I have a 1953 Cadillac Coupe De Ville I want to have the interior done, basically in a stock style. What is the average redo, seats, door panels, kick panels, etc? I am in the Pasadena area, just in case someone knows a good local shop.
$5000 - $10,000. Maybe more if you want leather. The only way to know for sure is to get quotes from local auto upholstery shops. Years ago it was the thing to drive to Mexico for cheap upholstery, don't know if they still do that.
If you are wanting a original style interior you might start by shopping on line to see if anyone is reproducing the seat covers and associated door panels & carpet. If you can find someone offering a interior kit having a local shop installing it will be considerably less expensive. I honestly think a caddy interior is going to be pricy. If you can't find a kit I would start driving to a few shops in your area or going to a few cruise nights and talk to guys that seem to have nice interiors and ask questions about who did there work. HRP
HRP is right. One thing, DO NOT drive to Mexico for anything right now. It's crazy down there, you may not come home. Life is hard......... It's even harder if your stupid.
HRP knows the score. Even with a kit, it takes skills to turn that kit into an interior that's straight, taut, smooth, and not baggy, or wrinkled, or out of alignment. Lots of kit interiors look like crap due to poor installation, and the more complex they are the worse they tend to look. If you want a reasonable price and good work it pays to network with the people who have had this work done. Car restoration and upholstery is sort of a "cottage industry". There are expensive shops with signs and advertising, but then there are also craftsmen working at this who do business by personal word-of-mouth only. You won't find them advertising because they always have enough work to keep themselves busy, when they want the work.
Is the original interior still in the car? If it is the upholsterer can use that as a pattern and save time and money, if they have to figure it out from scratch be sure to have a clear understanding of what you want, seam type, stitching, bolstering. Don't expect them to know what a 53 caddy interior looks like. Check out boat shops as well, they may be able to recommend good upholsterers in your area.
Thanks all! All good advice, but was just looking for a ballpark price. Been a while since I had an interior done and prices had to go up since the 90's....lol!
Try Hampton Coach, they have GM interiors. I bought a complete OEM trim for my 46 Olds from them and had shipped down under.
I had the interior in my 1960 cadillac replaced 3 years ago. It cost me just under 4 grand. Reworked the seats, door panels, kick plates, carpet. No dash pad, no headliner. This was with me pulling out all the items, taking them to the shop, then bringing them back for reinstall.
This is a good point. Several years ago I bought one of these "kits" and installed it myself in an off topic car and it came out good so I bought another one for my 56 Chevy and never could get the seat to come out right. So I ended up taking it to a real auto upholstery guy and he fixed my problem to make it look real nice. Experience is very valuable when it come to upholstery.
$2500. to about $6000. for a "complete" trim job around here (North San Diego county), that includes carpet, headliner, door panels, kick panels, seats, armrests, etc., and ALL materials. I'd suggest finding a shop that has an "oldtimer" working there, as they know how to get the look a Caddy definitely requires. 56don's post is spot on about the value of experience.
I've used their materials, and toured the shop in Amesbury, all good quality stuff, reasonable prices (as opposed to bargain-basement).
I'd say $5,000-10,000 would be a good number. A friend of mine recently paid $5,200.00 and now says he wished he would have payed $10,000 if he liked the completed job. Like everything else, you get what you pay for.
All great advise, I would check out the local customs, see if you like the work, then ask who did it and then get hold of them.. Like stated above there are some good guys out there that go by word of mouth and much more resoneable in cost.
I am in the middle of redoing my 53 Coupe DeVille right now , ordered the Headliner from Original auto interiors = $370.00 installed it myself ( not easy ) Stapled 360* all around. Having the seats & Door panels Sewn by the Real Guy ,He is also going to cut / sew the carpet , My final out of pocket will be about $3,500.00 and I am doing the installation
The only Caddy that I ever upholstered was a '49 Hard Top. The owner supplied all materials. His total bill was $4200.00 for labor and shop supplies. The imported Hogs Hair Carpet (England) was $65.00 per square yard. The car was done in leather and the stitching replicated the Original. A pre-sewn Original Style Headliner was used. The Job was completed in 1989 or 1990.........Jeff
This may be a good place to start for door panels and seat material. I haven't used them but have heard or read good things about their products. http://www.smsautofabrics.com/
View attachment 2626132 Ohhh...you'll hate me, but my one legitimate experience on a sanctioned and organized motorsports event was when I drove a '53 DeVille in the local county fair demolition derby. I came in second, for a $50 prize, after flattening everything in my path, then being taken out my a rusted '59 El Camino which almost left it's rear bumper stuck in my radiator, as it pulled away. It went right through, shoving the fan around the pump and stalling me dead. The old Caddy lost the battery cable in the process & wouldn't restart. The El Camino was driving over his own bumper & having problems going in reverse, but he was the last dog rolling that day. EDIT...Back On Topic, I did some research last night & found a few inexpensive kits for my car, but they were all polyester. I didn't find any natural wool or cloth types yet.
Well from a pro point of view, 5000. minimum done nice but simple. super fancy leather or real mohair , start at 10,000. Either way when I do one everyone will be happy. Good luck Jack
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