Technical The upholstery thread to end all threads

That’s the way the factory cars are done mostly done at a upward angle I’ve noticed

 

I have an idea about using some fabric with patterns in my door panels. Is there a way to protect this from UV

 

Scotchgaurd.

 

I was thinking up some ideas for the trunk area of my 47 Ford. What can I use for the panels along the side? I was looking at some pics online and it looks like curves a bit.

 

I'm currently doing the trunk in my '40 Ford. I used 1/8" plywood for the sides, and used 5.2mm plywood for the back. (The 5.2 is about .20" thick)



I was looking into 1/8" ABS, but the only place local to me has a 4x8 sheet priced at $200. The plywood was a total of about $40 for both sheets.

 

I am in the process of making some door panels using the no sew method but have run into an issue.
The upper panel is a pre-made 2" pleated boat vinyl with a 3/8" foam backer and the bottom section is some zodiac vinyl on top of some 1/4" foam. I removed 1/2" of foam from the joint between the pleats and zodiac and stapled that down. Then used a tack strip (placed on top of the 1/2" stapled section) to join the zodiac material to the bottom of the pleated material before I placed the 1/4" foam down. When I got it all glued down I could see where the tack strip was under the zodiac material.
Do I need a thicker foam backer for the bottom section or is the zodiac material less forgiving to imperfections under it? Anything I should be doing differently?

 

Just a quick heads up if anyone (like myself) doesn't have a lot of room for their machine. Costco has a folding table that is 24'x48' and has adjustable legs. At the tallest setting, it is 29" which is exactly the same height as my sewing table. It's $40-ish.

I did some carpet binding before I got this, and really struggled with folding the material up to get it through the machine. I did this large pleated section today and it made a huge difference.

It's not a pro setup, but it really works for me in my tiny bedroom/office space.

 

In addition to nearly the same setting as above, I added a folding leaf in front of both the
sewing machines table and the side extension table shown at the left. When I needed to
use it I just folded it out and it has a support frame leg that is hinged to the back of the
extension. This allows for the material - carpet - large canvas etc to have its bulk or weight
supported past the sewing machines working surface. It's just a suggestion to another
way of setting up your work station.

 

After playing around a bit, I decided I'm NOT going to use the 1/8" plywood on the sides of my trunk. I put self tapping screws in it to temporarily mold the wood into the curves, but it's showing signs it's not going to hold up.



I have some Auveco clips I plan on using to hold the panels in, and I think the first time I try to remove the plywood, it'll fail. Depending on cost, I'm going to try some .060"-ish aluminum. There are some curved, upholstered aluminum panels in the back of my car that are doing well. I'm guessing there is little to no expansion or contraction due to weather, so I guess we'll see...

 

What are some batting ideas for the door panels? I don't know of any upholstery places by me so something from Jo-Anns or hobby lobby or something like that

I used neoprene on the kick panels and, but that's to hard to work with

 

Maybe a Hamb infraction but abs sheet is easily cut, molded, even bent into a tight 90 with heat and it's lightweight. It can even conform to slight compound curves. Impervious to moisture. Just doesn't like UV light. Once covered its "out of sight, out of mind".

 

would anyone know how many yards of material for a Model A coupe, doors seat, rumble etc? not including headliner.

 

I never touched a sewing machine until the first of this year. Just wanted to touch base on my first project, and post a follow up photo or two. I struggled with a few things, got frustrated a time or three, but I kept at it and re-did the trunk, all interior panels, and the carpet. I still have to sew a heel pad on the driver's section and glue it down, and hope to get that all done tomorrow.



Quite a learning experience to say the least.

Mark

whoops! I should mention this is a '40 Ford Coupe....

 

Just shows that it doesn't have to be fancy to look good!

 

Awesome work! Your trunk came out great! Interior is also beautiful!

 

I'm having trouble getting the fabric to stick all the way to the MFP panels. I've been using weldwood on everything but some areas aren't really holding that well.

 

@Torana68 the model a seat is 5 yards and door panels 3 and rumble I would think 4 to 5 as I haven’t done a rumble in awhile.. I just did this standard roadster and was 8 yards of vinyl . If adding pleats add more yardage 25% as it’s amazing how much pleats eat materials .

 

thanks, appreciate the help.

 

Not sure what MFP is. Is it maybe MDF board? That Weldwood contact cement is really good stuff. Did you coat both surfaces and give it about 15-20 minutes of dry time before sticking them together?

 

Could have been I didn't wait long enough. I'm not the most patient lol

 

Bravo my friend! It looks great.

 

Nice!

 

I can relate to being a bit impatient.

If the surface is very smooth, you could try scuffing it up with a bit of sandpaper.

 

ABS works great and you can heat it to form the cuvature and retain it.

 

You have to be careful with ABS though. I have a buddy that is an interior guy and he used it on a high end roadster. He finished the car, loaded it on a trailer and it traveled approx. 45 minutes in the Oklahoma sun. By the time the car got to where it was to be delivered, they called and asked what in the crap was wrong with the interior. It had warped and bowed up so bad, it was unusable. He ended up re-ragging the whole car.

 

I know people say that it's not too expensive, but the cheapest place here in So Cal wanted $200-ish for a 4x8 sheet of 1/8" abs.

I did end up using the 1/8" plywood for the curved areas, but I reinforced the backside area where the screws go through. At first, I didn't care for the two screw heads being exposed, but then I reminded myself it was in the trunk.

 

Didn't see any discussion on this, sorry if I missed it: Does anybody use one of the cylinder arm / cylinder bed units for auto upholstery? I can see the advantage for small stuff, but looks like it would be a pain in the ass when doing something with a long continuous straight line, like a door panel.

 

What thickness scrim foam are y'all using for door panels?

 

I've got that same machine and have to sew much with it. Currently the tension is not correct...need to sort that out first. How do you like it?
R/
Larry

 

Paul R. Cedardale Uph. did my 36 3w @fireballroadster.. top notch !