Customs Merc chop progress with compiled project pics

Yes!!!

 

Black tuck and roll

 

With some red piping!

 

Just about got the middle stitched up.

 

And I think I'm going to use the original dome light also.

 

I like the dome light idea. I have gone back and forth about putting one in mine, but lean towards going forward with it when I take another crack at my headliner.

 

I'm thinking of using the ashtrays in the back and I got a pair of the grab handles for the back of the front seats. Even think of using the grab handles on the garnish moldings.

 

The rear ashtrays would be a cool place to hide a cigarette lighter for the kid's iPad charger.....hmmmm.....

 

That's a good idea[emoji15]!

 

Got the rest of the center finished up.
And got the whole thing stitched up.
Headliner done, now door panels!

 

Wow i just love this build, I've just re-read it for about the 5th time. Fantastic. Dreaming of my own mere someday.

 

I've been waiting on working on the merc due to the rear window problems I'm having. Then started working on my hardtop 59 elcamino project so the merc has been progressing slower than i have wanted. But if I get the interior done, I will have to get the rear window in. The mind games we play with our selves.[emoji848]

 

I set the headliner on the roof to make sure it was long enough. Looks that it narrowed just a little bit, but I think it will stretch and be ok.

 

I'm going to try and tackle the firewall pad. Found the foam at Walmart, a 1/2 inch mattress pad. The dimples may help with the vinyl laying flat and not puckering in the corners like full on 1/2 foam. We shall see....

 

It will be interesting to see how the texture of the foam fills the diamond pleats

 

This is how the full 1/2 foam went.
I think 1/4 foam may work better. Looking at some of the original hirohata photos, the firewall pad wasn't padded much.

 

Is that the mattress foam? If so, I would have thought that would have filled out better than it did....kinda figured you had a great idea going there. Hey, ya never take any chances, you never discover anything new that might be the next great idea. [emoji1][emoji106]

 

You have probably seen some of these, but here are a few from my reference file. The first one is when it was "new" the second before it was restored and the last after it was restored when I saw it at the GNRS Customs Then and Now display. The first two almost look like there is no padding at all on the firewall cover and the kick panels, while the restored version looks like you say...maybe a 1/4 inch? I also notice the original panels had the white with green stitching like your test panel and the new upholstery has white stitching.

 

I just did my firewall with 1/2" scrim back foam and it looks like this:


And a bit closer look.

 

That looks awesome! How did you lay them out?

 

Thanks. Basically I just laid out a grid of rectangles starting in the middle of the piece the size of the diamonds I wanted and drew in the lines. Here is a picture of one of the sides.

I started by putting a vertical and horizontal line centred in the piece and worked out from there. I think I did 1" out and 1 1/2" up from the middle of the piece which gave me a 3"x 2" diamond. You can see the dots in the middle of the piece that was where I marked how far up and out I went from center. Then I just did consecutive vertical and horizontal lines out from there and then just ran the diagonal lines through the corners of the rectangles. Are you putting a cloth backing on the foam or using a scrim backed foam? That really helps the stitches hold and gives the nice full look.

 

I'm backing my foam with cloth. I wasn't able to find scrim backed foam locally.

 

Thanks to K13, I got the diamonds finally layed out and ready to stitch.

 

Mattress pads are great to cut up, that upholstery foam is incredibly expensive!

 

Great Job!! all I can say WoW!!!!!

 

Got the firewall pad over halfway done. A lot of lines to stitch.

 

Damn that's clean! A few hours there I bet. Can the Pontiac be in line after your pops... his roadster shouldn't take long?

 

Sure, I can do that. Do you want a diamond pleated firewall pad?

 

Finally got the rest of the stitching done on the firewall pad.
And the pattern traced out on the pad now.

 

I got the perimeter stitched and trimmed. Should work.