Upholstery

[JoeKan]

Where do you all go to get your seats upholstered? Can your upholster do different makes? (I.e, International Harvester).
Thanks for any help,
Joe

[Smitty]

Most can do anything including your easy chair. So you can sit comfortably while observing your pride and joy. My factory buckets. Wife and daughter helped pick material to enhance the paint.

[weq92f]

Flip fa ya...

[FRCvette]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Most can do anything including your easy chair. So you can sit comfortably while observing your pride and joy. My factory buckets. Wife and daughter helped pick material to enhance the paint.

Wife and daughter did a great job. Looks awesome.

[bill3rail]

Any decent upholstery shop should be able to do whatever you bring in. It is not rocket science.

Around the corner from me is AutoMat www.autointeriors.biz
They have done anything from basic stock to full custom stuff.

Bill

[Grumpy old man]

" It is not rocket science".

How many mechanic shops are there in any town ? How many body shops ? Glass shops ? How many Custom auto trim shops ? It takes years to learn how to cut and sew custom interiors ,There are upholsters and then there are Trimmers. A custom Trimmer wouldn't lower themselves to do furniture .Trimmers have to know so much more than how to stretch on a Chinese seat cover it's not even close . Not only being able to cut and sew from blank rolls of material/leather hides but how to assemble multiple years, makes and models of cars and trucks along with body work, glass, interior and exterior trim. Along with all the tools/equipment to do each job. Most shops have 1 or 2 Trimmers ,Everybody else in the shops are helpers But.

" It is not rocket science".

[JoeKan]

I would like to have it with an "IH" on the front seat. How much more do you think that would cost?

[Grumpy old man]

Embroidery is cheap .When you find the shop you want to use have them mark out the panel (center and height) you want the IH in and have them leave 4-5" extra material surrounding the panel and take it yourself to have it embroidered so you can pick the colors and font and they can cut to size and sew it into your seat . Most any local embroidery shop will do the panel for you the extra material surround is so they have enough material to center it in the 2 piece Hoop used on the new embroidery machines. $20.00 - $30.00 There are many grades /grains of Vinyl if you want the best use NaugaHyde

http://www.naugahyde.com/

[Smitty]

You’re right about skills required. The shop that did mine does restorations, custom, and street rods. And thanks for the flip Weg. Tried to figure that out myself. But wasn’t smart enough.

[JoeKan]

Is it normal procedure for me to take the seats to them? I was thinking they would have certain patterns for all the seats?

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by JoeKan

Is it normal procedure for me to take the seats to them? I was thinking they would have certain patterns for all the seats?

Nope , You'll have to take the truck or just the seats to them . There are WAY TOO MANY patterns to save them .


Just google " auto interior shops" in your area.

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

" It is not rocket science".

How many mechanic shops are there in any town ? How many body shops ? Glass shops ? How many Custom auto trim shops ? It takes years to learn how to cut and sew custom interiors ,There are upholsters and then there are Trimmers. A custom Trimmer wouldn't lower themselves to do furniture .Trimmers have to know so much more than how to stretch on a Chinese seat cover it's not even close . Not only being able to cut and sew from blank rolls of material/leather hides but how to assemble multiple years, makes and models of cars and trucks along with body work, glass, interior and exterior trim. Along with all the tools/equipment to do each job. Most shops have 1 or 2 Trimmers ,Everybody else in the shops are helpers But.

" It is not rocket science".

I will now blatantly hijack this thread and ask the Grumpster (or anyone else for that matter too!). What questions should one ask of an auto trim shop to sort the hacks from the pros? What is a reasonable amout of time to get some seats reupholstered? Is it better to source the material yourself or to have them do it? Being a neophyte I'm sure there's other questions I don't even know to ask.
Thanks in advance for any insights provided.

[Smitty]

Like everything else. The more professional and sought after the busier they will be. Which will dictate the time frame. The shop I went to was recommended by the mechanic I trust and use for all my vehicles. Actually stumbled across him when I saw a ‘58 Biscaine parked in his lot. Restored At that. Over a short period of time I also noted other 60-70 vehicles. Checked it out found him to be supper honest and always willing to answer questions. Told others about him, who were also impressed. So now I have to get in line to have work done. A good mechanic is nearly as hard find as a good doctor. The upholstry shop I used had an unending array of samples of possible materials. Made my choice and left him get the material, as he has his trusted sources. They usually have testimonials, or better still. Check out what they have in the shop. Time wise I personally wasn’t in a rush as the body work was being done. A ton of work. Serious rust repair on the cab among other issues. But most of the time a reputable shop will work with you. Hope this is of some help to you!

[Grumpy old man]

I had this printed on the back of my cards ,

Quality work !
Fast turn around !
Low price !

Pick 2
Because you can't have all 3

Quality work cheap won't be fast , Quality work fast won't be cheap, Fast and low price won't be quality .

Finding a good shop is the hard part after that just take your truck and drop it off , Leave the materials and install to the guy your paying even fantastic upholstery doesn't just drop on , The installer can make or break a nice job .I just googled the shops in your area Dan's looks like a good 1st stop ? You don't take a classic car / truck to a shop that has
a bunch of hooptie cars sitting in it , Or furniture


https://www.google.com/search?q=port...,lf:1,lf_ui:10

[Smitty]

I would add that if you go with cloth inserts as I did have them Scotchguard the material. It not only Guard’s against stains but also limits fraying of the material as you enter and exit the nehicle. Saves you the hassle of trying to it competently on your own. I don’t always feel sure of myself. Especially since the truck now looks so good, I don’t want to mess up.

[Smitty]

Grumpy just said it the best. Thanks Grumpy you are extremely knowledgeable and quite willing to share your valuable experiences. Wish we were closer. It would be a pleasure to spend some time in your company.

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Grumpy just said it the best. Thanks Grumpy you are extremely knowledgeable and quite willing to share your valuable experiences. Wish we were closer. It would be a pleasure to spend some time in your company.

Thanks ,But there are guys in here who know a whole lot more than me about these old trucks and can rattle off part #'s , I've just been turning wrenches and building interiors for a living since the time when these trucks were new .and I bought a bunch of 67 short beds when they were cheap to build as retirement projects . I'm in no hurry .

[JoeKan]

I think you all touched on the problem I'm having, who can you trust? There's a lot of upholstery places in and near KC, but I don't know them from Adam. I know it's probably going to cost me 1k, so I don't want just anyone doing this.

[dmjlambert]

That was the exact problem I had. I also tried to get a response from forum member Truckseats, but no luck there. So, locally I got estimates, and "interviewed" the guys to find out what they proposed to do. On shop owner walked outside to look at my truck and as soon as he saw it he said and I quote "Aw sh**, I don't like to work on those." Well he quoted $1295 for the bench seat reupholstery job just to make sure I wouldn't pick him. That was Dee Trim Shop in Plano TX.

I ended up picking a guy and just had faith it would come out OK. It was a pretty shabby shop, stuff laying around everywhere, no examples to show, not a very good website, and a 1 man operation. Super duper nice guy. I picked out some houndstooth material and vinyl and had the shop order the materials and start work. I asked a lot of questions. I took the plunge. Paid half down and the other half when done. It came out super. I would definitely have him do it again if I got another truck. Bells Auto Trim in Plano TX.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...32#post8023632

[panhead59]

I got covers and foam from lmc. Looks like nice stuff but shop wasn't impressed with vynal. He said "nice cover if they would've spent 10 more dallars on the vynal." I got the red/black houndstooth. Tried to install myself but gave up after just a bit. Material too expensive to mess up, and it was close to ripping. Got quote of $300 to fix 2 springs, and labor to install covers on a 68 bench seat. He said he's done hundreds of these for 30-40 yrs and did not hesitate at all. 1-2 week turnaround. I bought seat to him out of truck.

[JoeKan]

Smitty and dmjlambert, those are nice seats!

[Smitty]

As a note regarding a good upholstery shop. Had those seats in the garage for somewhere around 15 yrs. The outer edges of the drivers seat was eaten away by the sun. They were found in the wild on a truck that someone else valued the door. Leaving the seats exposed. Was cringing at the cost of new quality foam. But the shop managed to come up with a fix alleviating that problem. My brother who has the same seats done elsewhere found mine more comfortable and supporting than the ones he has in his '71. So a good shop is a find in more than one instance. By the way thanks for the compliment. The wife daughter were beaming after I showed the post to them.

[special-K]

We can talk about it on the internet all day long. But what you need to do is ask around your area and/or look up what shops are available and feel one out. Look at what they are working on. See if the keep pictures. A real shop will have fabric and/or order whatever you need. If your seat has a cover on it now, they have a pattern.

There are excellent upholstery shops that seem to only ant to do OEM fix/replace, such as for car lots or insurance work. They are great at making the interior look as it should... as if nothing was done. Then there are the ones who like to take on custom work of any kind. So look for what's on the lot. I never tried upholstery because I have been dealing with a top notch upholstery shop for 40 years and because of that they treat me right. It was started by the dad of the owner when I came alone... who is about my age. It is now into it's third generation. I remember when Ronnie first started hanging in the shop as a kid. You will see anything from boats to street rods, to antiques, to odd foreign stuff to new stuff from the dealerships. I'm sure there are shops like this all over the country.

[JoeKan]

Called one this morning. $2500 for both seats.

[JoeKan]

After several phone calls, I went all the way from South KC to North KC during rush hour and dropped off my seats. He had high reviews and the body shops guys from my town recommended him. He's going to start looking at getting as close as he can to the original and get back with me later.
Thanks for the help, I'll keep you posted on this.
Joe