Archives

Project Details

Fabric 1

Square Weave Black Carpet
Producer/Manufacturer: Le Mans Auto Fabric
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 2

565 Graphite Black Cloth
Producer/Manufacturer: WT Distributors
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 3

Audi Black Vinyl
Producer/Manufacturer: Le Mans Auto Fabric
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 4

Black/Silver Cloth
Producer/Manufacturer: W Wiggins Ltd
Primary Use: Secondary Fabric

Fabrication Name
Ross - Stainless steel for top of door cards, carpet edging & seat belt plates

Fabrication Company
Ramage Sheetmetals

Please describe the project specifications

Our clients vehicle was delivered to our shop on a car trailer with only a bench seat in very used condition. There were no doorcards, headlining or carpets just lots of bare steel and some soundproofing. Our brief was it had to be black and have some where to put our clients coffee. The client left the design up to our professional skill. We decided to encompass the curves and multiple circles found on the vehicle into the design while bringing in a pop of colour to the black interior through the green found in the paint work on the vehicle.

This project required certification for the safety components of the seat belt installation. These seat belts required heavy duty steel panels to be patterned and then constructed on a curve which was a challenge. This was required as the belts cannot be bolted through the exterior of the vehicle. These panels then had to be welded into the vehicle for the installation of the seatbelts. Anchor points had to be installed in the floor to mount the seat belts to.

Making door cards was challenging as this vehicle never had these panels originally as it was just steel skins. Door cards were patterned and fastening points installed into the door skins. There was already a speaker installed in each door that had to be relocated to allow for the new door card. Armrests had to be installed for comfort which required fastening to the door skin. Installation of a stainless steel strip along the top of the door allowed for two things, aesthetics and fastening the panel to the top of the door skin. The design lines follow the lines on the body of the vehicle, laser cut speaker holes for a clean look where the speakers are recessed into the doors. Then a hint of green to tie in with the seat.

Now the roof lining was very tricky but making something where there was nothing always is! The only soft trim in this vehicle were sun visors. We styled the roof to match the seat for a wow factor. This required hours and hours of patterning so the headlining had flowing lines and soft curves. We ensured you could not see where it was fastened to the vehicle. Fitting the centre panel to the headlining was also tricky. All the panels had to be shaped to the vehicle and then constructed and reinforced to hold their shapes. The design had to mimic the seat but also be there right dimensions for the roof which proved to be a challenge.

Our client wanted somewhere to put his coffee so we went to the wreckers and got a cassette cup holder out of a modern seat. We altered this and installed it under the dash so the cup holder could slide in and out.

We patterned the firewall and floor. All carpets were made removable for servicing the vehicle. A custom made stainless steel strip was made for the edging of the carpet for functionality and to finish the carpet edge nicely. We added led lighting under the dash for that extra wow factor at night when you open the doors.

To the seat we stripped it down to the frame and repaired all the springing, welded the broken bars and repaired seat runners to get this seat 100% functional again. We added a bar on the base of the seat to bring the border panel down further to hide the seat mechanisms. We then foamed the seat for comfort and functionality for the trim design. We added black cloth pleating to keep in the truck style with a seamless border to frame the pleating. Classic piping around the edges with a feature top panel of tartan silver and black fabric, hit of green stitching and art deco style buttons to add some detail into the black seat.

Our client was very impressed with the standard of work and the overall finish of his vehicle. With the brief of black interior and cupholder we turned his interior from minimal to classy classic.

What is unique or complex about the project?

This truck was unique because so much thought and patterning had to go into the project to get to the finished look. Ensuring the safety of our client with the seatbelt fitting, to the comfort of their driving position, to the timeless design throughout the interior. The attention to detail using all the body lines and shapes already on the vehicle and bringing them into the interior design requires true craftmanship and high level attention to detail. Making interior coverings that were never intended to have coverings always adds uniqueness to a classic vehicle and brings to life this old patina 1958 F100 for another 30 years.

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