On the Inside

[59Lenoir]

Where to begin? Now that the floors are done, I have a foundation to build on, but almost everything else is shot:
The seats have been eviscerated of more stuffing than I thought possible, which has been redistributed throughout the car (glove box, vents, air cleaner...) by rodent squatters. The frames are rusty, and the upholstery (both layers) is poor.
The door panels are rotted away
The package tray is long gone.
The headliner is PERFECT!

So whats the first step? Would it behoove me to buy up a few acres of the appropriate colored vinyl to have on hand for fabricating door panels and what-not? Who sells this stuff? How do you re-stuff a seat?

Should weather-stripping come first?

 

[grumpyvette]

great questions ,
this might turn out to be a great teaching thread!
but before I can even start answering I need to know the exact year, make and model and a couple dozen CLEAR pictures would be amazingly helpful!

having done several ground up rebuilds I can assure you each is unique, you need to start with a good solid frame and suspension and running gear in the drive train, so youll generally want to clean those up first.
having a set of (4) 12 ton jack stands to support the car/truck and allow easy access under the car frame
SO, youll need a few tools for most like a decent welder, a small sand blaster , compressor, upholstery tools, and it sure helps to be a bit flexible as to what your willing to use, to restore the car/truck.
EXAMPLE lets say you were restoring a 1970 caddy, you may or may not be able to find the exact components for an exact replacement, of original components and a trip to a dozen salvage yards, and a few hours searching on the internet may be required.
you might be forced to use similar components from a BUICK,PONTIAC, OLDS or BMW,MERCEDES,JAG, ETC
It also sure helps, if you have experienced help so joining a couple local car clubs to gain local contacts and hopefully experienced hobbyists willing to trade skills and labor helps.
most cars built after 1950 or so do have parts, or at least some options, and rebuilding an interior is time consuming but not impossible, especially on the older cars and trucks that have far less complicated interiors

keep in mind full corvette interiors with seat covers, or seats , rugs and trim are available to upgrade most corvettes back to better than new condition(all it takes is lots of cash!"

example heres one RAIDMAGIC DID
Before

After:

 

[grumpyvette]

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopp ... 95793.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/50-lbs-80- ... 30972.html

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... reId=10051

http://www.welders-direct.com/mm5/merch ... ode=907312

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable ... 46092.html

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=981&p=1717&hilit=pliers+rings+upolstery#p1717

 

[59Lenoir]

Here are the only pics I have of the interior. She's a 59 Bel Air 2-door.

The drivetrain is, well, "stabilized" if not restored. I've spent the past several summers (1/2 dozen weekends each) putting new metal in the floors (and trunk).
Your list of tools matches my wish-list! I've been borrowing the first few, but I confess I don't even recognize the last couple!

 

[grumpyvette]

the last few are upholstery tools known as HOG RING PLIERS, their use is nearly mandatory doing upholstery work


http://www.ciadellainteriors.com/products.php?id=44

http://originalauto.com/products/carpet-sets

https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/Select? ... id=132&p=1

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/parts ... oor+panels

http://www.kanter.com///index.aspx?Tg=1 ... MSb=0&Prc=

http://www.lategreatchevy.com/interior- ... -trim.html

http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/door-panels.php

http://www.auto-interior.com/chevy20.htm

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/parts ... oor+panels

 

[Randy_W]

I very rarely cover door panels and I almost never make them from scratch anymore, it's almost always a better deal to buy the ready mades if available for the car. As for restuffing the seat, if you aren't worried about using the pure junk the factory used, which is a combo of cotton and what's called floor shreds, that are a blend of sweepings from the floor of mills, press glued into a layer of padding. I would replace it all with appropriately thick foam cut to fit.

 

[mathd]

I very rarely cover door panels and I almost never make them from scratch anymore, it's almost always a better deal to buy the ready mades if available for the car. As for restuffing the seat, if you aren't worried about using the pure junk the factory used, which is a combo of cotton and what's called floor shreds, that are a blend of sweepings from the floor of mills, press glued into a layer of padding. I would replace it all with appropriately thick foam cut to fit.

They may have what you need, i did not check for your car model but for camaro they have inside door panel(i have no clue about seat restuffing.)
http://npd.dirxion.com/skin/entrymap/en ... d=7.3.5.67

 

[59Lenoir]

The interior improvements will have to go on hold until I secure a garage. The mice are winning......