Jeff Berk Posted April 30, 2020 Share #1 Posted April 30, 2020 I'm taking my car's interior back to the way it was in 1974. It was update to red shag carpeting in the early 1980's. The carpet was installed wall to wall, or actually sill to sill. That being the case, when I installed the new carpet, I have a bare transmission hump, 1/2 wall behind the seats, and along the sills. I know I can purchase pre-cut vinyl or leather to recover these areas, but due to my combination of wanting to do as much as I can myself and being short on cash (I'm furloughed), I'd like to DIY if possible. It seems that all that is needed is some upholstery vinyl at $20 per yard or am I missing something? Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grannyknot Posted April 30, 2020 Share #2 Posted April 30, 2020 Hey if you have the time to spend to do the job right then sure you can buy boat vinyl fabric and have a go. Do you still have the original vinyl that you can use as a pattern? I guess you could use the shag carpet for your pattern in a pinch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Berk Posted May 1, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted May 1, 2020 GK: Thanks for the reply. I ended up using a vinyl from JoAnn Fabric rated for 50,000 double rubs meaning it is very abrasion resistant. A reviewer said they used it for boat seats 10 years ago and it was still holding up. Total cost with shipping and several stacked discounts was $26. At that price I can afford to make some mistakes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyZ Posted May 2, 2020 Share #4 Posted May 2, 2020 Can you post a pic of the vinyl when it arrives? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Berk Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) I'm considering getting fancy with that vinyl and quilting the diamond pattern on it. Can someone give me the distance between the parallel lines for the early (large) diamond pattern? I'm assuming the lines cross at about 60 degrees. I should have a lot of scrap to practice on as I've never quilted before but luckily my wife has. Maybe her helping me on this will get her to be more accepting of having "that stinky car in the garage". Edited May 6, 2020 by Jeff Berk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namerow Posted May 6, 2020 Share #6 Posted May 6, 2020 Ever wonder where Nissan took its inspiration from when it decided to go with the quilted-vinyl look for the Z's interior panels? A good bet would be the 1965 Bizzarini 5300 GT -- one of the premiere supercars of its day. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Bizzarini's trimmer had already been using this material for speedboats. It's not a look that appeals to everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zKars
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now