Anyone built their own interior?
 

I was scheduled to go to the interior shop in January. By the time they called me in early March to tell me they might be ready in April, I was starting to question if I should really spend $20k (leather seat, door panels, carpet, rear seats and headliner) on an interior with the economy and my business (construction) in its current state so I asked them to put me off till next year. Now I’m thinking maybe they can do the seat and I can do carpet and door panels and do the headliner sometime down the road.

I have some sewing experience. Anyone ever done their own interior? Since there are no longer stock aftermarket pieces (seat covers etc) available, it all has to be “custom” anyway. Am I crazy to think I can tackle the carpet and make decent door panels?

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

You can do it.
!. Take a good, commercial, sewing class.
2. Buy the sewing machine, that is suggested for this job by the sewing class instructor.
Take many photos of what you have for an interior right now. Including "detailed shots of the hardware.
3. Source the cloth, interior material that suites your fancy and begin making patterns.
The carpet and door panels will be the easiest elements to produce.
The headliner will be the most difficult to produce and install correctly. Take your time and have patience.
Keep EVERYTHING as clean as possible.
You can do this if your mechanical IQ is above 75.
Good Luck,
Phil in Loveland.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

I've done several partial interiors, all 32's. I take the measurements of the headliner bows and he makes the headliner and wind lace. I have him cover the seat to my specs. I make the side panels, usually a very simple no sew design, finally I cut and fit the carpet and he binds it, I take it home and install it. It's a little more complicated with leather. I always do a cloth headliner. Ends up costing me about a 3rd of having the complete job professionally done. I've never been ashamed of the finished product, fooled a lot of guys. It was especially easy back in the tweed days but thank god that's gone. Also I've done a couple 32 roadsters and 32 pickups with rubber mat floor covering from ZORO. I Use 3/16 th exercise mat. Lays god and lasts good.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

I did the interior in my 36 coupe. I used tracing paper with double stick tape to get the door cards just right. located all the clip holes perfectly. I didn't like the stock seat with the back that flipped up, PITA, so I managed to find a split back bench from a 38 coupe or Tudor (not real sure about the year model) fits good and looks nice, plus I can get behind the seat WAY easier. I copied the stitch pattern that was on the later seat cover.
I moved the whole seat mounting setup back a couple of inches since the stock position was too tight for me. (6'-2") That required narrowing the package tray a couple of inches also.
The carpet was pretty simple to do, I made some paper patterns and bound the edges with some of the vinyl I had used for the seats/door cards. The headliner wasn't difficult to make up but the install was tedious working overhead, it turned out okay.
I do happen to have a walking foot Pfaff sewing machine that I have owned since 1975 or so. It is impossible to do a nice, even stitch without one.
I'm fairly adept with its use as well.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

we did it! '30 coupe. kicks, doors, headliner, etc... had the premier pro shop do my seat. black HD naugahyde, red rolled trim... and a roll n pleated red panel in seat back. about 1/4 down from top of back. beautiful!! was very proud of it. i was 17! i had to go with an economy version, as my budget then did not afford all roll n pleated (tuck n roll). top billing for the seat was $75.00. i went with the economy version at $35.00. even for that it was tuff to scrape up the coins...

but back then, even gasoline was 'price wars' at 17-cents a gallon!!

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Bite off what you can chew. I am planning on doing my owne interior complete, but it will be a military staff car, so not the show car Mercury interior. My wife feels she can handle the headliner, I can handle the door cards, kick panels and rear seat arm panels and floor carpert and foot rests. She feels she can handle the leather seat covers or canvas that we will use as the military would have. But, if we feel we need to sub contract something out, like the head liner or the seat upholstery, we will have saved enough on the other sweat labor items to justify it.
Depending on your time, you might consider making everything twice with the first being a throw away made out of inexpensive material just for the pattern and learning curve.
I can't tell you how many military vehicles I have two of because I learned so much on the first one, it was a shame to waste the knowledge. Either way, best of luck. Even if there is a wrinkle or two or crooked seam or two, you will always be able to say that you did it yourself.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

I had an upholstery guy do my 40 Deluxe. He used 90s Ford Taurus upholstry it looks just like the original Ford Material.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Do you have any pictures.?

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Did the kick and door panels, seat and carpets in my roadster, nothing super fancy but I think it came out nice for the look I was after.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Eighth Air Force - nice.

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

I've seen you mention this before, and I've done some research, but have never found anything for sale that looks the part. Is it a leather or a mohair type fabric?

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

Good catch ! :D

Re: Anyone built their own interior?
 

We had a 1987 Taurus MT5 that had a taupe colored fabric interior, that I thought looked like mohair. It was still in pretty decent shape after 135k but the rest of the car not so much.