SMS and dash pad material

[kaiserkid]

Has anyone got material for their 1954 Manhattan dash pad from SMS? I'm trying and it has been 3 months now with no samples. They said they will be sending samples very soon. Are they really that slow?   

[kaiserkid]

Finally recieved a sample. Great match! Now all I have to do is wait again for the material. Maybe I'll be able to drive the 54 in the Spring.

[cplne]

Did you use the bamboo vinyl on the dash and seat backs?

Thx
Mark

[kaiserkid]

My 54 has a gray vinyl material on the dash. I don't know the name of the material but when I find out I will post it here. It still has not been installed yet. The upholster will be coming to my house Thursday night, what a great guy to make house calls, to install the dash pad. Now that the snow has arrived here I won't be able to drive the car to its intended storage location about 15 miles away. My daily driver will need to sit in the driveway. Now I will need to work on the body when my body says "let's build something together."

[AZ_HJ]

Kaiser Kid,

Did you ever get this tape to go alone the top edge of the dash? I like to know it worked out for you if you did.


My orginal post was:

I think that is actually tape. It is a turn silver foil tape. You can get something quite close from the web address below. You need to buy 2" wide as you will fold some of the tape over the back edge of the dash. Also it is a little over 1" wide area showing.

http://www.tapebrothers.com/Tape-Brothers-Small-Engine-Turn-Silver-2-x10-yards-p/tt812sets2x10.htm


Best regards,

Mark

[kaiserkid]

Mark,

I did get the tape, and it does have the engine turn look. I have no idea if that is correct or not but it does look great. With the roll that I bought I will be able to do at least 6 more cars! I still haven't had the upholsterer put the dash pad on yet. Now he said tomorrow. One thing I do know is that tomorrow never arrives. I have seen the material and it does look fine. It seems that the color is a little darker gray than the original but I really don't know what it should look like. The texture is very close to the original so I will stay with it. 

[kaiserkid]

I finally have the material and my upholster has done the sewing. He made two pads and they look and fit great! Anybody interested in purchasing a gray original looking dash pad? I don't know the final cost yet but I will divide my cost in half if you're interested. This is for my 54 Manhattan which is Blue Comet Metallic exterior and blue and gray interior. Very slowly I will be restoring the interior back to stock. If you are restoring your 54 with the same colors maybe we can combine and get the cost down? The material is from SMS.

[pnw_oldmags]

My redone 53K interior looks great with the new SMS Material.
When removing the inside window surrounds from the door and the quarter panel windows I notice they are a cast metal.

Does anyone know what material they are made out off??  Very light yet very tough.

[dusty]

Window surround--Unlike the hood ornament made of zinc and the distributor the same material , the window durround was made of aluminum and supplied by Kaiser aluminum. as a side note Kaiser aluminum still makes castings

[pnw_oldmags]

Thought folks would like to see some SMS Material sewn up.

[Barnum]

Wow...looks wonderful !! hope you post more when it is finished

[dusty]

LOOKS GREAT, IM SURE GLAD YOU TOOK MY ADVICE AND STOPPED BY SMS ON THE WAY TO THE YREKA MEET, YOU WERE SO PROUD OF IT AND SHOWED IT TO THE ATTENDEES , A COUPLE OF THEM WANTED TO BUY IT AND YOUR ANSWER WAS ( NICELY") GO GET YOUR OWN AND YOU LOCKED IT UP. 

[kaiserkid]

Do you know if the 53 and 54 interior color material is the same? The headliner and the blue on the seat, looks the same.

[dusty]

The color on the 53-54 didn't change except for DYE LOT DIFERENCES  the 53 Bambu straw color seem slightlly diferent due to the darker random stripe the Boucle is the same both years. I worked yery closely with Doug Pollack and his colorest that he brought over from Germany and helped to design the special tool from memory. to get the random stripe that we have today. to see the final product being used in everyones cars makes me feel younger than my 80 years. and to have ALL YEARS OF MATERIAL AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE INSTEAD OF VELOUR IS !!!!!!!!!!. 

[Logan]

Wow, fantastic!  It's great that it's actually getting EASIER to restore KF products in some ways than it used to be.  I will eventually be getting some of the black bamboo for the top of my 53 Dragon as well as the balck on white Laguna cloth, as mine had been replaced with white vinyl before I purchased the car.  Most of the bamboo in the interior is in great shape, except the material on the package shelf.  Future projects...