Art & Inspiration Help with some traditional interior ideas.

Dash and garnish moldings are all Black.

 

Hey L,

You have a very nice 40 Ford Coupe. The look is pretty outstanding. As far as the color and idea, just about anything goes with black. Thinking of what we had over the years, leather is the only way to go, if you are thinking of long term. There is nothing better than the smell of leather in any car. with the selected bench seats and pattern, the leather would be so cool.
2nd 40 ford sedan delivery
In our 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, we had two bucket seats upholstered in tan with similar pattern to this:
The previous owner said they came out of a small foreign sporty car.
The tan matched the carpet and full rear cave wall and inside roof lining. The bucket seats allowed better seating angles, the side bolsters made us feel as though we were locked in place. They were pretty comfortable for short and long road trips. If you get the B/W bench seat in that pattern it will be comfortable with the sides acting as supports.

Now, the color, most of the original seating surfaces we saw at old car club shows were the fuzzy grey material coverings. That stuff wears too fast in the daily driving scene. So, we thought our next leather seats would be light grey to keep with the original grey fuzz, but in a better leather pattern. Leather just makes it better than Naugahyde or other synthetic materials.

My wife had two modern station wagons with grey leather seating in the bucket seats. One had stitching that was a baseball stitch. It looked very cool and was the utmost in comfort. The grey leather with lighter grey baseball stitching was used. The other grey leather had dark grey stitching and was also comfortable, but we liked the original baseball stitching for some added contrast, without going overboard.

Jnaki


We have also had several cars with black seating surfaces. My first 40 sedan delivery in high school had black seats and it was very hot during the whole year, especially during the summers. We used cooling wire portable seat backs to try and keep the seatbacks cool. It was not air conditioning, even with all vents open plus the windows. Just teenage trials. As 20 somethings, we needed a/c and in any seats, the a/c is fine. The surface of black is always hotter even with a/c. So, grey is the middle ground. No Levis or any jeans rub off on the grey leather surface, like they would on white upholstery, leather or not. YRMV

 

That kinda throws a monkey wrench into it... I think I'd want to paint the door, quarter, and rear window moldings a complimentary color, you could leave the dash/windshield molding black and get away with it.

 

Any darker colour is going to be hotter than blazes. So if that's a deciding factor you are going to be limiting your choices.

 

Pretty sure a black dash and garnish moldings would compliment a white seat and door panels nicely. But, I am a sucker for black and white combinations in an interior. As much as I like black, I would have to break up all the black with some white if it were mine. That seems simple and traditional and like it could have likely been done in the 50’s.

 

Something a little different but IMO looks amazing in a black car.

 

You will have to live with it for a while. Might consider different colour stitching vs piping. I go see cars- white seats with yellow piping- yes it makes a statement, but not one that calls to me. Baseball stitching was really cool on audi TTs about 15 years ago, now it dates them right to that time frame. I am thinking you want to peg your car to 1947ish. Do you have a picture of the floor material you are thinking about? What kind of steering wheel and shifter knob are you trying to compliment. I am usually a less is more kind of guy. Like the craftsman style of houses from that era let the material and the workmanship do the talking for you.

 

That is one sweet execution. Those door cards are a work of art. I hope I remember this when I get to my elcamino.

 

This is from the Chrysler Museum, might give you an idea of what not to do. Sorry, not sure of the exact make, model and year.

 

Ahhh... you're thinking black on black on black on black on black...

 

This is what I want to use on the floor over Dynamat or similar insulative product.. ....Pyramid rubber

 

I love your car and this thread. We all have interiors to do on our new builds and on most existing builds for that matter as the guts are often overlooked until the last minute and then just tossed together because the builder ran out of money bailing the car out of paint jail.

I am painting my 41 PU black and planning out my interior as well. So far I have decided on a white headliner hung from bows and white upholstery from the belt line up. The floor will be black, a mix of German square weave and rhino liner for a slightly commercial look. The seat and door panels are the transition from the black floor to the white ceiling so it is logical and makes your eyes happy.

This is one of the seats I like, stolen from the pages of the HAMB (hell, it is why I joined! This place is like etsy for car builders). Cool stitching and perhaps some interesting piping and viola!

I know that is a truck seat with a solid back but you get the idea. Mark, @Moriarity , is spot on with his street rod comment. Interior should be timeless. 40 years from now people should be posting pictures on their 3D optic implant virtual HAMB of your cool ass 40 they bought with bitchin interior that still looks correct and awesome - for a non-flying car anyway.

 

Have always liked Oxblood leather on black cars.

 

Don,
Just an FYI, the last pyramid cut mat I got from Restoration Specialties was cut too deep. You could literally just pick it up and the weight of the mat would rip it along the grooves in the pattern. That was several years back and may have just been a bad batch.

 

To me something like what you posted in post 26 is about as traditional as you can get.

I really like the folded over (real) pleats like Bobby Russel did in my 48 in 1973 though. The seat had two inch pleats no stitches showing and was great looking and OMG comfortable. I don't have a photo one of that seat though.

 

For a nice clean car like your '40 Ford I personally would want a more subdued classic appearance. Black leather in a roll and pleat pattern is a nice touch, and will go well with it. But so would tan, brown, or even red. I personally don't want white as I know it wont be white anymore a few year down the road, as I drive mine a lot and it will age and get stained.
If this is a once in a lifetime, last interior, I'd want something timeless, not too outlandish.

 

....Wow, That kinda sucks. I was either going to order from them or a place in New York called Canal Rubber, that is unless I can find a place local to avoid outrageous shipping costs.

 

These are obviously blue and white but shows what could be done with a dash board matching the insert colour.

 

Loving this Model A. Wow, now you got me thinking. I always have liked Oxblood leather.

 

Yep, that would look good...

 

If I recall, there was also a place in Kansas City that carried it. You're right, shipping is the killer....heavy stuff.

 

I think the oxblood or something similar would be just right, maybe a dark grey. 1971BB427 is right... white won't be white forever, then will either become a maintenance headache, or unsightly. I had a white interior once, and only once, and that was twice too many for me! I'd also take a look at the stock '40 convertible pattern/layout to see how that would be. Maybe a bolster around the seat and back like Bandit posted, but I would prefer a non-pleated main pattern... cars that GET USED collect dust, dirt, etc in those little grooves, and I get the feeling you would rather be driving and enjoying than detailing your ride every time you turned around.

 

Just design suggestions, colors are optional. HRP

 

Yep, just saved that image to my computer as well. Reversing the white/black would be hard to beat! As for white seats being hard to keep up...hogwash. My summer DD is a 68 442 ragtop with pearl white seats. Upholstered 24 years ago and still looks good. They have been showered in hot burnout rubber, schweaty nuts, spilled "liquids" and they clean up fine. If you put black seats in your car so you don't have to clean them, that is just gross. They still get filthy if you use them.

 

If you want white just put some in,my 55 sunliner has some and after 5 years the new white in the front seat almost looks like the white in the original rear seat.

 

Hey, Don. I'm another big fan of your coupe. To learn that it has any flaws or needs anything at all sort of pops my bubble.
Without the red wheels, the red stripe is just a murmur of the former testament to the color. So that makes it less of a factor what the choices are for the interior.
I like the "oxblood" suggestion, 'though I'm more of a chestnut/caramel man, myself. The oxblood would be best for upkeep and maintenance, and you probably wouldn't get bored with it in this lifetime. It's classy, but at the same time, it's casual enough for a car with some miles and a bit of history.
I had a factory-supplied, base model "rubber mat" floor in the past, but it was contoured and padded. I kind of anticipate that the 'diamond-cut' rubber would not have the same tailored, finished look unless your floorboard and firewall are perfectly flat. Consider carpet as an optional choice, either black or dark something to match. Any upholstery guy should be able to whipstitch the edges of carpet, so you can do one-stop-shopping.

 

My 40 Business Coupe is done very similar to the one in Post #6. All black incl headliner, rear jump seat surround is also pleated, black carpet. Probably done in the 50's and Naugahyde.
Paul in CT