Art & Inspiration Help with some traditional interior ideas.

I may soon have the opportunity to have the terribly out-dated interior re-done in my '40 Ford Coupe with original bench seat. The interior, though serviceable, has been rather embarrassing for the 31 yrs. that I've owned the car. The seat is overstuffed because the previous owner was short with short legs. I moved the seat back years ago as the adjuster is broken. The headliner is a heavy sagging cloth affair in a diamond pattern. I'm thinking about an "off the shelf" headliner to maybe save on having the trimmer needing to stitch up one. I believe that all 7 bows are in place. The entire interior is just very amateurish, house carpet on the floor, no windlace and on and on. I would appreciate any ideas, thoughts, suggestions etc., especially regarding the design of the seat as that would be the focal point when folks look in the window. I plan to use Black leather thru out, seats, door panels, kick panels, rear surround and cloth for the headliner. I feel like I know what I want, but would appreciate any images or thoughts everyone might have......Thanks, Don.

 

I really appreciate seeing and sitting on real leather. Black can get hot where I am at. Is comfort or looks most important. I certainly don’t have any of my own examples, but might have some pictures. I won’t be recommending any minivan seats. Are you thinking of keeping the original seat, or up grading that too. Are buckets out of the question, do you do a lot of long distance driving? I will have a look to see what pictures I have that don’t fall into the street rod theme. What about seat belts, is that a consideration.

 

I will be interested to see what members will come up with today. The interior of my 37 was done by somebody who thought fabric at 5 bucks a bolt was a good idea.

 

Love your Standard Coupe..my choice would be rolled and pleated.

 

No new ideas here but...you know that's one of my favorite HAMB cars. Treat it right.

 

Here's a pic of my '39's seat..my door panels and kick panels will be done the same (once I find an upholsterer to complete the job..my other one apparently didn't want to finish the job?)..simple, but I like it.

 

Don, Have you considered red stitching or piping to compliment the solid black interior you’re planning? It would make the seat pattern you choose “pop” a bit.
I’ve seen it tastefully done a few times with a”roll & pleat” style and IMO it’s a detail that doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

Hi. Not sure if it is what you are looking for but www.kanter.com ahs 50's period correct nylon seat covers listed.
Or I have a couple of complete American Bison hides tanned with full winter hair on that I have not got around to using. Not but 1 bullet hole in each.
Good luck, Jimmie

 

Thanks everyone for the responses so far. I do plan to use the original seat. Dave, I do like the idea of some Red piping if for no other reason than to break up so much Black. I'm going to try to draw a sketch of my thoughts on a seat situation. If it doesn't look too silly, I'll post it up here.

 

I'm gonna do the interior of my 37 ford coupe with vinyl leopard skin.

 

.........Gulp!

 

I am with Moriarity on this. Nothing is more "traditional" than white roll and pleat (or tuck and roll)interior. Maybe some colored piping.

 

....That's beautiful, Mark. It may be a bit too nice for me. Your seat design though is very close to what I have been thinking about. Here's a quick (read that:terrible) sketch I just did. I think 3 inch pleats look good. What are yours in the '40? I was afraid that this look might be too '50's looking, but after thinking about it, that would be fine because in the '50's might just be when someone would have been re-doing the interior of their '40 for the first time.....

 

I guess I forgot to mention. I plan to use pyramid rubber for the floor over some Dynamat or similar product.

 

...Appreciate the clarification on the pleats. That's exactly the info I need to make good decisions. This is a one time deal as I would never have the wherewithal to do it again. I guess by "too nice" I mean I'm not looking for a show car interior, but a quality, simple, durable, reasonably period correct style. Truthfully, the car itself isn't as nice as the white pearl interior would be. Does that make sense?

 

this was my grandpas old 34 5 window, you could flip the colors, all white or black and white just looks good in a hot rod.

 

I know I really like what @bchrismer had done in his 40 coupe a couple years ago. Maybe he will jump in and share some pics for reference. Doesn't fit what you are mentioning as far as black leather, but I think it fits well in a black 40 coupe. Oh, and my standby interior is also white...which reminds me I do need to redo the seats in my daily that happen to be that color.

 

White is where it’s at! The Fargo is getting done in white.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

I get it..the car dictates the choice, for my '39 posted earlier it fits the "vibe" of the car..now if it were a show car, the choice would have been completely different.

 

Nice coupe!
Thoughts...
So many options, difficult to choose... kinda like paint. But black leather sounds nice.
Good advice from Mark. Make it nice. Surround yourself with the flavor that pleases you the most. Make it so it makes you feel the way you wanna feel... not the way you think it should be. If that makes sense.
A contrasting color of piping can be cool. And we're all about hot rods. But the same color piping has its own visual benefits.
See the picture that @Taboo56Chevy posted of his grandfather's two tone interior? Just wanted to mention, that if you were considering a similar two-tone interior, I've always noticed that if the contrasting panels goes all the way across the seat, that it visually "connects" to the contrasting panels on the doors. Gives it kind of a wraparound look.
Looking forward to seeing your new interior.

 

Here are a few white and black ideas.

 

I agree with Mark on the 1.5" pleats and also agree w him to "do it up" well. It's a beautiful 40 and you've already decided on leather, so go for it! What's another grand or so at this stage of your life & 31 years of owning the car? Splurge a bit-you & the car deserve it!

I like K13's pic; black w/white inserts. The white will brighten up the interior. All black interiors tend to be caves and your interior won't pop.

If you don't care for white, maybe black w red inserts to pick up your red wheels, or for a milder take, go all black with red piping w red (or black) carpet. Or all black w white piping & black carpet.

 

This is close to what I'm thinking about, but all Black. It is in fact a split back seat. I think it is a '40 seat, but likely came out of a Sedan.

 

....I'm liking the Red piping idea, although I may have misled you guys a bit. The wheels are no longer Red, but now Black.

 

^^^^ Nice! Liking the black and white seat pattern too.

 

Some Fat Lucky seats in black and red and all black.

 

The one question no one has asked is what color is the current interior? And more importantly, what color is the dash, garnish moldings, etc?

While I'll agree with Mark that nothing says traditional like a white interior, to carry it off properly you usually need to go all white. Doing a re-paint on a dash isn't something easily done, and not something handled by a upholstery guy. And a black and white interior just doesn't have the same cachet.

A all-black interior in a closed car does make it cave-like and details tend to get lost. Plus it's a great heat sink; let it sit in the sun and you can fry eggs on it. Where the OP lives, I wouldn't even consider black unless the car is equipped with AC...

I'd look at a medium dark red color, with a off-white headliner to brighten the interior. Just my opinion.... LOL