Guys. I'm looking at seat covers and door panels. Is there a preference in quality between Classic Part and Jim Carter? Jim Carter's seat kit is about $40 higher than Classic Parts and I'm wondering why???
I used JC's on the 53 and it was an exact match to the scraps of orig. upholstry found under the seat. Maroon Spanish grain leather is the color/ texture of O.E.. Have not seen C.P.'s cover.
Good question. I know I got the cardboard door pannel covers, but will not do that again. They ended up taking on moisture from the air, I guess, and then started fluffing up and falling apart. How happy are those of you that installed the cardboard headliners? Have they started buckling from gravity already, or are they worth the time and $$? The experience I had with the pannels makes me think that extra $$$$ for the one piece headliner may be a better way to go. Comments?
Blueflame just had a thread on some seat covers from some different vendors, some custom, some original. I don't know if he bought one or not. Zig, I have the light gray cardboard headliner thats original 2 piece. It fit nice and has been in for 3 years and still looks nice. We may have even a little more humidity in Tennessee. Flashlight
The cardboard headliners are a bitch to install, frequently are cut short around the edges. I have one in my 51 that has gaps around the edges. I went through 3 in the 53 to get a good fit. They wrinkle easily, but I haven't had problems with swelling, sagging or delaminating....yet. A 1 piece could work out, just paint in a satin color, and install a faux center strip and it may look origional.
I don't mind if it doesn't look original. I have basterdized the inside of my truck anyway with the non-original paint job. I just wonder how many of these trucks still sport the original headliner. That's not a good sign that you went through three to get one. I'm sure you used a whole bottle of nice words in the process.
I used the seat cover kit from JC as well and it was a perfect match - spanish maroon. I also used the cardboard door panels and they are okay for what they are. I may re-do them with the Spanish maroon naugahydes when I have nothing better to do. As for the headliner, I bought mine from JC as well. I also experienced the gap on the sides and much anguish installing them. I did use the self sticky foil/insulation from Lowes underneath. At the end of the day, I managed to get only 1 small visible kink using the windex soaking method (on a hot day), but what a chore! Heck it is a "driver" anyways.
The naugahyde door panels DO NOT fit in the stock frames. You will drive yourself crazy trying to stuff them in.
Really? Russ - I thought I was the only one with a bad fit. When I contacted JC they said they "never had a problem with them". The panels are all blistered as well. I need to take them off, re-glue with some 3M spray adhesive and then try to glue and clamp the trim to the panel edge...
I had a set that the glue let go while sitting flat in the garage. I tried to re glue them, then slide them in the frames, the naugahyde peeled up.
The original card board door panels did not last long unless they were taken care of. I think windows would be left down in a big rain. A few big rains made them look like termites were working where you push open the door with the elbow. Our first 53 still had the original cardboard headlinner when I lost track of the truck in abont 1980. I had a crimp in it when dad bought it in 1955. I never liked the orignal door panels or headliner, but really liked the original seat cover. The original seat cover was tough and usually last until a screwdriver stab. If you had "noassatol" you could sit several times before you killed it.
Headliners~ A buddy here in town gave me a pattern of one. He spray painted his as it laid on a piece of cardboard. I need to look into bathroom shower panel material that I might be able to use instead of the cardboard. IIRC, there is a thin, smooth, plastic(?) panel that you can glue to the wall. Maybe this would work? It could be rattle canned to match the interior color...
It is possible to use tileboard, though it would be a P.I.T.A to hold up and bend to get in place. The headliner actually stands up to wear and aging fairly well, I still had some of mine in the truck when I bought it.
Just a thought, and a blind one at that, as I am a LONG way away from worrying about headliners and door panels. Thinking that perhaps using something like laminate for countertops would work? Or else a thin plexiglass/lexan material? I know they wouldn't swell.
