upholstery guys...traditional interior materials

The wife is wanting to get started on her 36 Ford pickup and she is wanting something other than vinyl for the material.

What options would look right in a traditionally styled car?

 

dead cow or mohair

 

Yep. I'd use the vinyl, just call it naugahide.

 

Would it be out of place to use distressed leather? Like a bomber jacket leather?

 

Mo's have nice hair.

 

How "Traditional"? Aside from the Hides/hydes, Mohair, etc. There were the nylon Frieze (sp?), Body cloth, and a real traditional horse/Mexican blanket. How about Burlap? that seems to be popular again!

 

We're looking for something that will have a nice finished look. No blankets or Toe sacks.......

 

I had no idea that Mohair was actually from an animal.....

I don't know what I thought it was made from....

http://www.mohairusa.com/

 

Damn, you beat me too it.

Seriously though, that would be the most popular, but there were some cloths used. NOS stuff would probably cost you though. The distressed leather might look good, like an old worn out seat cover. I have been considering something in distressed sides with maybe canvas inserts. You can get canvas like materials in a few colors and it would be durable, easy to clean, and semi water resistant, at least as well as a marine grade vinyl. I think it could be real "armed services" looking if done right.

 

Ya see the pickups never got interior. They were lucky to get cardboard headliner, door panels etc. and a rubber floor mat. That's why we are trying to find something that wouldn't look too street roddish and still be nice.

 

A Mo is a special breed of sheep... They're found in the mountains of East Michigan.

 

The modern mohairs are usually made from synthetics like nylon/dacron. In a wide array of colors, same with body cloth. I guess I skinned too many of them Mo's back in my misspent youth...

 

He's joking... Ya don't skin them, ya shear them!

 

Oh!!! thats what the problem was!!

 

Dayum Root, and for years I thought it came from Moles.

 

I thought it was just a term....I figured it was made out of old underwear.

 

in a pick up a destressed dead cow would look the least street rodish

 

A pleated dead cow?

 

I'm planning on distressed leather for my pickup.

 

Root, Skipstich traded me a killer vinyl that looks and feels like well worn leather. I planned on using it for my touring but might just save it for my APU? PM him and I bet he can tell you what it is? It was a roll of red stuff.............

 

Tandy leather always has $99 distressed leather hides. Sometimes on sale for $79.

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Wow and they are here locally? Sweet. I thought tandy only carried saddle making stuff......I gotta go by there.

 

Here's a pic of a faux-distressed leather-vinyl. It sounds like your wife is gonna tackle the upholstery job? The vinyl will be way easier to use, and cheaper, and most people won't know the difference.

 

No, she's not up for trying her own upholstery.....


She just doesn't want the traditional plasticky feel that vinyl has. That stuff looks pretty good though.

 

if you are any where near oklahoma city go to gipson trim and ask to see thear bus vinyl it shoud be avalable in gray or tope, it will have a hevy grain and look like the original make pannels out of 1/8'' ply wood and cover with the same vinyl you can use the sasme vinyl for seats and headlinner as well, the heavy vinyl was used all thrue the mid 30's thrue early 60's the 30's ford used some mohare in trucks but mostley the earley vinyl called poroxlin; but for the same amount of work moderin body cloth will look nicer and is avalable at Gipsons O K C or oklahoma upholstery supply Tulsa. if you want leather it is avalable at all the places above, go in and look around and see what you like. if you need help call me i'm in Enid

 

geez Tom, you're 5 years late on this one.

Good information though

 

I'm old and get lost easy

 

No if the upholstery was that old it would be distressed.

I had an old Dodge a few years back that actually had a combo of leather and pre war vinyl or the equivalent. But it wasn't necessarily trad.

Hounds tooth cloth was also popular way back in the 40s. I'm not sure how many hot rods it ended up in but I have seen it. Wool was also an option and I know it ended up in a few old rods. At least one I worked on at the candy store back in the '80s had wool interior in tufts, it was a rod built in the later '40s.

 

For his '26 T roadster, my old man took a eBay scored Korean-war era canvas tent and stitched up a bench seat cover. He centered the "US" marking on it...way cool and dirt cheap.

 

Don't worry much about the finish of the leather. If you put regular leather in, after a while it gets "distressed." It will only look new for a while.