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Upholstery

I am going to attempt the upholstery myself--Any one have any helpfull tips about how to do this? I am a complete greenhorn at it and would hate to screw up after buying all the material( 1000.00 worth) Cant afford to waste any so I would appreciate any tips or pointers about how to do it. I figure to use light plywood under the fabric on walls and doors -and heavy foam for seats. What is the concensus on this??
Thanks guys-
Ken

Where Are You From? Kamloops B C Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 durant -deluxe rumble seat coupe- Model 614

Re: Upholstery

Ken, forget the plywood. Instead use the black foundation board, available at your local upholsterer.
It's much easier to work with and is what is supposed to be used anyway.
Prefit it to all your panels, maybe even glue on a 1/4" foam backing for the plush feel. This was all nailed to the woodwork with fabric finish nails. Just before the nails were driven thru the fabric, the fabric was picked over the nail head and the nail was driven home with a fine punch. Therefore, you need to select a fabric of such a weave that the threads can be separated to clear the nailhead.
A good book to obtain is "Essentials of Upholstery & Trim for Vintage & Classic" by Lee Jordan Locke. Check with Amazon Books for a copy.

Where Are You From? Texarkana, Tex

Re: Upholstery

Ken:
The black foundation board is the way to go. It is easy to work with and to cut and fit. Once you have a good fit, you can figure out the the best way to cut your upholstery to use the most with the least scrap. You might have to glue some of the upholstery in some places, like around the back corners, but use the glue sparingly. (I like Don's idea of using the 1/4" foam for that luxury feel.)

Gord

Where Are You From? Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Frontenac

Re: Upholstery

For me I prefer the thinner black panel board aprox. 1/8" thick and moisture resiliant for everything except the doors , for those I prefer the 1/8" door skins that are available at Home Depot or the like, they are a little more ridgid, the window frames in most cases will not allow for a panel board that is thicker and still set properly...Also, you can make your door panels removable by drilling through both the panel and into the wood door framing and using those nylon 1/4" ring shank studs that Aveco makes or could be found at larger hardware stores...

Check your fabric to see if the knapp is "directional" and if so tailor chalk arrows on the fabric before cutting and align knapp on pannels accordingly.

3-M makes a good spray adhesive and I think holds up better in hot weather than most...Always experiment on small panels.

Get yourself an air stapler, they are cheap at Harbor Freight, also a small air pin/finishing nailer, sears has a good one.

Your headliner needs to go in before the side pannels...on and on.

Well, I have probably confused you enough for now....Bill

.

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? '23 A-22 / '29 model 40 / '25 Flint H-40

Re: Upholstery

I got all of my upholstery material from a company called PERFECT FIT and did all the work myself even sewed my oun seat covers and headliner.

Where Are You From? Utah

Do You own a car built by Durant? '29 M4

Re: Upholstery

I hear terms like--door skins- what in hell is that--never heard of it before--Is that what I ask for at home depot? Is it maybe 1/8 inch plywood? Like mahogany or such?


Ken

Re: Upholstery

Yes, they are 4'x8'x1/8" sheets of usually Mahogany plywood that I believe are primarily used for refinishing doors, "Door skins" is what my upholstry friend has always refered to them as, not sure if that is the correct nomiclature, he would use them exclusivly in marine upholstry...I bought my last ones from Home Depot in Yuma...
Just don't go in there asking for forskins or they will show you the door ken.

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? '23 A-22 / '29 model 40 / '25 Flint H-40

Re: Upholstery

Bill
Right --dont need one of those anyway--have my own and its still in pretty good shape--no dents or rust visible anyway-- Thanks for the info
Ken

Re: Upholstery

I am getting to be a pain where you cant put a plaster--but never learn unless I ask.
The ring shank studs you mention --are they the sort of plastic fastener that just drive in --and sometimes can be popped out if you pry with a small bar? (and at times break when you try to remove them )- A large flat head type fastener
I can find nothing in Aklands grainger catalogue or in spaenaur catalogue
Ken

Re: Upholstery

Ken,
They are called a nylon panel fastner, go online to perfictfitmcdonald.com they have about three outlets in WA the closest to you would be Spokane...They handle all kinds of fastner and upholstery supplies...Check the Auveco # 12909 box of 50 $7.50 (http://www.perfectfit.com/15290/155987/Trim-Clips--Auto-Fasteners/Nylon-Trim-Panel-Fastener---Ford.html ) You should be able to purchace from them direct by paying tax, if not let me know and I can get you some...I haven't had any problems with them breaking but you may want to secure them in the panels with a shot of hot glue, also if the wood is soft in your door framing, I have installed those T-nut/furnature nuts the kind with the drive cleats on them, I think they were 1/4" and I pre drilled them to have a snug fit on the fastners then they will drive into your door frame...Give me a call at (509)763-3748 if you like and I can probably be of more help. Bill

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? '23 A-22 / '29 model 40 / '25 Flint H-40

Re: Upholstery

Bill
Thanks for your help.
Now that I know what they are I have no problem--I can get them at napa auto parts here-- I have some on hand now --
Ken

Re: Upholstery

Some time ago, I was interested in this, so I took an evening class in upholstery. YOu get to use nice commercial sewing machines, we had Pfaff. You could buy these pretty cheap when all the sewing companies closed and moved to the orient. The instructor guides you and tells you where to buy the stuff, like clips and hogrings, etc. One thing about cloth is you can always rip up the threads and start over. With vinyl or leather, you'd better be right the first time. Certain thread is recommended, the wrong kind can saw through the material with the rise and fall of temperature. Oh yeah, you use bees' wax on the thread to help get the needle through vinyl or leather. It helps a great deal if you have some or most of the old seat covering for a pattern. You can mark the cuts and nips and tucks on the new material. We started by wrapping the spring with burlap. Then thick amounts of cotton batting. Then perhaps a canvas to hold it all together. The actual upholstery might be sewn with a layer of foam. In the old days it might have been horsehair. Farmers always sold the hair from their horses' manes and tails. Perhaps some sort of rubberized shredded material could perform the same way. The vinyl material is stretchable, but quite thick compared to the old "pyroxilyn" materials. Things may be done differently these days. For some of us, the dust is terrible for our allergies. You may want to practice by reupholstering your friend's old pickup seat. You may be able to recycle old seat materials from a salvage yard. I practiced on my brother's 60 Ford pickup and he was really happy with it.

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

 

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