That's awesome man haha wish I could afford your work haha
The 'Stuff I Build' thread. Or...the 'Why I don't have a build thread', thread.
- Thread starter sewlow
- Start date
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That's awesome man haha wish I could afford your work haha
sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
Thanks guys!
Still working on the '59 Impala. Hoping to have it finished by the end of the weekend! Keep having snags & glitches messing with the progress. That's what happens when I don't get to take the project apart.
With custom interiors, I can make things up as I go along.
Customer's don't like it when they ask what it's gonna look like, & I say, "I don't know! I'm just wingin' it!" But, that's how it usually works! I really don't know the direction the project's gonna take until I start cutting materials! A lot of the time, the car tells me what it wants/needs.
But, with resto's, I have to work within the confines of the factory specs. If I don't get to see the original interior & take it apart, I have to spend time researching. I like doing that, though. Pushes me into getting it exactly right. The finished job should look like it belongs, & was never restored to begin with.
I do things different between customs & resto's. Such as, on a custom, I'll 'clock' all the screw heads to be lined up with themselves & the car. On a resto, that's a big no-no. The factory never did that, & if the car is to be concour's judged, they will actually loose points for that.
When was the last time you saw a factory original '59 Impala convertible interior? There are just no examples around, & I mean none, to compare & get pix of! A resto is actually a lot more work to get right to begin with. Not being able to source an original makes it even more difficult.
On a custom, if I have to put a screw 'there', as long as I put one in the same spot on the other side, who's to say it's wrong?
That won't fly on a resto!
Still working on the '59 Impala. Hoping to have it finished by the end of the weekend! Keep having snags & glitches messing with the progress. That's what happens when I don't get to take the project apart.
With custom interiors, I can make things up as I go along.
Customer's don't like it when they ask what it's gonna look like, & I say, "I don't know! I'm just wingin' it!" But, that's how it usually works! I really don't know the direction the project's gonna take until I start cutting materials! A lot of the time, the car tells me what it wants/needs.
But, with resto's, I have to work within the confines of the factory specs. If I don't get to see the original interior & take it apart, I have to spend time researching. I like doing that, though. Pushes me into getting it exactly right. The finished job should look like it belongs, & was never restored to begin with.
I do things different between customs & resto's. Such as, on a custom, I'll 'clock' all the screw heads to be lined up with themselves & the car. On a resto, that's a big no-no. The factory never did that, & if the car is to be concour's judged, they will actually loose points for that.
When was the last time you saw a factory original '59 Impala convertible interior? There are just no examples around, & I mean none, to compare & get pix of! A resto is actually a lot more work to get right to begin with. Not being able to source an original makes it even more difficult.
On a custom, if I have to put a screw 'there', as long as I put one in the same spot on the other side, who's to say it's wrong?
That won't fly on a resto!
Darkrider
Dexter
sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
Lol! I'd love to have a rat rod with nothing for an interior! Bare (rusty) metal everywhere! Chicken wire, too!
The only fabric would be some bomber seats covered in old worn out leather cut from jackets from the Sally-Ann.
Maybe a headliner made with some old jeans sewn together to be big enough!
Why? 'Cause I do upholstery! That'd be my only explanation!
Darkrider
Dexter
My buddy is currently building a '48 merc chop top pickup on a Chevy S10 frame... He's gonna run it with the body set back a bit and no front bodywork other then a '32 Ford grille and rad setup. I'm currently researching the idea of dropping a '53 Chevy truck body on to an '83 S10 Diesel I know of to build my own rat....
Sent from my C5306 using Tapatalk
You do some awesome work, Al. I have a list of people I can call with my various automobile issues in different fields, and if you were within reasonable driving distance you'd definitely be my go-to guy for interiors. Hell if I ever strike it rich and need a show car done I might consider bringing it to you anyway. Very impressive, sir.
sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
Thanks!
I've been on people's lists before! Not always for the right reason, though! Lol!
Actually, theoretically, the best spot for me would be in Kansas City. Smack dab in the center of North America.
Then, not only could I be doing the auto interiors, but I could also be doing what I think is where I do my best work.
Custom Corporate Jet interiors. The Ferrari's & Rolls Royce's of the sky!
That's what I really enjoy doing!
But, since 9/11, the aviation world has become a little F'd up.
I've been on people's lists before! Not always for the right reason, though! Lol!
Actually, theoretically, the best spot for me would be in Kansas City. Smack dab in the center of North America.
Then, not only could I be doing the auto interiors, but I could also be doing what I think is where I do my best work.
Custom Corporate Jet interiors. The Ferrari's & Rolls Royce's of the sky!
That's what I really enjoy doing!
But, since 9/11, the aviation world has become a little F'd up.
Wow, so you've done custom jets before? Now that's something I'd like to see pictures of. Kansas City's not too far from where I'm at, if you ever decide to make the move I know a few people who are always working on show projects who would love to have you around. 
EDIT: Just saw that YouTube video you linked to. Wow.
EDIT: Just saw that YouTube video you linked to. Wow.
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sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
I don't do the jet interiors all by myself. Lol! We had 17 people in our interior shop here in Vancouver. That included the wood shop guys.
On average, it takes me 120-150 hours to do a complete custom auto interior from scratch. Some, WAY more!
One corporate jet seat alone, from the moment of removal, to the install, can take 200 man-hours! And there can be anywhere from 6-10 of those. Plus a divan (couch), the ceilings, walls, lavatory, carpets, (100% wool) & the cockpit panels, glare shield, (dash) & pilot/co-pilot seats.
120-150 days(!) of work for all 17 of us! With overtime, about 15,000-20,000 man-hours. @ $100.00/hr!
2 million $ in labor alone! Plus materials!
And they spec the best! Leather from a tannery in Glasgow that's over 300 years old! The guy that I dealt with was the great-great-great-great grandson of the originator of the Co.
A basic interior started @ 2.5 million.
I've seen jets leave the hanger with new paint, new avionics, new hydraulics, a new interior & a bill for 6.75 million!
And that's paid for by certified cheque before the tug is even hooked up to pull the jet out of the hanger!
Those jets are in the 40-55 million dollar range to buy! And many of them get that treatment every 4-5 years!
The owners, or the companies that own them. have way too much money! They might as well give some of that to me!
There are companies out there that own more than several corporate jets. Other companies buy time shares.
If they have an exec. that is in Miami, & needs to go to Boston, he just phones up the jet service & he's good to go. Limo picks him up & delivers him to a private terminal. Bypasses all the 'common-folk'! He may not always travel on the same jet.
A glorified taxi service!
But, it's those companies that own the jets that would provide us with the majority of our work.
On average, it takes me 120-150 hours to do a complete custom auto interior from scratch. Some, WAY more!
One corporate jet seat alone, from the moment of removal, to the install, can take 200 man-hours! And there can be anywhere from 6-10 of those. Plus a divan (couch), the ceilings, walls, lavatory, carpets, (100% wool) & the cockpit panels, glare shield, (dash) & pilot/co-pilot seats.
120-150 days(!) of work for all 17 of us! With overtime, about 15,000-20,000 man-hours. @ $100.00/hr!
2 million $ in labor alone! Plus materials!
And they spec the best! Leather from a tannery in Glasgow that's over 300 years old! The guy that I dealt with was the great-great-great-great grandson of the originator of the Co.
A basic interior started @ 2.5 million.
I've seen jets leave the hanger with new paint, new avionics, new hydraulics, a new interior & a bill for 6.75 million!
And that's paid for by certified cheque before the tug is even hooked up to pull the jet out of the hanger!
Those jets are in the 40-55 million dollar range to buy! And many of them get that treatment every 4-5 years!
The owners, or the companies that own them. have way too much money! They might as well give some of that to me!
There are companies out there that own more than several corporate jets. Other companies buy time shares.
If they have an exec. that is in Miami, & needs to go to Boston, he just phones up the jet service & he's good to go. Limo picks him up & delivers him to a private terminal. Bypasses all the 'common-folk'! He may not always travel on the same jet.
A glorified taxi service!
But, it's those companies that own the jets that would provide us with the majority of our work.
sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
Sorry for the no pix to describe the following. Been kinda of a cluster-f*ck here in the last while. Too frustrated to remember to take some. Been a little tense. No rant here, though. The backwoods long way home the other day was good to blow off a bit o'steam! Hehe!
Wellll...the Impala has been on hold for almost 2 weeks!!! The supplied rear armrest ashtrays are wrong, & getting the proper ones has been an exercise in futility. 2 of the 3 'expert' suppliers for parts to a '59 listed the same ashtrays that we have, as the right ones. I have pics, that I took years ago, of an unmolested original. I have the parts in my hand that they list as right, & they're WRONG! These experts are telling me I'm wrong! Grrrr!
The ones in the kit are for a sedan. Those open by sliding front to back. In the coupes & sedans, there is a brace/cover for the conv. framework that will not let that happen. Tried turning it around, & the p/w switch is in the way.
The right ones open side to side. The top rolls over & down in behind the ashtray.
They are also a different size! The proper ones use a larger hole in the metal frame of the armrest base.
Finally (Finally!!!) we lucked into some NOS ones. In old dusty beat up blue GM parts boxes! The cups, handles, frame/door & the screws, never assembled.
For...ready? $175.00. Each! Plus shipping & taxes. No duty. (Age exempt)
"Expediate them!!!"
Ordered them that day. Friday. Expected them on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday.
Two weeks later, yesterday,...they are STILL in FLORIDA!
This vehicle was supposed to be one of the showcase vehicles at "Father's Day In The Park". Last year there were 1600 Hot-Rods, Muscle cars, Antiques, Street Machines, & Concour's Resto's. THE first big outdoor run of the year.
It ain't happenin'.
Why can't I pull something outa the bag o'tricks to fix this?
Normally, usually, I have ze vays und meanz to at least make the car presentable until the right parts show up.
I build an interior in the order that the factory does. Just common sense. But. I'm working on this at the owner's shop. And as much as I appreciate this guy, he's been kinda throwing a wrench into the works.
He owns many collector vehicle's. All convertibles. I've done several vehicles for him. At my shop. First one I've done at his. He's good humor. Excitable, though.
The red/white '50's Mercury interior previously posted is one of his.
This car has been in the works for over 4 years now. He sees it getting close & he's like a kid in a candy store!
But just get the hell outa the way! He's wanting to install parts way before their time. He can show up at his biz or leave when he wants, so when I'm in his shop, so's he!
Messing with my focus when I'm in the zone!
Grab a beer, a lawn chair, & hand me tool when I'm folded up under the dash. Don't try to help. Please!
And that's what happened.
(Owner) "Rear ashtrays? Now? O.K? Are we ready? Let's get those in! Can we, can we, can we?"
That was like 3 or 4 steps away, but, oh, alright. (feeling rushed!)
So he cut the holes in the armest's vinyl, & that's when we found out about having the wrong ones.
I don't usually do that unless I check over everything right up to the last second before I cut anything.
If the hole wasn't cut, I could of put in the rear quarter panels without the ashtrays & no-one except the most knowledgeable would of known the dif. The ashtrays we have now fall right through the hole. That's already cut!
Now I can't install the rear seat until those quarters have the ashtrays.
Which also means no tonneau, front seat, & door panel install until. That's the order of the progression.
With no more snags, all I need is another 5-6 hours & she's done! Yea! It's that close!
Pretty hard to fly like an eagle when you're working with turkeys!
In the meantime, I've had to keep busy.
Some boat seats. No pix yet.
I've also had some work thrown at me by B&N Hot-Rods. The guys I did the T-bucket for.
A '37 Ford. Fiberglass roadster. Older build, in for a freshening. Engine, tranny, rear end rebuild. New brakes. And a new interior with new seats.
Mostly recover the original stuff but a color change from white vinyl to black leather.
Just some in-progress pix so far.
New gauges, leather covered dash with some handmade stainless detail.
That block of wood is for the console to mount to, which hides that split in the carpet.
New 'German Square Weave' carpet.
Leather covered. The 1/4 panels curve around & butt up against the raised part on the panel. There's another panel that fits across the top & dips down over the front of this one. That'll have a some of the stainless detail pieces in to it.
The dirt on either side of the tunnel is from me walking it down so that glue really holds.
----------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of sneak peak pix of way down the road interior projects at B&N.
'33/'34 Ford coupe. This one I want a ride in when it's done!
-----------------------------------------------------
'71 'Cuda. New crate 392 Hemi/6 speed! Full Art Morrison chassis.
Those are holes in the frame for the exhaust!
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
More pix coming during the next week.
Wellll...the Impala has been on hold for almost 2 weeks!!! The supplied rear armrest ashtrays are wrong, & getting the proper ones has been an exercise in futility. 2 of the 3 'expert' suppliers for parts to a '59 listed the same ashtrays that we have, as the right ones. I have pics, that I took years ago, of an unmolested original. I have the parts in my hand that they list as right, & they're WRONG! These experts are telling me I'm wrong! Grrrr!
The ones in the kit are for a sedan. Those open by sliding front to back. In the coupes & sedans, there is a brace/cover for the conv. framework that will not let that happen. Tried turning it around, & the p/w switch is in the way.
The right ones open side to side. The top rolls over & down in behind the ashtray.
They are also a different size! The proper ones use a larger hole in the metal frame of the armrest base.
Finally (Finally!!!) we lucked into some NOS ones. In old dusty beat up blue GM parts boxes! The cups, handles, frame/door & the screws, never assembled.
For...ready? $175.00. Each! Plus shipping & taxes. No duty. (Age exempt)
"Expediate them!!!"
Ordered them that day. Friday. Expected them on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday.
Two weeks later, yesterday,...they are STILL in FLORIDA!
This vehicle was supposed to be one of the showcase vehicles at "Father's Day In The Park". Last year there were 1600 Hot-Rods, Muscle cars, Antiques, Street Machines, & Concour's Resto's. THE first big outdoor run of the year.
It ain't happenin'.
Why can't I pull something outa the bag o'tricks to fix this?
Normally, usually, I have ze vays und meanz to at least make the car presentable until the right parts show up.
I build an interior in the order that the factory does. Just common sense. But. I'm working on this at the owner's shop. And as much as I appreciate this guy, he's been kinda throwing a wrench into the works.
He owns many collector vehicle's. All convertibles. I've done several vehicles for him. At my shop. First one I've done at his. He's good humor. Excitable, though.
The red/white '50's Mercury interior previously posted is one of his.
This car has been in the works for over 4 years now. He sees it getting close & he's like a kid in a candy store!
But just get the hell outa the way! He's wanting to install parts way before their time. He can show up at his biz or leave when he wants, so when I'm in his shop, so's he!
Messing with my focus when I'm in the zone!
Grab a beer, a lawn chair, & hand me tool when I'm folded up under the dash. Don't try to help. Please!
And that's what happened.
(Owner) "Rear ashtrays? Now? O.K? Are we ready? Let's get those in! Can we, can we, can we?"
That was like 3 or 4 steps away, but, oh, alright. (feeling rushed!)
So he cut the holes in the armest's vinyl, & that's when we found out about having the wrong ones.
I don't usually do that unless I check over everything right up to the last second before I cut anything.
If the hole wasn't cut, I could of put in the rear quarter panels without the ashtrays & no-one except the most knowledgeable would of known the dif. The ashtrays we have now fall right through the hole. That's already cut!
Now I can't install the rear seat until those quarters have the ashtrays.
Which also means no tonneau, front seat, & door panel install until. That's the order of the progression.
With no more snags, all I need is another 5-6 hours & she's done! Yea! It's that close!
Pretty hard to fly like an eagle when you're working with turkeys!
In the meantime, I've had to keep busy.
Some boat seats. No pix yet.
I've also had some work thrown at me by B&N Hot-Rods. The guys I did the T-bucket for.
A '37 Ford. Fiberglass roadster. Older build, in for a freshening. Engine, tranny, rear end rebuild. New brakes. And a new interior with new seats.
Mostly recover the original stuff but a color change from white vinyl to black leather.
Just some in-progress pix so far.
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
New gauges, leather covered dash with some handmade stainless detail.
That block of wood is for the console to mount to, which hides that split in the carpet.
You must be registered for see images attach
New 'German Square Weave' carpet.
You must be registered for see images attach
Leather covered. The 1/4 panels curve around & butt up against the raised part on the panel. There's another panel that fits across the top & dips down over the front of this one. That'll have a some of the stainless detail pieces in to it.
The dirt on either side of the tunnel is from me walking it down so that glue really holds.
You must be registered for see images attach
----------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of sneak peak pix of way down the road interior projects at B&N.
'33/'34 Ford coupe. This one I want a ride in when it's done!
You must be registered for see images attach
-----------------------------------------------------
'71 'Cuda. New crate 392 Hemi/6 speed! Full Art Morrison chassis.
Those are holes in the frame for the exhaust!
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
-------------------------------------------------
You must be registered for see images attach
You must be registered for see images attach
-------------------------------------------------
You must be registered for see images attach
More pix coming during the next week.
Last edited:
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