Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Kaiser Forum => Topic started by: JoeKeys2010 on January 13, 2014, 06:58:09 PM
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Started today on the interior of my car. Removed the seats and back glass. The headliner was already removed. The floor is in pretty good shape, the roof is starting to scale with rust and there are some holes around the back glass in the corners. Plan on sandblasting the roof and floor. Then coating with a think rubbery lining. Installing new carpet and headliner. Hopefully by then I will have all of the materials for the seats and door panels. Oh and I have a rear window gasket coming. I will use the headliner out of the parts car for a pattern.
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Here is the material I found for my seats.
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That should look really good! ;D
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Joe,
Can you send me a sample of that material as well as all the information I would need to order some form my car?
Mark
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I got it on Ebay and all he had was enough to do my car. It is actually a little darker than the orginal. I did find a sample that is lighter than the actual color (it is a shade darker than the rose colored volta cloth) for around $12 a yard. I had a sample of it sent and was please with the weight and the ribs, I just like the one I found on Ebay a little better. Do you want the info on the lighter colored one?
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Yes, I would.
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Go to www.fabricguru.com and search for product code 1708 59.2. I think you have to chose advance search and then search by product code. They will send you a sample if you like. I have been to over 100 websites and it is the closest I could find. It is not exact but close. It runs about $12 per yard and it is lighter in color. I tried SMS and the could get close but not exact and they wanted $90 per yard with about a 90 day wait.
Try this link
http://www.fabricguru.com/?search_performed=Y&match=any&q=&pname=N&pname=Y&cid=0&category_name=All+categories&pcode=1708+59.2&price_from=&price_to=&weight_from=&weight_to=&yardage=&colors=&dispatch%5Bproducts.search%5D=Search
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How much of each of the fabric did you get to redo your 1949?
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Well I'm still at it so I can't say for sure. I bought 7.5 yards of Volta cloth and from the looks of it I'll have a yard or two left over. I'm guessing 5.5 of the other (looks like corduroy) will do the job. That should get two seats and four door panels.
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Post pictures as soon as you can. I would really like to see how they come out.
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Here is what I have so far
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HI JOE
I SEE YOU ARE A "TIDE" FAN . WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED ?
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Look'n good Joe!
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I thought everyone was a Tide fan....I am in Fitzgerald, GA but went to school in Tuscaloosa. I was/am a huge Bear Bryant fan. I met him when I was a senior in high school. I wish I could say I met him because he wanted me to play for Alabama but it was just hello and a hand shake and a signed Sports Illustrated when he was going for the record.
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Joe,
In one of the pictures it looks like you use some carpet material on the Front Seat Frame. Is that true and if so where did you get your material for that?
Mark,
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You are correct there is a strip of carpet that goes along the bottom of the frame at the back of the seat. I had a hard time coming up with carpet for the car. Mine did not have any carpet in it and the parts cars had carpet from the back to the firewall but it was badly faded. I called a guy who advertises on ebay and says he reproduces carpet for a Kaiser but I learned he did not have anything close in color. I also learned that in most Kaisers only the back floorboard was carpeted and the front had a rubber mat that is available from the manufacturing group. I have not bought one yet but will. My car is a Deluxe and from what folks said on this site it was correct in a Deluxe to either have carpet in the back floorboard only or to have it all the way up the firewall.
I could not find anyone who made rose colored automobile carpet so I went to a local carpet store and chose a carpet that was designed to go in an office. Since the back floorboard is mostly flat it fits in the car nicely. I had the edges bound so that it will match the windlace in the car. I cut the piece large enough to go under the seats but not show up front. While I could have heated and bent the carpet in the front, I thought it was much easier to put in the rubber mat. So for me no carpet in the front. I don't think I will glue it down.
The door panels also get carpet along the bottom and I likewise cut the carpet, had the edges bound and am awaiting my wife to fix up the door panels. The carpet I bought came in a 12 length and I bought 3 lineal feet. I cut the carpet in half and used on half in the back floorboard. The other half was enough to do the door panels and the piece across the back of the front seat and left just a little left over.
Kind of a long answer to a short question.
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JoeKeys, You made a good choice not trying to use carpet designed for office use in the front of the car. I'm a carpet installer. Unless you glued it with the type of glue we use to install it, heating and bending would not make it stay in that form. In fact using the type of glue we use would still be difficult. That type of carpet has a very stiff backing and doesn't take well to bending into compound shapes.
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I worked for a carpet fiber manufacturer in product development. We made a collection of carpet in different styles to try to introduce our product into automobiles rather than the universally used low pile plush. I made a presentation to the GM design staff including George Moon, the styling manager for Cadillac. They were polite but we failed miserably. After the presentation Mr. Moon said, â€The purpose of automobile carpet was to cover up all the trash left on the floor pan by the assemblersâ€
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Joe,
Thank you for the very long answer to a short question. It was most helpful.
Mark
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I learned some about carpet today. Had I put it in the front I would have glued it. But like was said it would have been difficult at best do the rubber may will do fine. The nap of the carpet looks good and since it is basically a mat on the back floorboard it will be easily replaced. I haven't put the seats back in so I'm not sure if the bolts for the front seat will go through the carpet. If so you would have to pull the seat to change it
If auto carpet were available in the right color I would have carpeted up to the firewall.
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If you're going to put the bolts through the carpet to mount the seats, poke a hole through the carpet with something like an awl or cut a small slit in it with a razor blade. Don't try to drill through it. That style of carpet is made in continuous rows and the bit will catch it and pull an entire row out before you can even think about stopping the drill.
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Thanks for the heads up!
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The rear window gasket arrived today from Rudy Phillips. Very pleased with it! I also got the carpet pieces that go along the bottom of the door panel back from having the edges being bound.
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I installed carpet for many years and for a time, we carried the right weight and pattern Wilton wool carpet used in KF cars like the hardtops. We also had the commercial level loop in the right grain and color for the rear floor and foot rests on the big Kaisers. I'm no longer in that business...and my knees thank me...but I do know the level loop is still available, even at places like Home Depot. What you're doing looks great and will certainly dress up the interior of the car.
And, Kory is correct, don't try to drill thru the carpet, you'll pull at least one row out of the backing and when that happens, the only fix is to replace the whole piece. A small slit with a sharp knife will be enough to get the seats installed.
Automobile carpet is formed in a press using heat and pressure. Trying to form fit carpet that was meant to lie flat won't end up looking good.
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Look'n real good Joe. I can't wait until the samples you sent arrive. I have been working on rebuilding my engine. I am looking forward to starting my interior. I hope to use lots of your success to get mine done.
Best,
Mark
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Door panel starting to take shape.
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Here is the finished seat frame.
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Wow that looks real good. I am now rethinking how I will do my interior.
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Got the driver side rear door on. I was able to use the original clips. I have the door handle just haven't put it on.
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Looks great! Now I'm inspired to get to work on my Traveler!
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I'd like to have a Traveler. I saw one at a KF meet in Mobile Alabama about 13 years ago.
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JoeKeys, great thread. The interior is looking really good, and you are making quick progress. :)
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Thanks. Its not the first car I have done but it is the first one I took before and after pictures of. Somehow it does not feel quick. When I am done with the inside I'll paint it and drive it. I like the car very much and it is easy to work on.
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Here's a pic of my 50 Traveler...look closely and you can see the sagging headliner. The only thing holding it up is the dome light and windlace. Time to get to work on the interior.
I did some quick exterior work to it a few years ago and then shot it in Chrysler black at a 30% gloss. This hides the wavy sheet metal very well and gives it a nice patina.
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I like it.
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Here is door #2.
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I have to chime in too Joe -it looks great. Keep moving on it!
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Got her at the shop today working on the floors and around the back glass.
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Blasted the roof and floor board, brazed and ground the floor board and then sprayed both with a rubbery paint coating over both. Turned out real nice, I'll post some photos. I guess from here I will strip the chrome off and take it for re-planting and start working on the exterior to paint. Once painted I'll put in the headliner, back glass (with new gasket) and then the trim (seats, wind lace, door panels and so forth). Enjoyed driving it today even if I had to sit on a bucket to do so. Wife has the seats cut out so maybe not too long and I'll have them ready to install. Be glad to get to drive it some once everything is finished.
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Project has slowed somewhat. I have the top of the back seat completed and nag my wife almost every weekend to work on my seats. the car is off getting painted and that too is going slow. Chrome in in Atlanta getting platted and that too is going slow. Be glad to get everything back so I can start putting the car back together. Decided to build a 40x60 garage in the backyard while I wait.
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Finished the rear seat today. Here is a picture of it sitting on saw benches.
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Looks good Joe. Great riding car too, that's for sure.
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Can't see any of these pictures except the last one. Are others able to see these pictures?
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At one time I could see the pictures but can only see the last one now. Not sure what happened.
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Are you hosting them on an external site? If so, are they still visible on that site?
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I uploaded them to this website from my computer. Not sure what happened to the on this site but I still have them on my computer.
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I think that is the problem. At least from what I know, pictures shouldn't show up here unless they are hosted by another website, such as flickr. That last picture looks good, though. Looks like you are making lots of progress!
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If you use the attachment function on this site, uploading directly from a computer will work. Doing it this way bypasses the need for a server based host.
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I used the Attachments and other options link at the bottom of the message box and selected the file off the computer. Hopefully I will have a finished front seat soon to post. Still have not gotten my chrome back and the car is still out being painted.
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Wife finished my front seats yesterday evening. This completes all of the upholstery work on my 49. It all looks very good. Still waiting on the chrome and paint job. Can't wait to put it all back together and drive it.
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If your wife isn't in the upholstery trade, then she missed her calling. The seat looks great!
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She did the whole car door panels and all. Beautiful work just very slow.
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Think she might come South and do my HJ ?
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I could ask but she is slow.
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Starting to install the interior. Waiting for a headliner but here are my door panels and a freshly painted dash and trim.
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I had a headliner made for the car in the original type/color as the original (used the parts car as a guide). Got word today that the headliner is ready to install. Once it goes in with all of the windlace I'll be ready for carpet and seats. I'm out of town today but hope to have the headliner installed late this week. With this plus the trim being ready I'll have something to work on again. I can hardly wait to drive it with all new interior, correct paint job and shinny new chrome. I think I have had the car a year now so not to bad progress.
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What is the name of the corduroy type brown fabric? Is that a personal choice or stock looking?
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As far as I know there is no one who reproduces an exact match to the car. I did have a sample sent to me by the manufacturing fund and I had a parts car so I knew what color. The ribs are called wales and are measured by the number of wales per inch. This particular pattern is know as wide wale. So I searched for wide wale corduroy of an upholstery grade. I could readly find it but not in the Rose color original to the car. I even went to SMS and asked if they could reproduce it. They could not do an exact match and wanted in excess of $100 per yard.
After searching many web sites I found some on Ebay that was the right weight, the right number of wales but slightly darker than the original so I settled and bought it. So it is not exact but was as close as I could get.
Hope that helps.