Looks good Rolf. There is so much talent on this forum, I never understood why people get so freaked out on doing interior work. I think you just inspired a bunch of people to try it. I know it's been pretty warm up here lately, and I don't recall you mentioning it, but letting the material sit in the sun to get pliable is really helpful in making it form easily and stretch. And of course on the seat a hog ring plier and rings are needed, which are also available at the upholstery supply shops. I've never tried a head liner myself, so I'll be interested to see you take that on as well. I've watched it being done before, but on newer cars. A's have some different issues it seems to me.
I'm guessing the garnish moldings hold it in. The sheet metal is rigid so it stays in place and keeps it shape.
Yes, you are right, a warm day is a good day for this. As you can see, I was outside. A heat gun helps if you are inside to smooth out wrinkles. Actually, I used nylon ties instead of hog rings, that way I can tighten them to my desire. Headliner, yeah, that will be interesting, there is a reason I saved that for a rainy day
Nice Job I've never seen the "pleats on a roll" stuff here in Oz, where did you get that over there??
hey did you use a comercial sewing machine or one you can pick up anywhere like a sears ...cause i want to try this on my friends coupe and it seems doable...
You've just inspired me, I've been collecting high density foam and vinyl to do the interior of my 49....unfortunatly I haven had enough balls to ask the wife to show me how to work the sewing machine (nor the time to do it really....2nd biggest factor) the first biggest factor was the fact that I'm no upholstery guy and for once in my life am intimidated by some simple ol fabric....also unfortunatly my cash is going everywhere but in my sled....so until I can afford to get it done the way I see it in my head I'll give this a go.....looks sweet!
Rolf- GREAT article!!!! Very helpful to all of us on a budget!!!!!!!!! Gonna have to try it... Cracker- yea punky, its the one at sears, you can also knit lace doiles for your doll collection in all your spare time!!!! I've got an old Zinger we can try this thing out on the coupe project
Rolf, your interior not only looks good, it feels bitchin too! Especially when you're bouncin down I-5 in that coupe. It helps settle the stomach. Great job and nice tech!
Awesome Rolf!, heck ill do all my interior for my hotrods from now on! btw can people PLEASE stop quoteing pictures unless there is something particular about just ONE picture, it sucks to see 10-15 pics in quotes that was allready in the top of the post
I've seen jobs that were paid for turn out not nearly as nice. Well done, in fact, well done on the whole hot rod.
You can get it done with a home model sewing machine, but its tough. Years ago I talked my mother into helping me reupholster the seats in my '59 Ford. I pulled the seats, cut patterns off the original seat covers, and convinced her that 'all' she had to do was sew the pieces together. Wow, never heard my mom cuss so much in all my life! She was using a regular home-model Singer machine, and even sewing a straight line with 2 pieces and the welting went very slow. At corners and other places where more than 2 pieces went together, she had to rotate the machine wheel by hand because it was so hard to push the needle thru. Bent up a whole bunch of needles in the process, and the stitch spacing was not always even, but we got it done. We made our own piping by rolling the material around some cord and then stitching it together. Consequently, every seam was 4 layers thick, 2 for the material and 2 for piping. The commercial piping Rolf used looks like its only 1 layer thick, and this will be better/easier to work with. Check out some swap meets too, sometimes you see old commercial machines there. _Flat_
WOW man! That looks great! I just took on a job doing upholstery in trade for a car. I really wanted the car so I learned how to do it, as I'd never sewn before. There's a lot more to it than I thought, but I'm glad I took it on as it makes me want to do more and got me prepared to do my own car. The car was an A coupe so I saved all the templates for mine. The hardest thing for me was fitting the headliner, especially knowing when to stop tacking and stretch in another direction. Thanks for the article and the inspiration. Jonny
This is pleated vinyl, also called "poor mans tuck & roll" ! Where can I pick some of this up, it looks great...................
Brilliant! (smacking forhead) Hog rings are a pain in the ass, no adjustability, etc. I used them on a pre-sewn seat cover for my '53 chevy truck, and had blisters on my hands from the cheapo hog ring pliers that came with the kit. Heavy zip ties are super strong, and can be tensioned to suit, easy to cut off it you get them too tight. My '50 plymouth interior just got easier... Thanks! Pete
Been following this build for since the beginning on here and your website. Like all the otherscomments your attention to detail and DIY attitude is an inspiration to all of us. Keep up the good work.
The Jalopy Journal
