67-68 Custom Trim Interior photos/info needed

[Overdrive]

I'm looking for some photos of original '67-68 Chevy and GMC trucks with the Custom package (cloth and vinyl bench seat, vinyl door panels, etc).

I've got a '67 GMC 910 with the plain vinyl seat interior and want to upgrade to the Custom interior. I'm trying to find what I need to change to get the proper look. I already have the fancy GMC horn button, and I imagine for the rest of the package, I need to redo my seat in the original cloth and vinyl. What are the original Custom door panels made with? padded vinyl over the steel panel or some fiber board backing? My truck is dark green, with the metallic medium green interior. I have received material samples from SMS, and they provided two choices for the cloth. Where would one find a pattern to do the seat upholstery? Could someone maybe measure the dimensions of the cloth inserts and location?

[burb71]

You should get a copy of a 1967 or 68 Chevy or GMC Showroom literature
This will show you what a CST interior looked like.
Check ebay for one

[vectorit]

Here is a panel out of my 68 before I started my restoration of it. The panels are steel, paper, felt, then vinyl.

Check out www.smsautofabrics.com

It's where I got all my 68 correct vinyl.

They have the fabric and vinyl you need.

[Overdrive]

Yes, I already have the material samples from SMS. I got both green and faun samples, but I think I will keep the original green and see if the existing paint will clean up.

You wouldn't happen to have pictures of the way the door panels are made, would you?

[vectorit]

I did them myself.
Copied the original material best I could, and they came out pretty darn close IMO.

Here are few that I took while doing them.

The brown paper is just packing paper, and the clips are just your average box clips. Got both at Office Max.
The adhesive I got at Auto zone.
The paper is cut just large enough to cover the ridges in the metal. (You can barely see the outline of the paper in the first pic)

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by vectorit

I did them myself.
Copied the original material best I could, and they came out pretty darn close ...

Nice! So the material is just glued then? no staples? Are the GMC and Chevrolet door panels the same? For some reason I thought that one had the seams vertical and the other were horizontal, or do I remember wrong?

At least now I know what I can do with my extra pair of metal door panels!

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by burb71

You should get a copy of a 1967 or 68 Chevy or GMC Showroom literature
This will show you what a CST interior looked like.
Check ebay for one

I've seen these. They're more like artist renderings rather than photos of the actual interior.

[John @ BROTHERS]

I am also looking to duplicate the 67 Custom Cab seat cover. The brochures are very vague.



Overdrive, can you post pictures of the samples you received from SMS?

[vectorit]

Originally Posted by John @ BROTHERS

I am also looking to duplicate the 67 Custom Cab seat cover. The brochures are very vague.



Overdrive, can you post pictures of the samples you received from SMS?

As soon as you get the covers figured out, and include the seats for us burb owners I will be your first customer!

My order:
Item description: 1968 custom Suburban
Color: Aqua green
Quantity: 1 front bench, 2 rear benches.

I would also buy the aqua 80/20 loop carpet kit at the same time.

SMS auto fabrics has the correct color/grain vinyls and fabric for the 67/68.


Seriously... When you do get them - contact me, and I'd buy them.

[chewychevy67]

Here is the stock interior of my 67 GMC Custom. it has the cloth bench seat you are looking for i believe.

[vectorit]

Here are few examples of 68 seat covers I have been collecting from photo's that others have posted here, since I have been trying to get good examples for a upholsterer to work with. But, all the good shops I have spoken to about doing something like that want a huge amount of money.
So, I am patiently waiting for a shop to start making them for all the benches in a Suburban.

[burb71]

Originally Posted by vectorit

Here are few examples of 68 seat covers I have been collecting from photo's that others have posted here, since I have been trying to get good examples for a upholsterer to work with. But, all the good shops I have spoken to about doing something like that want a huge amount of money.
So, I am patiently waiting for a shop to start making them for all the benches in a Suburban.

vectorit, call Rick's Custom Upholstery I heard about them from board member stllookn, after he posted pics of the 1968 original style buddy bucket seat covers that they made for him.
This is a pic of my 50th Gold Anniversary buddy bucket covers thay made for me.
If you get a few yards of the custom cloth from SMS I'm sure they will make your new covers, and at a good price.

Rick's Custom Upholstery
2543 Taylor Road
Columbia, TN 38401
Ask for Donna... (931) 388-3022 or cell (931) 626-7030

[John @ BROTHERS]

Originally Posted by chewychevy67

Here is the stock interior of my 67 GMC Custom. it has the cloth bench seat you are looking for i believe.

That's it! Can I get a close up picture of the cloth material with a ruler to show scale?
Thanks,
John

[chewychevy67]

i will try to get one later today. my camera isnt the best so ill try to get a nice close up for ya.

[sharpie1972]

Here's a 68 suburban I had, sorry no help on the front seat since it had those dang Buddies! Sharpie

[Overdrive]

Here's some shots of the samples I received from SMS. Top one is the Fawn colour, bottom is the green colour that's in my truck.

I seem to like the '68 insert style shown in the posts above with the individual inserts better than the 67 full seat insert. A friend of mine got his '69 pickup cloth and vinyl seat redone locally for about $400. I'll see if he can send me pictures of it.

[John @ BROTHERS]

ttt

[Overdrive]

Are there any plans to have these covers reproduced?

[chewychevy67]

Here are some pictures of the fabric on my seat. Best my camera would do so i hope this is what you need. If you need more just let me know. i will try to get more. Rod.

[vectorit]

Originally Posted by chewychevy67

Here are some pictures of the fabric on my seat. Best my camera would do so i hope this is what you need. If you need more just let me know. i will try to get more. Rod.

Thanks! Can you take more pictures of the bench as a whole, along with the tape measure to give an idea of the vinyl to cloth ratio. Plus, pictures of the sides and the back. I am trying to get a good handle on how the 67/68 vinyl seams were laid out, they are different from all the others.

I'm also trying to verify if the back had a different style between the burbs and the PU's, as in did the PU just have a plain no pattern cover on the back and did the burbs have patterning.
My current benches which are not from a 67/68, have patterning on the back panels of all 3 benches.

[magicoolbus]

Here's a few pics of my 69 burb. Used 1/4 oak ply for the panels, original seat covers, or a very close approximation (I've only had it sine 1995, bought from original owner.)


This is the rear seat, can barely see the wood side panel.


Middle seat. Needs a bit of cleaning, still looking for arm rests.


Here's a shot of the front, I have a tear in my front seat cover, so I put on a blanket cover to protect it further. You can see the wood dash cover and the left door panel.

[71 super]

Dont think the horn button you have is the correct one for the custom package. It should have the silver or chrome version with GMC on it. The version you show looks to be the CST horn button and to my knowledge was available on those trucks equiped with option z84 custom sport truck- later cheyenne. I think that those buttons are the best looking out of the offerings, but to be 100 % you should have the other.

[Overdrive]

chewychevy67: I wouldn't mind some more photos of the seat with tape measure showing overall width of cloth, width of vinyl on edges of the cloth. I don't suppose the seat back folds, does it? Back view would be nice, but not necessary.