Interior thoughts please?

[eighteenninetytwo]

I'm doing the interior of the 75 Black and carpeted. I have quoted $1000 by an upholstery company to do it complete with sound proofing and custom carpet. the alternative is to buy a carpet set and soundproofing myself and do it myself. Cost for that is about $500 for the set including shipping etc and plus maybe $200 for the soundproofing material and glue and so on. So that is already $700 and I still have to do it myself.

Sooooo :
1. How long does it take to do properly including fitting seats center console and making sure bolts for rear seats are slotted through the carpet without ripping it etc etc and...
2. would you do it yourself or get it done given the price differential is about $300 or so.

[gmachinz]

Well it depends on the quality of work. For example, when I installed suburban buckets/console in my pickup, I located and drilled holes for the seat bracket and I welded the nuts underneath centered on the holes. Then, once everything was welded/cleaned I undercoated the entire under cab section with sound proof undercoating. With the interior out, that's the time to properly clean/prep the floors, re-wire and/or upgrade options in the cab. Even properly sound deadening the roof and insulating it provides for a quiet interior. There's a lot to restoring an interior than just replacing parts.

[eighteenninetytwo]

Interior is stripped already. Front seats nearly ready. truck with be repainted (exterior) before this is all done but i'm planning ahead. When you say you use sound proof undercoating did you paint inside the cab or actually underneath?

[gmachinz]

On my cab floor I etch primed the bare metal, topcoated with gloss black enamel, then undercoated it, and then I make pre-cut 3/8" thick synthetic jute insulation and 3M industrial spray adhesive to conform over the entire floor, then layer the replacement carpet over that with the stitched jute under padding. Its very well sealed and very sound proof.

Tip for ya though-be sure to dig out old body sealer inside the wiper linkage area of the cowl and prep the outer seam for a fresh application of good seam sealer-this is a common area where the old sealer dries and cracks which allows water to drip into the cab right above the column. These are areas that people need to pay attention to if restoring an interior....that's the difference between "knowing" these trucks and merely throwing one together. Make sure your guy really knows what he's doing so you don't end up with headaches down the road.

[eighteenninetytwo]

Fantastic advice thank you. How do I get at that area personally? Is it through / under the dash after removing dash pad or can i access by removing the plastic grille area in front of the windshield?

[gmachinz]

Yes....remove the plastic cowl screen for access.

[eighteenninetytwo]

that why i love this place - a wealth of information from years of experience. thank you.

[lowrodderchev]

$1000 just for carpet?

[68Timber]

I'm planning on doing it myself, just for the experience, I know I can't do a pro job. A lot of guys here are using peel-n-seal from home depot or lowes for sound deadener and report great results. It's much cheaper than the dynamat type products but reportedly the same thing. I'm kinda intrigued by the Lizard-skin products and would like to try them. Regarding the carpet, you're working with a mostly flat surface so it shouldn't be too hard to pull of good results. I haven't replaced carpet yet, but the only two tips that stand out is letting it warm in the sun before you lay it out in the truck so it will relax, get flexible, and lay down properly. And I saw a tip on TV where a guy used a Phillips head screwdriver that had been heated up to make the holes in the carpet for the seat bolts and seat belt bolts. I guess you could do the same thing with a soldering iron. What you've done with the seats looks great, I don't see why you couldn't do your own carpet and sound deadener.

[lowrodderchev]

an updates on that carpet? pix anything bare floor? padding?

[eighteenninetytwo]

Nope it has just the driver's seat in it right now and the rear is all stripped, also have taken out the sunshades and interior door trim preparing.
Basically just like this pic, but with less stuff in it. I have boxes of bits all of the place (which is annoying the wife immensely), with parts to stick onto it when bodywork gets done and it gets painted. Next step is removing dashboard and cover to paint it, dealing with the spaghetti underneath it and really saving money (which is the tough thing) for bodywork and paint when it's ready. Have to make the interior sides also at some point.