Roadster Pickup Upholstery

Well, I'm off and running. Yesterday morning I made cardboard patterns for the kick panels. Tonight I made cardboard patterns for the doors. Today when I had to go down street, I stopped at the Audio Shop, and determined that I can mount a 6" diameter speaker in my door panel, and the magnet on the back side will clear the inside of the metal door skin by about 5/8". (this is great, because when I built the glass 27 roadster 10 years ago, I had to put a spacer ring about 3/4' thick on the outside side of the door panel to get clearance for the speaker magnet, and the speaker cover always interfered with my left knee) My upholstery guy says "do not use the plastic christmas tree type fastners on a steel car"---the sharp edges of the drilled holes in the steel door will quickly destroy the plastic". He recomends Chrysler panel clips---they are a steel wire type thing, (which I haven't seen yet). I am still undecided as to what material I will use for the panels. The 1/8" mahogany door skins that I have always used are relatively cheap, easy to work with, and it won't hurt if they get a bit wet---(the marine vinyl upholstery is waterproof anyways, so it keeps the wood dry).

Moisture was run reason I liked the abs plastic. In either case, once you're done with your panels, I'd run some sheet plastic (visqueen). Just like the moisture barriers used on new cars.

Can't wait to see this thing done man. You got an awsome project going. What kind of speakers are you using? Going to put some subs in it and some rap music? Hahaha.

FMX---Sorry guy---I'm more of a Bob Seager and Jan and Dean kind of guy. Rockin Geezer/old Biker music. Rap music makes me want to run in circles and bite myself.

"/8" mahogany door skins that I have always used are relatively cheap, easy to work with, and it won't hurt if they get a bit wet"

Perhaps seal the mahagony with a polyurethane finish prior to upholstering?

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Originally posted by brianrupnow
FMX---Sorry guy---I'm more of a Bob Seager and Jan and Dean kind of guy. Rockin Geezer/old Biker music. Rap music makes me want to run in circles and bite myself.

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Haha I hope you don't like rap. I was being sarcastic about it, I hate rap as well. But thing I don't like is you didn't mention Led Zeppelin!!! Well you said Bob Seager so that is cool enough. :LOL:
I am sure you can't wait to get the thing done though, then you call roll down the street singing The Cars' "Good Times Roll" haha.

You guys amaze me...hey, after listening to all you guys talk about making patterns and how to remove old rubber residue...i'm not for 1 minute going to believe again that guys can't do laundry or dishes lol...

Would love to see some process pics Brian...maybe one or two pics of you and the cardboard patterns...lol...try to look happy and not like you were just swearing at it ok? ;)

Jerrilynne----It's been a long time since a pretty girl asked for my picture. This is stage 1 off the interior upholstery---making cardboard patterns and figuring out where everything is going to go. The patterns are finished in this picture. Next step will be to trace them out onto my 1/8" mahogany door skin ($10.40 at building supplier for 36" x 84" door skin). Then cut them out and trial fit them to interior with one sheet metal screw in each corner.
After trial fit of actual wooden panels, I will install the speakers and door handles (trip to auto wreckers on Saturday morning). Will post another pic at that stage.

I can't wait to see what you come up with on that. Maybe you will give me some idea's, heh. I have always wanted to learn to do interior work. There are so many ways to do it, some people use wood on the panels, some use foam, some use fiberglass and metal.

Brian...lookin good! ;) It doesn't look quite as complicated now that I can actually see what you are doing...I like it...I am also surprised that you are getting "parts" for your car at the local building supplier...that's really cool... thanks for the pic...i'll add it to my stash he he he :)

."......i'm not for 1 minute going to believe again that guys can't do laundry or dishes lol..."

Hot rodder definition:

luandry: The clean T shirt that comes out of the goody bag you get when you register at the car show.

Dishes: The paper wrapper the hotdog comes in and the can the beers in.


(back in my single days before my current wife "taught me better" she say anyway) :LOL: :LOL:

Panels look good Brian.
Lots better than the chipboard ones in my 32.
They're hanging in there ok though, even after getting a little rainwater inside now and then.

What do you have your car sitting on?
I used a pair of ramps up front and jackstands in the back to get my 32 up in the air when I wired it.
(Much of the wiring is under the seat.)

Sure looks like getting your car up high will help out in the creaky back dept.

This is what it sets up on 2 cement blocks and a peice of 2 x 10 under each wheel, with wheel stops.---I don't want 40 people telling me how unsafe cement blocks are. Cement blocks are made to take compressive static loading when it is a uniformly distributed load. I have a safety chain around the rear axle with the cherry picker hoist attached to it as a safety back up. My floor jack is under the center of the front axle as a safety backup. It makes working under the car possible, and its cheap. The car has been up like that all winter, and I will be glad to get it back down to earth. I have a small oil leak to hunt down, and then I can take the car down.---I have it elevated like that more for working under than anything.

Thanks.
Not quite as high as I thought, but considerably higher than I had my 32.

Maybe it's time to raid my friends stash of square tubing and knock out some tall stands that fit under the wheel/tire combo.

Sometimes it seems like we spend more time building the tools to build the car than we do building the car.

Did I say that right?

Looking good Brian, seems you are a whirling dervish going at this project, got something new to show us every couple days! I'm impressed, it's almost like you were working for someone else and getting paid! :LOL: :LOL:

Pat

Brian,

Around 2,000 lbs / sq. inch, if I remember correctly.

Stu---Sometimes I wonder if I post too many things of little consequence. Pretty well all of the stuff I post, I have done many times before, and I am sure that most of the senior members of this forum have also. I have never posted before building this rod, because up untill 8 years ago I didn't know how to run a computer. I just like to show some of the younger guys that you don't have to pay to have everything done professionally. It is mostly easy stuff, and once you try it yourself and see how easy it really is, you feel wonderfull about yourself. ----the other thing is, no matter how many times I have done something, I am always interested in seeing how other people do it, and I'm sure that works both ways. ----Brian

Quote:

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Originally posted by Mike P
."......i'm not for 1 minute going to believe again that guys can't do laundry or dishes lol..."

Hot rodder definition:

luandry: The clean T shirt that comes out of the goody bag you get when you register at the car show.

Dishes: The paper wrapper the hotdog comes in and the can the beers in.


(back in my single days before my current wife "taught me better" she say anyway) :LOL: :LOL:

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LOL...Actually Mike...I shouldn't talk about you guys not doin your share of laundry & dishes much...haha...cause in my house...i'm the one gettin the carshow t-shirt and the hot dog wrapper with a beer can....it's ok tho...jeff is gettin REALLY good at doin laundry...in fact...i just might get fired if I keep up at this rate....then i'll have lots of time for my lawn chair an hot dog wrappers...ugh :rolleyes: :HMMM: :p

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Originally posted by brianrupnow
Stu---Sometimes I wonder if I post too many things of little consequence. Pretty well all of the stuff I post, I have done many times before, and I am sure that most of the senior members of this forum have also. I have never posted before building this rod, because up untill 8 years ago I didn't know how to run a computer. I just like to show some of the younger guys that you don't have to pay to have everything done professionally. It is mostly easy stuff, and once you try it yourself and see how easy it really is, you feel wonderfull about yourself. ----the other thing is, no matter how many times I have done something, I am always interested in seeing how other people do it, and I'm sure that works both ways. ----Brian

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Hey, I 4 1... having not done the hot rod thing b4...have really enjoyed your posts Brian. Don't change a thing ;)

OK the last time I did this sort of thing was in 1954 when I covered all the door panels and rear quarter panels of a '47 Ford convertible with grey vinyl AND made my own padded dash with alternating red and gray 1" padded tubes but I didn't want to do it again and later found out with the MG Midget that black plastic overlays are available for cracked dash covers. Sooo, now I will need a way to do my roadster doors and Brian is showing how. The question is will you just cover the panels with vinyl or try to put some patterns as shown in the deuce roadster. What simple treatment can be done more than just stretching vinyl over the wooden panels and glueing/stapling on the back. What is your plan Brian, or shall we just wait a day or two and you will show us? In my only previous attempt I made a bunch of red and grey vinyl "tubes" and then stitched them together and filled them with cotton. It was not quite as good as a professional tuck-and-roll treatment, but almost as good and maybe I could borrow my daughter's sewing machine to make enough tubes to cover the door panels and kick panels. So make sure you show us the next step and if you want to try the padded-tube method note that they need to be narrow or they will bulge out too much. I watched the guy do a tuck-and-roll on American Hot rod and it was flatter than the tube method. Well I am just rambling on like the geezer that I am but this is very interesting thread and I am eager to see what Brian does next!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Brianrupnow wrote: "Stu---Sometimes I wonder if I post too many things of little consequence."

Brian, your postings and the responses to them could be made into a how-to book for rod-building. They record the actual building of a hot rod, the trials, the errors, and the decisions you have made. Please don't stop now...I read each new issue as you write it....I'm almost going to be disappointed when you are finished (well, not really, I can't wait to see it completed.) This is what reality TV should be!!