57 chevy interior?

[Skoda]

I looked at a job yesterday for seats and door panels on a 57 Chevy. It would be the standard layout with vinyl and pleated fabric insets on the seats and top of the door panels (allthough the original has just vinyl w/o pleating). It looks pretty straight forword, but there are probably tricky aspects that I'm oblivious too.

Anyway, do any of you trimmers have a feel for the time involved for this job? I'm thinking 4 days for someone experienced.
They would remove the old seats and panels and install the new ones.

I followed the thread on tuck and roll, and was a bit lost. For the pleating, I would probably top stitch with 1/2" scrim, fold and back stitch. Or just top stitch if the customer is okay with that.

Thanks,
Shaun

[Backwoods]

Sounds like a good time frame as long as you don't have to refoam or reair the spring units.  Which run into more bucks. Believe it or not I think you can order original from year one or one of these shops sometime they offer special to us where you can actually get the right material already done and all you have to do is install. Just a thought.

Darrell

[baileyuph]

Shawn,
You led me to believe that you are removing original seat upholstery (all vinyl)?

What is the car?  As I remember Chevrolet did the following in vinyl:

Delray (had biscut tuft)
Convertible
210 wagons

Like I said, the rest were combo cloth and vinyl.

1.  Sewing and installing seat upholstery
2.  Original seats still on, will likely mean the original pincore will have to go and some burlap in the substructure will have to be fabricated and installed.
3.  Recovering side panels on front seat bottom and backrest
4.  fabricating and installing door panel upholstery -  likely it will be smart to stitch that to the panels in couple areas.
5.  No windlace
6.  Door panel nail strips will have to be replace, otherwise panels will have to be screwed on (some like it some don't).

4 days, perhaps but your work is cut out for you, even with long days.

Treat with pictures,
Doyle

[stitcher_guy]

It's all going to depend on how fancy and how detailed you are going. A set of seats (split bench up front and bench in back) can go anywhere from 20-40 hours. If you're doing STARKEY METHOD TUCK N ROLL  ;D ;D ;D it takes longer than top stitch. And how many lines are you sewing, all that.

are you making door panels from scratch, or covering provided replacement panels??? I always fit to the car no matter what. The 55 I did awhile back had replacements from  Year One, and they were off up top. Glad I was fitting them instead of just trusting them. Each door panel can take 5-8 hours. Then are  you doing kicks and sails? Is the pattern carrying through on them, and you'll have to fit to the car with placeholder screws to get the panels to line up?

There's always little stuff to hold you up, too. On the seats, is the customer painting the side panels, or are they expecting you to pad and cover them? There's an extra three or four hours just in those.

And on top of that, always keep in mind interruptions in the shop while you're trying to work. And having to track down tools and pieces and screws.

If you came on here and said "wow, it took about 75 hours to get it all done," I wouldn't be suprised at all. That's some really long days to get it done in four.

[tobyjuarez]

If you're doing STARKEY METHOD TUCK N ROLL 

I thought it was "sew and fold"  ;)

[Skoda]

It's a 2 door hard top Belair. When I googled 57 chevy seats I saw a few in this style http://www.uship.com/static/59c4c490-df2e-46ef-9.jpg ,which is what he is looking for, but all the 57's on ebay have a different style.

If you came on here and said "wow, it took about 75 hours to get it all done," I wouldn't be suprised at all.

Hmm, I think I'd be suprized. At my skill level I better get started, as the car show is in June. I think I'll price it at 75 hrs. at a lowish hourly rate. I'd like to get the job to get my feet wet in auto uph. The guy is a mechanic and I'm sure he knows a lot of car enthusiasts.
He is supplying new panels. The old ones were removed and screwed back on at some point. and he said that route is fine. Russ, thanks for the tip on fitting the panels. I guess they should be pre screwed also.

installing door panel upholstery -  likely it will be smart to stitch that to the panels in couple areas.

Doyle, okay.....where?

Thanks, will post pics if I do the work.
Shaun

[stitcher_guy]

It'll be an interesting contrast in the next few weeks. I have a 55 Chev coming in (supposd to) on Monday. I may have to put it off a week because I'm loaded in the shop (I know, I know I said that wouldn't happen in 2008). But this one is going to have a premade kit installed. The guy brought it in from Year One (I think). Or maybe Danchuk. I don't know how it's going to work. the bolster panels and side panels have no padding whatsoever. Just one layer of cloth. I know that's probably how it was done at the factory, but it's not going to look as nice as having padding under the covers. Also making his door panels (from the kit), installing headliner and carpet.

I'm going to keep track of hours on this one, compared to the time I spent making everything on the other 55, and compared to Shaun's install if he gets that job.

Shaun, regardless of the time it takes, it will be good experience and fun. Those are a pretty all-around car for trying things and learning how things go to together. If you can make the chev seats, then all other GM seats from that era are a walk in the park. And the Ford seats are not a problem either.

Good luck.

[baileyuph]

Shaun,

My comment on details of the seat and door upholstery apply more specifically to redoing the interior to original lines, which was implied in your first post; original lines but with inserts only pleated.  From that I assumed you would carry the original lines on the side panels with maybe only a panel there pleated also.

After you get started and reveal your specific plan, I am willing to provide comments, if wanted.  I do not consider these cars a walk in the park to do, particularly adhering to original specs and standards of fit and workmanship.  The buildup, new padding and the substructure has to be done in proper proportions as I have had jobs done by other shops and had to redo the buildup.  There had been a tendency to overbuild and the owners head was bumping the headliner (almost) and exit/entry was unpleasant.

But, again if you are doing a custom, I guess anything goes.

Doyle

[Skoda]

Thanks Guys, I ran a price by the guy today, and he said he might have to put the project on hold because of tax time.
Anyway, I need to practice welted seams. I shy away from them because when I look at new furniture, there is usually a funk in the symmetry of the welt seam. I can get great lines when working with wood, but upholstrey can be like drawing a wild cougar.

Shaun

[Peteyboy]

I have all the correct fabrics and vinyls, even the correct 210 Del Ray and Station Wagon Cowboy Branded vinyl in the 3 original colors. www.ciadellainteriors.com or call 1-800-875-8390 for samples.

[stitcher_guy]

Wow, talk about blast from the past. LOL. I started reading and thought "hmm, this sure sounds familiar." Then saw my posts. Yep.

BTW, that 55 I was doing the premade interior in was a complete B***h. Hated teh covers, they were jsut a layer of cloth with no padding underneath. had to made additional panels for the B pillars that didn't come with. And the customer was a pain in the ass. He got huffy about his bill, which was actually about half of what it should have been. He's one reason I made the resolution this year to figure bills and not do an "off the top of my head" guesstimate.

[Skoda]

Never heard back about that job. Haven't been doing much in the way of upholstery lately, but do have a set of dinning chairs to do.

Shaun

[stitcher_guy]

I'm supposed to be finishing up an interior in a 56 Chevy two door sedan this week (has a show on Saturday). I'll take lots of pics.

[Moparman]

Sorry to dig up an old topic but still relevant.  Was wondering if someone (Russ) would maybe expand a little on the "lining the doorpanels up with placeholder screws to get the panels to line up" concept?  I'm working on a 57 with later model front buckets, factory rear bench seat & door panels.  The customer has bought replacement "cardboard" doorpanels which I may not use.   Thanks for any help/comments.

Bryan