The answer to the first question is pretty obvious or we wouldn't be asking it. Even the best tops don't last forever. Before doing anything else, we removed the top frame assembly and applied a glossy, protective powder coating. Just drop a dime and pop your seat in the mail. by Timothy Z. The lateral "ribs" that support the top are called bows. Soundproofing |  We'll do the rest. If a car is under warranty, the manufacturer is required to make replacement parts available. Rebuilding a Seat in your Classic Car - Second Chance Garage We also fabricated custom cloth headliner to fit under the top. This is one of the first pony cars ever manufactured. While some collectors insist on original parts or authentic looking knock-offs, others like to be creative. The owner wanted the seats to look and feel like the originals, so we kept the coils. £65.95. General Motors hit a home run when it redesigned and re-engineered the Corvette in 1963. The reupholstered bench seat looked like something you'd find in grandma's Buick Electra, not a classic pickup. You see it in the projects we've recently completed (below). As the famous saying states “the results speak for themselves,” and this is especially true in the classic car restoration market. It was 1933. For one thing, the vinyl we used for the seat cover is a lot more supple, durable and brighter than anything available back in the 60s. This car is 40 years old. 13 Jan Parking Meter Restoration 1. Since car collectors are particular about restorations, you can't just install any old aftermarket top and call it good. Finally, we dressed-up the seat with precision diamond stitching, a matching welt and a passenger grab strap. That’s why we keep you, the owner, at the heart of any project, treating your car as if it were our own. What Seattle upholstery shop helped restore the sports car featured in the 1954 Tony Curtis Film "Johnny Dark"? Convertible car tops on these Corvettes operate manually. It was important to maintain the original size and appearance, but there was no reason we couldn't improve the materials. We also spend extra time smoothing the side panels. No Seatbelt requirements prior to 1969 Front Row Outboard Seats Static Lap Sash seat belts in vehicles manufactured in 1969 or later IRB Lap Sash seat belts in vehicles manufactured in 1971 or later Drop in and talk to our staff and as to the most suitable style for your vehicle. Distinctive Industries, Al Knoch Interiors and Corvette America are among the few we trust. Classic Cars are typically older cars and as such the leather seats can often look old and dirty. Classic car restoration is a hobby and a passion for many auto collectors who put in hundreds of hours of effort to recreate the look and feel of a classic car. The pictures below were taken after we fabricated and installed the new padding, upholstery and curtains. British Motor Corporation launched the MGA Roadster in 1956. You'll see kit car versions of the Wildfire every now and then, but there's only one prototype still on the road. During the Second World War, Harley-Davidson modified its popular civilian model WL for the US Army. Motorcycle Gel Pads |  The original door panel armrests were not available, so we had to design them from scratch. Community See All. Free shipping on orders over $100 + guaranteed lowest prices! Fortunately, a well-crafted replacement top for this popular model is still available. Even the tiny warning tag sewn into a Corvette's convertible top is an important detail. We rebuild vintage car seats, door panels, and dashboards, and repair or replace automotive carpeting in classic cars, and trucks. The Roaring Twenties was long gone by the time this car was built, but with the black paint, white walls and fancy upholstery you half-expect to find a Tommy Gun in the trunk. 5 out of 5 stars. Both are about the same size. If the corroded areas are rather small, it is possible to use acidic rust treatments to repair them. But, as Maxwell Smart might say, "Sorry about that Chief. The 400 Four has an air-cooled, transverse mounted 408 CC inline four cylinder engine. There's less fabric in a small top so there's not as much "give". Laurie was in "The Crossing Guard" with Jack Nicholson who also starred in "A Few Good Men" with — ta-dah — Kevin Bacon. Their craftsmanship and breadth of experience are truly amazing. PROFESSIONAL CAR RESTORATION. Next we shaped, trimmed and installed a custom gel pad. Even the foam was still okay! Missed it by that much." Automotive Restoration Service . ATV, Snowmobile & Jet Ski Seats |  One of them asked us to restore the top for his cherry red '63 convertible. We made sure the top we installed on this 1967 Vette had the date stamp in the back window. Classic Car Interior provides exemplary service and offers the best prices in the market to our customers from a reputable company you can trust. 5. Bonneville was Pontiac's luxury car during the 1960s. You might think a small top would be easier than a large one to install. FEATURE ARTICLES A Look at Seatbelt Planet's Seat Belt Re-webbing Service . Driving a classic should be comfortable, not a pain from worn-out seats. These quarter ton bikes were powered by the company's legendary 45 CI flat-head motor. Classic Car Seat Repairs - Full Interior Restoration Classic Car Seat Repairs - Full Interior Restoration. Here at DC Classics leather car seat restoration is a job we take a lot of pride in, with our extensive knowledge we can carry out a multitude of repairs on all types of leather. Technical writer and product consultant. From Supercars to classic cars we've got you covered. RV & Truck Upholstery |  You can squeeze four bunks inside a fully decked-out Dormobile. We began by stripping the new seat cover and reshaping the foam base. Home » Seat Controls 3 » Seat Controls 3. We rebuild old car seats, repair or replace automotive carpeting in classic cars, reupholster vintage trailers and trucks. This is one of those cars; a real gem. The historic car pulled into our shop with a fresh coat of paint. Anyway, back to the sports car. Even a carefully maintained covertible top on a collector car eventually wears out. Shop JEGS for Seats for Classic Cars. Mobile Service . It was not the best time to sell upscale automobiles. When it went back to California the restored Scrambler seat was even better than the original. We even restore seats for classic motorcycles and vintage trailers interiors. We covered the custom headliner and wind lacing with premium Ultrasuede. This 1965 ragtop is a third generation Catalina, considered among the most stylish ever built. TrimKings.co.uk offer mobile cosmetic interior repairs and car seat restoration throughout the West Midlands, either at your home or place of work. Here’s how it works. This is a remarkable example of how superior custom upholstery can transform a rusty old car. As you can see from the pics below, the seat covers, doors and rear side panels in this 1963 Bonneville convertible are shot. As you can see, the replacement top turned out tight as a drum. Check out the before and after pics above. Durable and attractive, Sunbrella also resists stains, mildew and fading. 13 Jan Carburetor Rebuild 2. It featured a larger 79.5 horsepower engine and front disc brakes. This Corvette's top frame needed work. The cloth top and rear plastic curtain are attached to a sturdy accordion frame. As you can see from the pics, the owner came to the right shop! Now half a century old, the '63 Corvette Stingray remains a favorite of car collectors worldwide. We also used durable modern vinyl in contrasting colors to upholster the seats and door panels. Once the frame assembly was back in place, our convertible top guys went to work installing a brand new cloth top from Gahh Automotive. Today's polyurethane padding and vinyl are far better than what was used back in 1965 when the car was manufactured. Replacement parts for old cars can be tough to find, so in this case it was necessary to recondition the header. A couple of them were also in bad shape. We began the restoration by stripping the seat. After a touch-up here and there, we installed the seats and the old Wildfire was out the door. A classic car seat belt restoration comes in at only $74.99 per belt, and the company is willing to repair it for you no matter how badly cut, torn, frayed, worn out, or even dog-chewed it has become over the years. RetroBelt ® brand products offer Modern Safety for Your Classic—contemporary features with classic styling for your vintage vehicle. Looking to have your classic or vintage vehicles leather interior restored or your motorcycle seats or leathers restored? He asked us to square the rounded seat tops to better match the car's lines. Storage Containers |  While not a true restoration, the modifications defintely suited the car. The extensive work we did on this convertible is a case-in-point. Located in Henderson, Nevada, our company is constantly striving to improve our products. The seals were rotted and the steel was rusty in places. It's a durable and attractive acrylic-based fabric with a square weave face, rubber inner-layer and filament polyester back. Automotive restoration projects require more than skill and the right materials. To get this classic car seat belt restoration completed immediately, simply log onto seatbeltrestore.com. Community See All. Save $10 off $299, $20 off $699, $30 off $899, $100 off $1,899 Orders - Promo Code: HIGHGEAR exclusions apply. They've been transforming Land Rovers into European style camping vans since the 1950s. It was a complete remake from the ground up: we repaired the frame and springs, replaced the damaged foam and covered it with new vinyl. It's been lovingly cared for by an eastside owner for decades. But, replacing old uphostery can be a lot more difficult than swapping parts. RetroBelt ® offers two-point, three-point and four-point seat belt systems for the classic vehicle market. As for the final question, one of Russell Johnson's co-stars in "Johnny Dark" was Piper Laurie. The owner wanted to maintain the bike's original look, so he purchased a 400 Four seat cover and had Mac's install it. The new seat cover is much closer to the original. Finding the top is only have the job. All Rights Reserved. It's been restored/repainted at least once, but there's no telling how many tops it's gone through in the past 50 years. You see even fewer maintained this well. We work with vehicles that are fully intact or have been completely stripped and rebuilt. The new paint job and polished chrome are not the only reason this vintage car looks so great. For this restoration project, period-specific fabric was unnecessary. Few American cars are more revered than a mid-sixties Corvette Stingray. Dormatic seats are designed to fold into bunks at night. Their calling card is a distinctive hinged canopy roof. It provides quality aftermarket OEM interiors for 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's muscle cars and collectible vehicles. One out of every four workers was unemployed. You can do the classic car restoration yourself, or get it done by professionals. The company built 90,000. Our range of services vary from leather cleaning and conditioning, restoring localised areas, or for a full car interior restoration of existing interior leather or vinyl coverings. Accommodating these differences requires that each cloth or vinyl top be hand-fitted; a process that requires the fabric be steamed or stretched into place. Our classic car seats are the smart alternative to spending a lot of time and money trying to salvage heavily damaged seats. The author goes on to praise the 1961-63 356 B coupe as an excellent collector car. Truck Seat Repair |  There was some rust on the seat pan, but aside from that, everything was in good shape. If your plan is to reach for the top rung of the ladder on your restoration you’ll need to pay close attention… Watch Now >> 22:33. 5. £26.68. 410 people follow this. As you'd expect, it was only a matter of time before a 40 year old bike needed a new seat cover. When a bench seat from a '65 Fairlane was brought into our shop we had our hands full. This Jeep Pickup was manufactered in the years following World War II by the Willys-Overland Company. 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Find your vehicle manufacturer below and navigate to the model or enter the year, make, and model into the quick seatbelt finder on this page to find the perfect seat belt for your car. The vinyl used for the original style seat covers was stiff as a board, but our experienced craftsmen were able to make it work. Car Headliners |  Hypervent Condensation Control |  With over 20 years in business, we’ve compiled years of classic car industry knowledge and packaged it all into a one-stop-shop for all things classic car -- just for you! Originally, the owner wanted to go with standard loop carpeting, the sort of material found in many of today's cars. Instead of restoring the seats to their original condition, the owner wanted to try something a little different. Then we installed new seals and fastners. We recommended carpeting similar to the stuff used when the Wildfire was manufactured. It's a 1966 Mustang convertible, only two years removed from the original. Restoring an old classic car is one of the most enjoyable things you will ever do. There are some interesting articles on the Web about the Woodhill Wildfire. Mac's Online Store |  410 people follow this. Are your seat belts aged, frayed or just don't look that good with the new interior? Over our 35 year history, many of our interior kits and upholstery have been featured very favourably in industry magazines and publications, as well as Concours d’Elegance competitions in which many awards have been attained. Complete rework of buckles, both inside and out. Accessories, Save $10 off $299, $20 off $699, $30 off $899, $100 off $1,899 - Promo Code: HIGHGEAR. Request Price Quote |  Instead of using an old-fashioned cotton or Rayon blend, we fabricated everything from curtains to seat covers using Sunbrella. In most cases, seat cushions from an old car are hopelessly trashed — covers torn, springs snapped and padding infused with a moldy stench that would scare off Pepé Le Pew. Dormobile is a UK-based conversion company. He wanted the seat to look more like the original, so we replaced the velour fabric with a tough automotive vinyl. 13 Jan Parking Meter Restoration 3. Bike owners from as far away as Washington DC send us seats for foam repair, shaping, upholstery work and custom gel pads. ABOUT THE SEAT-GUY: CLASSIC SEAT RESTORATIONS. At first glance, this mid-sixties ragtop is a dead ringer for the tiny Sunbeam in the old TV series "Get Smart". In addition to the hinged roof, the company also developed a special type of seat called the Dormatic folding seat. Seats on the original WLAs were stiff and uncomfortable, a far cry from the motorcycle seats of today. Classic Car & Vintage Car Upholstery Mac's Upholstery specializes in car interior restoration and custom upholstery for classic cars. Whether you are looking to restore a long forgotten Barn Find or bring your cherished classic up to national concours quality, we are here to help. The cloth top on a Stingray is smaller than many convertibles. The Hornet replaced it in 1970. The truck's original door panels were still in place, so we designed a seat pattern to match the side panels. With the seat reshaped to the customer's specifications, we designed a seat cover reminiscent of the original. Not only is your car likely to have typical scratches and dents but depending on the age and overall condition of your car, it may also have areas that are corroded to some degree. After restoring each individually pocketed coil, we upholstered the seats and side panels in a plush, burgundy furniture fabric. Just recently, a biker from Glendale, California sent us a badly damaged motorcycle seat from a Honda Scrambler 305 with instructions and schematics. A '64 Sting Ray in mint condition is sure to turn heads — especially a car equipped with original parts. The bike owner wanted us to modify the modern seat to look more like the old one. Of course, automotive restoration projects require more than skill and the right materials. A couple hundred thousand were made before the model was retired in 1965. Careful to protect the new finish, we removed the seats and stripped the car down to its fiberglass floor pan. The military version was known as the WLA Liberator. We can also re web old or classic buckles. Furniture Upholstery & Repair |  It generally responds extremely well to being restored. It's ideal for this sort of restoration. Upholstery Seattle |  They were almost never used in combat, so were rarely equipped with sidecars as was common on the German side. You don't have to live in Seattle to get the best motorcycle seats. We sometimes forget how exotic fiberglass was when this car was built; the idea of manufacturing a car body from sheets of thin glass fibers seemed crazy. 5 out of 5 stars. Holes from the diamond tufting had turned the seat foam into swiss cheese. The fabric color matched the original interior, but the new owner felt the style was all wrong. Count on this one to last a lot longer. But, even the finest interior work doesn't last forever. Finding the right parts, fabrics and foams is an important element of automotive restoration. Classic Car Seat Belt Restoration Webbing Replacement Do you own a classic car or restoring one with old seat belts? 13 Jan Parking Meter Restoration 2. The old header needed the most attention; it's the part along the front edge of the top that latches onto the windshield. We also added pleats and updated the colors. Volkswagen Beetles are supposed to last forever, but you don't see too many '77 Bugs on the road anymore. Automotive Upholstery |  Bunksox Marine Bedding |  The webbing was dusty, worn and stiff. Among its many distinctive features, Bonneville sedans and convertibles boasted deluxe interiors. JAGUAR XK150 FULLY AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT KIT : BMW 503 CONVERTIBLE SEAT … The 1600 and 1600 De-Luxe were only manufactured for a couple of years in the early sixties. What "Gilligan's Island" actor appeared in "Johnny Dark"? Everything from a cherished Classic Car or daily vehicle. Working on collector vehicles is something our technicians relish. Connoisseur Classics has been restoring and repairing Classic cars in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire for many years. Getting headliners and seat covers to fit right and look great requires an experienced craftsman with plenty of patience. Early on, it was marketed as Pontiac's entry level full-sized sedan. Commercial Marine & Fishing |  Contact Us. A warning tag may not seem like a big deal, but a top without the tag is no good. Ferdinand Porsche had always wanted to build a sports car, and basing one on the design used for the lowly Beetle was a good way to get it done on a modest budget.". High performance Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic fabric. After treating the rust and repainting the seat pan, we cut brand new foam and installed a state-of-the-art custom gel pad. Thank you! Related Projects 13 Jan Parking Meter Restoration 4. They were quick, easy to work on and durable. 13 check-ins. This was one of the last original convertibles manufactured for the US market. The Gilligan's Island actor was Russell Johnson AKA The Professor. As you can see, the installation was flawless. We offer seat belt webbing replacement service on all classic cars and seat belt types. This is probably the longest and most tedious part of the process and flooding of the surface must be avoided… With the top installed, we test and tweak the frame to make sure the assembly folds smoothly when the top is down. This 1969 Rogue is one of the last manufactured. You'd have a hard time distinguishing between the restored seat cushion and the original one that rolled off the assembly line more than half a century ago. Whether you need a quality seat for a classic car restoration, custom car seats for a luxurious upgrade, or a high performance seat to meet the demands of racing or off road motor sports, or simply a modification to enjoy your car again, GTS classics has the perfect seat for you or we will custom build it according to your specifications. Thank you! Car & Truck Seat Covers |  In the case of very smoothsurfaced hide it is a good idea to also use fine grade wire wool which will ‘disturb’ the surface and give a good key. But, unfortunate circumstances didn't prevent Buick from designing some iconic cars. The most common leather car seat restoration that we come across is for pigmented leather (the most common leather used for car seats and domestic leather upholstery). Restoring seats from a vintage car or truck is the true test for an automotive upholstery shop. Boat & Yacht Upholstery |  Whether its a lease vehicle, hire van or your personal car we can repair any cosmetic interior damage swiftly with the minimum amount of fuss and at a time and place to suit you. You are now signed up to receive great E-Mail Offers! How many degrees of separation between that "Gilligan's Island" actor and Kevin Bacon. Classic Car Seat belts; all 2-point and 3-point retractable seat belts sold in pairs.All classic car lap belts sold separately. Our Story. Our Story. You are now signed up to receive JEGS Deals with text alerts! And it's a whole lot nicer! When it pulled into our shop all it needed was a new convertible top. We are experts in classic car leather restoration. 5015 15th Avenue NW Seattle, WA 98107    206-783-1696     info@mactops.com    Please include phone number when emailing. The owner selected a black Stayfast® top. OEM parts are generally not available for vehicles this old, but we were able to find a top with a glass rear window manufactured in the original specs. If you have an old bike, such as a Honda 400 Four, there are plenty of ways to recover the seat; go for an original looking cover, or have the seat redesigned to fit your body. It came in four "flavors", each with slightly different designs and engineering specs: 356 (1948–1955), 356 A (1955–1959), 356 B (1959–1963) and 356 C (1963–1965/66). We have a passion for classic cars and know what it's like to be the customer. As you can see, it's still in mint condition. Our leather car seat restoration services include (but are not limited to): Scratches or scuffs; Seat repair; Holes, tears and rips; Stains from clothing such as jeans or ink Floor Mats & Carpets |  Contact The Seat-Guy: Classic Seat Restorations on … In addition to the new top, we installed a brand new carpet set.