I got the windlace in the Diamond T today, and covered the kick panels in leather to match the rest of the interior. Like the rest of the trim panels, they're .040 aluminum, covered with leather. I used Loc-Tite spray adhesive on them, and that stuff is the BOMB! Much nicer to use than either 3M or the headliner adhesive from JoAnnes Fabric, and only $7.99 a can at Home Depot! Brian
Nice work! Two unrelated questions if you don't mind... Are those cranks on the dash for the windshield? - and - Are the engine turned dash bits stock or did you do that?
Be prepared to re-glue some of that stuff as soon as it gets really hot. I used the same stuff, and ended up re-gluing after the first time in the sun. Looks good though.
Looking good - BTW for my panels I use regular contact cement in a spray gun. (Got the tip from an old time upholstery guy) Holds extremely well, a quart costs less than one spray can and will go WAY farther. If you've got a compressor and do much at all it's the way to go. If you go that route I'd suggest dedicating a gun to the job, as its extremely hard to clean out. I use what was my primer gun, I think you can buy a cheap-o model for less than $20.
Thanks gator, I'm going to do just that. I have a gun my wife bought at a yard sale for $10 that isn't good for anything else! I also learned (the hard way trying to glue counter-top)) that the non-toxic contact cement isn't worth a crap. Brian
Can you leave the contact cement in the gun, and seal it off somehow so that it doesn't set in the cup and tube? Just wondering, or dump the balance back in the storage container, and clean gun with what?
x3..what Keep and Gator said. Weldwood contact adhesive for Landau tops is in the $28. a gallon range....that's alot of spray cans, and you'll only have to do it once. It's what the pros use. find the biggest nozzle spray gun HF caries..about $20. I use a gun from HF that has a blue plastic head...works great. I fill a quart size spray gun about 2/3, then add about 1/2" of acetone to thin it enough to spray well. You can just leave the glue in the gun for weeks with no problem. If it starts to thicken, just add a tad of acetone. Added note: acetone is one of the ingredients in the adhesive. You can find it in any hardware store. Be careful using it for cleaning up....it will eat some plastics. It does not seem to affect the spray gun though.
Upholstery shops use spray guns, I don't think they ever clean them but they use them several times a day and they don't get dried up and hard. If you are doing an upholstery job here is a tip. Put the glue in a bottle and the bottle in the spray gun cup. Do your work, you can leave it for a day or 2, but when you are finished take out the bottle, put on the cap with a double layer of wax paper to make a seal and prevent the top sticking on. Then put some thinners in another bottle and put it in the cup for cleaning. Spray some thinners through the gun, take off the nozzle and clean in the usual way, and wipe the spray gun down. Then it will be clean and not gummed up when you want to use it again.
Yup, what they said...ya gotta use high temp adhesive. Performance Products High-Temp in aerosol spray cans will work also, if you can find it in your area. (this product is manufactured for the auto upholstery industry) Spraying Weldwood thru a gun is much more cost effective. Do it right = do it once.
Careful using a building supply store contact cement if it is "yellow" as it will bleed thru lighter color material when it gets hot. Use a glue made for uphoulstery work, it will be "white" in color.
Yes. The Loctite stuff smells like contact cement, so I'm confident it'll be fine. Those panels come out easily if it doesn't, unlike the headliner... Brian
Great tips everybody on contact cement thru the gun, I'll put that advice to good use when I do the interior of the '48 Pontiac 'vert and the T'Bird. And, the shop will be warm enough by then, which is another reason I used spray bomb adhesive in the house (windows open!) for this project. Brian
Thanks for the tip on the color of the 2 different contact cements, never really thought of it. Always had the yellow stuff around.
For the same reason I did't want the modern radio exposed, hanging under the dash, I didn't want the 6x9 Pioneer speakers to show on the door panels. I tossed the covers, and simply covered the entire panel, speaker and all, with leather. I perforated the leather over the speakers, so they're (sort of) hidden. I'd have mounted them completely behind the panel, but the door isn't deep enough, so they're not flush, but they are disguised. The speakers aren't muffled (at least to my slightly damaged hearing) behind the perforated leather. I use a small 1/4" drive deep socket that I ground a razor sharp edge on with the grinder for a punch. The pattern is simply laid out on the back of the leather (in this case, but the same thing works with vinyl), and smack the socket with a ball peen hammer. When the socket is filled with cut out blanks, I just push them out with a small punch or finishing nail.
A little early for upholstery questions but its part of the planning. Should the bottom of this panel be fiberglassed in? I would think it would be easier to do out of the car then re-install it. I also want to put a steel inner structure in behind it. Thoughts?
Had enough Miller lite to whip this puppy out. Not good, no measuring... One King flat sheet and a fitted split to both ends
3/4 of that panel is screwed in and it is just glassed at the wheel well. Should I cut that out at the wheel well and make a flange to reattach it? Or do I make a panel to go over this one?
Are your rear windows going to be fixed? If roll down would you not want to be able to remove that panel? Just thinking out loud. John
Yes they are going to be fixed (Glued in place). It's good to think out loud just so long as no one sees you answering yourself.
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