76_roadrunner

I am the owner of an upholstery shop in southern Ky. I thought that would help with any questions ya'll might have. I have worked on restores as well as full custom jobs for MOPARs, so I do have the knowledge and if I don't have your answer right away, I will get it for you.

76_roadrunner

Some work from the past.

76_roadrunner

Here are a few picyure of the 1957 Chevy that I am working on at this time.

koondawg_74 roadrunner

Is it possible to fix old cracked up dashes? Also say you had blue seats in perfect condition but your interior is black, could you paint them or dye them or would you just have to recover them? thanks!

76_roadrunner

Koondawg, Thanks for the question.

First question about the dash;
A cracked dash can be fixed. Here is what I do to fix a cracked dash. I start by using a razor blade to trim down any high spots, then I sand the dash to remove any imperfections and cleaners the dash might have. After sanding clean the dash with denatured alcohol. Then grab a good ol' can of bondo and patch the cracks till you have enough to work with. Using a D/A sander, sand the patched areas till they are barley above the dash surface. Block sand the remanding bondo. Clean with denatured alcohol.
Now for the new surface. You will need a 2 yd piece of UV protected vinyl in the color you want and two cans of 3M super adhesive. Spray the glue on both the dash and the vinyl and let it dry for 10 to 15 mins. Now place the vinyl on the dash working it from the top to the bottom. Stretch it to the bottom side of the dash and staple it to the bottom of the dash pad.

Now you have a new dash.

The 2nd question. You could die your seats (it's the cheapest way) but they have vinyl out now that makes that old stuff look cheaply made. If they were mind, I would some new vinyl on them.

78D200

Welcome to the forum!

It is nice to have some people that work on different areas of a vehicle here on the board. It sure does help with some of the questions that get brought up.

76_roadrunner

I don't mind to help. I have been doing this kind of work for a long time. I wish I had someone to show or tell me some things when I started doing this work.

old tired rebel

Welcome. How can I fix the locking mech on a recling seat without having the leather seat covers removed?

76_roadrunner

Rebel, I'm not sure what model of seat you are talking about, but in the past I had to remover the seat covers on most seats to repair any locks. You might be able to remove the hog rings from the lower half of the seat and pull the cover up high enough to get to the lever locks.

old tired rebel

bucket seats in my 78 Cordoba here is a link.

http://s150.photobucket.com/albums/s...rebel/Cordoba/

76_roadrunner

From what I see, You will have to remove the plastic cover and see if the seat cover will be in your way. I have worked on "A" body mopar seats and they have to be disassembled to get to the lock lever. Mopar seats are the hardest American factory seats to work on so keep that in mind.

old tired rebel

Thanks for the help.

76_roadrunner

Here is the newest project that I am working on. They are seats for a 1959 Impala.

76_roadrunner

I finished the '57 Chevy. Here it is.

76_roadrunner

Here is the front seat finished.

anthony oborny

I have 67 New Yorker with the original cloth seats. They are in pretty good condition but need repair in several areas where the seams come together. The cloth appears pretty "tired" due to the age. Do you think they can be fixed? If so, any thoughts on how? Thanks.

76_roadrunner

IF they are cloth, I would replace them. Cloth wears down over time and if they are coming apart at the seams they will be thin in other areas as well. Now is the time when you could redo the interior to something that you like or fits you. The interior of your car is an expression of who you are so if you like the leather, vinyl, or cloth you can have them done the way you want them to look.

I would replace them before your seat cushion starts to fall apart anyway.

64polara

where could i find seat covers fora 64' polara? the seat has cracked and new ones would just sharpen the car up a bit.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/c...e/DSCF5925.jpg

76_roadrunner

I have a book at the shop. I will get the info for you. I'm not sure if they have the ones you need but I will get the phone # for you.

64polara

that would be great thanks

sgnrulz

On my 68 Newport they cut the dash to put a new stereo in it.
they butchered it and i hate the way it looks.
Is there a company that makes original radio pieces to restore my dash?
Or at least make mine look better?

76_roadrunner

Can you take a picture of it so I can see what you are talking about? I might be able to help you if I can see it.

76_roadrunner

64polara, I checked the book that I have, but they don't list any seat cover to fit your car. You might want to try "Legendary" they might have them. I thought I had one of their books but I don't or maybe I let someone barrow it. Let me know if you have a hard time finding them.

64polara

thanks.
i looked on that legendary site, and i found what i was looking for pretty quick, thanks. new front bench seat would cost just about $500. would it be cheaper to just have someone re-cover them?

76_roadrunner

I recover bench seats in this area for $ 350.00 for a stock look. It's a little more for custom upholstery. You should look around and see if you have a "good" upholstery shop in your area.

The economy in my county is very low, so I can't charge a lot or there would be no food on the table.lol

recondotexas

76 roadrunner, welcome and thank you for passing on your obviously impressive talent.

67gtxclone

Yes! Thank you very much for your offer to help with interiors. I have 2 questions. The guy who installed my headliner (I was not there when he did it) did not cut the hole for the dome light. I am going to need to do this soon, and suggestions so I do not create a disaster?

Second question, can you identify the seats in the pics I have attached?

Thanks alot!!!

76_roadrunner

It isn't an one to answer, because of the poor seat cover job, but I would guess that these are something like 1965 Polara seats. I did a set of those seats last summer and these are shaped just like them.

As for the headliner. You should be able to see the bracket that holds the light. Just measure from both sides of the car and find the center of the headliner. It should be just under the bracket. Now make a small incision at the center mark( make it just big enough to pull the wires through.

I hope this helps.

67gtxclone

Hey Jeff, would it be worthwhile to put some painters tape over the area I plan to cut to keep the cut from splitting or ripping the headliner? I just don't know how tight the headliner is and I am worried that I will make a cut and the stretch will cause a small cut to become a big one.

Again, thanks for all the advice.

76_roadrunner

Sure, that will be a good thing to do.