Hello, Old wives tales. No one with a good sense of smell can't tell the difference? Ha! Of the three cars we took across the border, it was obvious that the upholstery was new. But, the hassle was the border guys asking what we did there. No fees unless we declared our upholstery. We just said visited shopping and the beaches. No major purchases and then got waved through. Clean cut teens would not do any thing illegal, would they? We all heard the stories and it was not a problem. At first, we stayed for questions and pointed out what we wanted at the shop. But, it was going to be a long day, so we just trusted the shop. All three cars went to the same shop. We went to town for lunch and relaxation. I suppose, by telling them two or three other cars are coming to the shop to get more upholstery was the key. They knew business and one example led to more money... Jnaki But, as surfers coming back from a long weekend or a week's worth of camping out and surfing various spots, we always got stopped. We had to open the doors to the vans and sedan delivery panels for a search. But, we always gave the guards a sack of fruits as that was important to confiscate. The folks behind us did not like surfers as they got searched. If there were surfboards on top of a car, people moved over lanes to get behind a normal looking sedan. Only once ,did we have to go over to the actual side building for a full "upending mattress, take everything out for a full search" of the built in closets and drawers. But, they never found the "secret" stash bottom compartment of the hanging clothes closet that held extra liquor and valuables. It was a floor panel with a pair of tennies sitting on top as if it was a normal closet. NOTE: Perhaps if we had taken showers and had a clean shirt style of appearance, then maybe the result would have been like the "clean teens" in the hot rod/custom cars. But , after camping out for a week or two, the appearance was the last thing we needed to be criticized for as we crossed the border. The appearance was the key. Look bad and get searched... for nothing... The work was very good and compared to the friend who got his Ford Sedan upholstery in Bixby Knolls, it was hard to tell the difference. The pleated rolls had the same feel and comfort. The material was the same vinyl or back then, called Naugahyde. No difference other than a thinner wallet. YRMV
Nice pictures but wrong information. It is a DKW F7 twostroke car. the factory workers (Real PR pics from the DKW factory!) wanted to prove the strength of the body with its wooden core, covered with naugahyde which was stretched in the warmth of the sun allover the body and nailed on the underside of the rockers and the wheelswells. just before and straight after WWII there were no steel at all available so this was a quite common way to built cars here
The Jalopy Journal
