding material to rear seats, leather or vinyl?
>
>
> was no embossed "square" pattern as with vinyl (amblia) interiors.  So 
> were
> they just plain material that was leather or were they matching vinyl?
>
>
> pattern-but what material?  Also what was thin material that covers the 
> back
> and join the hinged areas and the vertical shelf?
>
>
> vinyl
> Thanks
> jjs64BJ8
> Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Suggested annual donation  $12.75
> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
>
> [email-masked]
> Unsubscribe/Manage: 
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/healeys/[email-masked]

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---

From: "Earl Kagna" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 12:51:18 -0800

Gentlemen:

I recall many years ago seeing a BJ8 with the factory leather seat option. 
I seem to remember the seat 'flutes' being much wider than the normal ambla 
trimmed Bj8's - this was done on the rear seat pan inserts, as well as the 
front facing part of the seat back.  Can anyone comment on what the very few 
factory leather equipped BJ8's looked like?

Another point - something that I recently learned:  the leather equipped 
BJ8's had plain vinyl on the rear quarters, rather than the square patterned 
material on the rear portion, which I assume was that way to match the 
smaller square pattern on the seat inserts / seat back on the ambla trimmed 
cars.  The gent that trimmed my recently restored BJ8 - in leather (using 
the narrow 'normal' inserts), used plain vinyl on the quarters.  He is a UK 
trained trimmer, and is certain that it was more correct without the pattern 
on the quarters.

Again, can anyone comment?

Earl Kagna
Victoria, B.C.
BJ8, BT7 tri-carb

-----Original Message----- 
From: Peter Svilans
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 11:09 AM
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked]
Subject: [Healeys] Original leather interior, what was leather,what was 
vinyl

Hello jjs

Best regards
Peter

[email-masked]

---

From: "BJ8 Healeys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 14:14:28 -0500

Front seats:  you have it correct.

Rear seats:  seats pans leather with 12 plain pleats (1-1/2" wide),
surrounding material vinyl.

Door panels:  vinyl, and upper armrest vinyl.

Console: upper fixed portion and lower console vinyl, console armrest
leather.

Front kick panels:  vinyl

Rear LH/RH side panels:  vinyl, with the usual square embossed pattern.

Dash covering:  black vinyl.

Rear fold down shelf:  everything is vinyl except the fold down seat back
that shows when the seat back is up (leather, with 18 plain pleats).  The
surface that shows when the seat back is unfolded into a parcel shelf is
covered with a carpet-like material.

Tonneau cover:  vinyl 

Leather upholstery was an option from the factory that was installed on cars
for North America only when they were "Personal Export Delivery" and ordered
that way.  Consequently, there were relatively few cars equipped with
leather, and even fewer that still have the original upholstery installed.
Leather was much more common for Home (i.e., UK) market cars. 

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC USA

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
On Behalf Of [email-masked]
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 1:00 PM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: [Healeys] Original leather interior, what was leather, what was
vinyl

Trying to piece together the mix of what was leather and what was vinyl on
BJ8's that came with factory leather interior.  This is what I think based
on searches and couple of books.  Can someone(s) fill in the details as to
what was what?  My guesses below maybe was off base.

Rear left/right panels that hide the top hinges - don't know but assumed
there was no embossed "square" pattern as with vinyl (amblia) interiors.  So
were they just plain material that was leather or were they matching vinyl?

Rear fold down shelf.  Have counted 19 vertical pleats with no embossed
pattern-but what material?  Also what was thin material that covers the back
and join the hinged areas and the vertical shelf?

was vinyl

Tonneau and boot covers.  assume was always marine type vinyl.

Thanks

jjs64BJ8

[email-masked]

---

From: "BJ8 Healeys" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 16:30:32 -0500

Hi, Earl -

A couple years ago I got an e-mail from Kaye Kovacs of Fourintune.  They had
received a car without upholstery for restoration that originally had been
equipped with leather and were asking what the original BJ8 leather interior
configuration was.  I had not looked into that issue before, so I did a
survey of all BJ8 owners in the registry with cars that still had the
original factory leather interior.  As stated earlier, North American cars
with leather were rare so most reponses came from Europe (I got one from the
USA).  Kaye specifically asked whether the rear side panels had the squares,
and the answer I provided from the survey was:  "Yes."  May I point out that
this is another example of why a complete and accurate registry is a useful
tool for the Healey and BJ8 communities?

Based on the survey responses, and photos that some sent, I replied as I did
to Jeff's question about the various items of upholstery in the cockpit.
Under separate cover, I will send you the photo of an original
leather-equipped car's back seat area.  As you can see, the rear side panels
(vinyl) have the typical square-embossed pattern.  If you want to see more
photos, let me know.  It's true that the leather pleats are wider than the
vinyl pleats.

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC  USA

Gentlemen:

Earl Kagna
Victoria, B.C.
BJ8, BT7 tri-carb

[email-masked]

---

From: Chris Dimmock <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 21:58:59 +1100

My BJ8 still had the original leather (Hide, as it is called on the
documentation) interior until 18 months ago. It still has the original leather
rear fold down rear seat/ parcel shelf.
As Steve said, it has the square embossed Vinyl rear side panels.
See the original body production windscreen card
 http://www.myaustinhealey.com/histintro.html

Sent from my iPhone

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