Thread: Interiors-What is cost of and best material

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I would very much like to have the leather. Just wasn't expecting the $8k price. I can't justify spending that much on interior. So I should find an upholsterer before making any panels. Thanks for that advice on material gaps. And thanks for the web site on materials.

never use black board. even if it does not get wet it will usually warp. last one i had done looked great but a year or so later it is wavy. i prefer aluminum . i too am in the market for a machine. seems every stitcher in my parts has problems. the latest has sat for 6 weeks for a 2 week job.. think it just time to do it myself.

We were just talking about this the other night. Bass just built that killer 32 roadster and had a Fat Lucky's interior done. We were venturing guesses at what his shop charges to do a first rate interior like that and we felt it might be in the $ 6-$8,000 range.

Sure makes those old days $ 100 Tijuana jobs like Jack F got on his 35 Ford in 1961 look pretty good, huh?????

Don

I went thru the local upholstery shops here and they are just like the paint shops. Everybody wants to get your $$$ and have your car in the shop for months. I finally got fed up with it and bought a nice used industrial sewing machine and a bunch of accessories. I then spent a few months learnning enough to do the job myself to my satisfaction.

This is not for everyone...you may simply not have the patience to do this....no offense. Sewing thru your finger with an industrial sewing machine is probably the most painfull injury you will ever have. Nothing like having dig around trying to find you scissors after sewing your finger to the fabric to cut the thread meanwhile bleeding all over your project. Dang that hurt even to think about it now.

Just the design of the pieces so they fit is beyond most guys I think. You have to plan ahead and once started you are commited. Sewing up a bunch of Ultra Leather and getting backed into a blind corner is not a lot of fun at $100 a yard.

So the shops get pretty pricy as you are paying for their talent and expertise. But be carefull and demand a finish date. I started right out demanding 4 weeks. I did this with paint too. Next time I will just buy every piece of protective equipment and a breathable air supply and do the job myself....I'll be money ahead for sure. I have no patience with shops that want your $$$ up front and your car for endless hours of work.

Some one said "well it took you a couple months to learn this and no work was done on the car" Yeah well it also took 5 yr to finish engineering school, 4 yr for tech school and 3yr apprentice to learn a lifetime of background for my careers. I'd say a pretty short learing curve for my upholstery ed.

The bottom line is keep pestering the shops and make sure you have an iron clad contract before you start. If they balk go elsewhere but get it in writing and signed before you commit.

I'd go with a new stretch vinyl before leather ....JMHO.

Talk about dumb. I didn't go back and re-read enough of this thread to see my last post. So sorry for the rants. I just hve some strong feeling about this.

And thanks for your input Ken. Much appreciated. And thanks for posting the interior pics. My dad's shop had an upholstery shop next door when I was growing up. I was always fascinated at the interiors those guys could create. I will never forget the smell of those new interiors and the shop for that matter.

Aluminum is the only way to go,You can get powder coated from a supplier that sells to race car builders or trailer builders, .040 and .050 is what we use.That is true about fiber board.Humidity can make it warp..We have had builders make there basic panels and we trim them to the final gaps and shape.No big deal to me as long as we talk before hand to get on the same page.Saves the customer money in the long run

First let me say that I have the higest respect for all the interior guys like RECOVERY ROOM. Your work is top knoch. It's a combination of LABOR TIME (quality workmanship) and QUALITY MATERIALS that produce the results shown in your many photos. Interior work is just like body and paint work, you cannot take shortcuts and expect a great result. Both require a lot of time.

So my question to Recovery Room is, How many hours would you estimate to do a complete interior in a roadster, panels, seat, carpet, and a full trunk at your high quality level? I'm looking to do a basic/traditional interior in leather with a "built-in" style bench seat.

My guess is something like this, one guy, for one month is 160 hours times $25/hr is about $4K, without any materials. The 160 hours might be high, but the $25/hr is most likely on the low side (at least it is in So. Calif). I have no idea how much material to estimate but it's got to be $1K to $1.5K just for material and likely to be another $500 to $1000 for foam, wood, glue, abs board, powdercoating on the aluminum panels, hardware, etc. So.....now I'm at $4,ooo. in labor and $2000. in material. So even though I can't afford to farm it out, I do understand why it's going to cost $5K to $6K to get a quality interior done.

How much would it cost to buy a used "quality" upolstery sewing machine? Any brands advised? My next major roadster project will be to tackle my interior and I want a nice looking, but practical interior because it's going to be driven.

You are right,WE get 4to5k for roadster interiors with good materials.A good machine is around 1000.00.Are labor rate is 55hr.I have customers that think that is to low for the work we do,I like to think we are efficient with are time in getting the most bang for the dollars spent.Buy a sewing machine and practice with it,You might be better than you think,Start with something simple and work your way up.

I went back dug up some construction photo's and the rendering for my interior in my roadster. Recovery room, I don't use aluminum because i have panels that clip into other panels. So the panel by it's self has to be strong enough to pull another panel off of it, does that make sense?

Ken

Originally Posted by RECOVERY ROOM

You are right,WE get 4to5k for roadster interiors with good materials.A good machine is around 1000.00.Are labor rate is 55hr.I have customers that think that is to low for the work we do,I like to think we are efficient with are time in getting the most bang for the dollars spent.Buy a sewing machine and practice with it,You might be better than you think,Start with something simple and work your way up.

Can you show the diff. between 4to5k for roadster? Thanks

Wheew. I'm glad I'm building a T bucket then. I just deliverd my T this afternoon to THE upholstery guru here in town. he does 3/4 of the top show cars as well as street rods in this area. I'm having a 60s style button and tuck cloth interior done, as well as Hartz material for the top and bed cover. I'd already done all the interior wood work as well as a finished top frame etc, so it's pretty much ready to sew and go. $2200.oo for the interior and $400.oo for the top didn't sound so cheep until I read this post. it should be ready to pick up in a week or 10 days, so I'll post pictures for the non-believers that are bound to surface soon

Russ

Being in business for 20 yrs. I know from experience that there is competition to compete with. Guys that operate from their homes and garages can do a job for less monies than say a buisness with heavy overhead. The only advantage is with a large head count you can deliver a job much quicker. If waiting in line is not a problem, I would shop around and you will be surprised what might come up. You might have to go out of town to get the job done at a better price.

I shopped and found a guy who worked from his home 15 miles from my house. I had to get in line and wait but it saved me hundreds of dollars. I chose the ultra leather at half the cost of leather and really do like it. I furnished the panels and design sketches and he furnished the materials. He had the car for 1 week and it cost me 1200.00, this was back in 2007. I still can't believe the cost , the quality is unreal. You just have to shop.

Check my gallery..

[QUOTE=Don Dalton;416510I shopped and found a guy who worked from his home 15 miles from my house. I had to get in line and wait but it saved me hundreds of dollars. I chose the ultra leather at half the cost of leather and really do like it. I furnished the panels and design sketches and he furnished the materials. He had the car for 1 week and it cost me 1200.00, this was back in 2007. I still can't believe the cost , the quality is unreal. You just have to shop.

Check my gallery..[/QUOTE]

Don, that is one gorgeous interior for $1200! Around here the job would have been at least 3 times that!

While we're on the subject of interiors; what's the right way to prep an old seat frame for upholstery? I've got an old T-bird back seat I'm narrowing for my car and the frame has a fair amount of surface rust. Should you just have it blasted and paint it? Will blasting negatively affect the springs?