1937 Packard 115 coupe

[zzrodder]

Been working on getting the doors on at last, managed to get it done without any chips or gouges (so far ). The weather stripping has been a pain in the butt on the doors, making them really hard to close, especially the pass side. I may have to remove the bottom strip and find something slimmer 'cause it is very tight along the rocker and that seems to be the main source of the trouble. Maybe they'll squish down after a while...The trunk was tight at first but it's a different style and after a few days, it's settled in. Getting close to sending it out for upholstery in August I hope...

 

[Old Iron]

I've never had any luck with the aftermarket door seals, they are way too stiff.
I use a D shaped seal that has 3M adhesive on it.

 

[05snopro440]

I've never had any luck with the aftermarket door seals, they are way too stiff.
I use a D shaped seal that has 3M adhesive on it.

Funny, I haven't had much luck with that style. I find they tear very easily and compress too much.

 

[dutch]

Solid moss foam seals for me. I just give it the space it needs when installed, then keep adjusting once a week untill it fits correctly. That usually takes 2-4 weeks. Baking in the sun sure helps.
If it doesn`t fit, it doesn`t fit...

 

[zzrodder]

For almost 20 yrs., I've been having my upholstery work done by the same shop near me, an old school father and son operation. The dad passed away a couple years ago and his son has been soldiering on by himself, getting it done but the strain has been obvious. I saw him a month or so ago and he looked really rough and beat down, never seen him so low.... Stopped in on Monday to finalize plans for the Packard and the shop was closed, note on the door put me onto his brother and found out the bad news... he goes for surgery tomorrow for a brain tumor. Heartbreaking news of a friend, he's well known and liked in the community so it's a real blow. Hoping he'll pull through, they have the best neurosurgeon on the job, he's a big strong guy so everyone is hopeful for a positive outcome....
So in light of this, I'm sure not going to be selfish and put my needs above his health, time to go Plan B and find another shop to do the job. Well, rude awakening time, anyone who is good has a long waiting list and prices are DOUBLE what I had been paying! You don't know how good you've got it until the rug gets pulled out from under you.
OK, maybe Plan C .... After seeing how Dozer did his own seats on his Fast Four build, I got to thinking and scouting around for a sewing machine. Picked this one up today for 500 from a Craigslist ad, just a 1/2 hr drive away from me. I already have all the material and carpet, going for a very stock look to the interior, all wool materials from England. All the flat panels are pretty simple but I may have to farm out the seats and headliner, just not so confident that I can pull those things off. Lots of stuff to do before diving into it, so I'll try to brain up on sewing and upholstery tech and practice on some scrap material. 'Course, I'll need other things like air stapler/tacker and other upholstery related tools........

This is a stock door panel, I'm going to copy it pretty much, and the colors are almost the same. Looks simple enough, right?? What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Skip]

How hard could it be?

Good luck with it. With your attention to detail, I suspect you can master this, too. Best not to tell your friends you know how to do it, though.

 

[DozerII]

Right on ZZ, with the skill set and determination you have, shouldn't be a problem. [P[P

 

[BillM]

Sorry to hear about your friend ZZ, and good luck on the learning curve with the upholstery work. I'm betting you can do a nice job on it.

 

[Old Iron]

I too am sorry about your friend.
On to the upholstery adventure [cl
[P[P[P

 

[Torchie]

Sending healing vibes to your friend.
My youngest picked up a commercial machine this spring . Once you get the functions of the machine you will be surprised how quickly you can turn out professional looking items.
There are many tutorials on you tube that may help you.
I agree with the others. Given you skills I don’t doubt that you will do a great job of it.
S
My daughter gets her supplies through a company called Sailright I believe.
Her best purchase was a foam cutter. It can cut through 6 inch memory foam like it’s going through soft butter.
Head liners are tough but I don’t doubt that you can handle it. Hopefully you have the bows still.
Torchie

 

[zzrodder]

Thanks guys, I'm sure my friend will pull through, he's got lots of support from family and friends.

Sending healing vibes to your friend.
My youngest picked up a commercial machine this spring . Once you get the functions of the machine you will be surprised how quickly you can turn out professional looking items.
There are many tutorials on you tube that may help you.
I agree with the others. Given you skills I don’t doubt that you will do a great job of it.
S
My daughter gets her supplies through a company called Sailright I believe.
Her best purchase was a foam cutter. It can cut through 6 inch memory foam like it’s going through soft butter.
Head liners are tough but I don’t doubt that you can handle it. Hopefully you have the bows still.
Torchie

Yeah I'm going to watch a bunch of vids on sewing, etc. I've run across Sailrite already, lots of help to be had there. I've found that the wife's electric carving knife works real well on foam, not just for turkey...:I have headliner bows that I made from stainless rod, originally the headliner was tacked to the wood frame work that is of course, gone since I filled the roof skin.
In general doing the upholstery gives me the feeling of standing on the edge of the high diving board... I can sorta swim and maybe float, I can see the water but don't know how deep it is..
Or how many alligators are in it

 

[soltz]

You'll Get Er Done

I'm thinking of doing the same thing so I'll be watching

!!![P!!!

 

[kenny c]

I'll be watching. I'd like to try it my self but I'm a long way from interior.[P[P

 

[DozerII]

Hey ZZ you will probably be needing a spray adhesive, see if you can get
JEF bond 19 "I will confirm that number". it is a superior glue that is easy to work with and does not let go in high temps.

 

[zzrodder]

Thanks Glen, I was just looking into that, there is a local supplier (Christies Fabrics) 1/2 hr from me that has it, Jefbond 3000. Of course now things start to snowball, I need a sprayer and thinner for cleaning the gun, etc., but it has to be better than a whole bunch of spray bombs. They have most of the tools and supplies I will need, lots of boat related things but a lot of that crosses over to automotive. Basically it bears out what the upholstery shops around here do, the majority of their work is on boats, not many shops could survive just doing cars like mine.

 

[zzrodder]

First time out of the shop and into the light!

 

[bob w]

It looks stunning outside.

 

[soltz]

Outside pix are best [cl
《《[P》》

 

[MercuryMac]

You've got me hooked, ZZ.

 

[Old Iron]

They all show better outside.
[cl[cl[cl