After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) April 25, 2009, 05:32:19 PM Nobody would ever accuse me of being in a hurry. I disassembled the T-Bird in the winter of '06/07 and painted it in fall '07. It sat for many months with the interior looking like this:I removed the dash because the original porno red one was cracked all to hell. Problem was my replacement dash was blue. I painted it and the console black before reinstalling them. This left me with a problem: My interior was now three-tone. Red carpet, door panels and headliner, blue seats, black dash and console, and a mixture of red and blue side panels (these pics were taken before the dash was replaced):Truth be told, my original intention was to install the full blue interior out of the parts TC, but the carpet, door panels and headliner were all trashed, so I decided red and black would look better than red and blue. Rather than just make it look like I installed a bunch of black stuff in a car with a red interior I decided to do a bit of custom work:I would have done the small carpeted bit on the quarter panel red to, but these were out of the blue car and the red dye would not take over blue carpet.Anyway, I had painted those panels over a year ago and only just installed them late last month. My final job was to do the seats. This was not just a dye job, though, it was more a restoration. As with nearly all Fox seats the foam on the driver's side had collapsed, and the seat frame was wearing on the seat cover. It was actually very close to wearing through - it had worn through all the backing, leaving only the cloth on the outside. I knew that had I simply dyed these seats I'd be looking for new covers within weeks, so I completely disassembled both front seats and swapped the foam side to side. What was now the inner bolster on the passenger seat is now the outer bolster on the driver's seat. The inner bolsters in these cars do not wear, so I could get away with having worn foam in the inner bolsters. I also covered the sharp edges on the seat frames with corrogated electrical conduit so they won't cut through the "new" foam on either side. Of course I could not switch the covers side to side, so the driver's side cover's days are still probably numbered, but I should get a few years out of it. After doing all that today I reassembled them and installed them in the car, thus finally having my interior all back together!Pics (you can keep the carpimp jokes to yourselves, I've explained why I went two-tone):With the interior back in this thing is dangerously close to being drivable. I've got to install the rear window trim (thanks for the clips, Jerry) and have the windshield removed and re-glued in. Then it's just plates & insurance! Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #1 – April 25, 2009, 05:39:59 PM Quoteyou can keep the carpimp jokes to yourselvesAs soon as I come up with a couple I'll keep them amongst everyone here but you as per your request :hick: J/K it actually DOES look good. What exactly was used for seat dye? I don't believe I've ever seen a black seat look that dark in a photo before. Well done!I see you went back to a standard wheel with the cruise functions on the wheel as well. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #2 – April 25, 2009, 06:05:40 PM *keeps comments to himself* i got no room to talk anyhow. my interior is still four tone...congrats on being so close to driving it. i look forward to hearing how much you love the way it has turned out! Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #3 – April 25, 2009, 06:12:51 PM Congrats on getting the interior back together.Not a fan of the two tone red and black though man,i would have just gone all black.However if you like it that's all that matters. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #4 – April 25, 2009, 06:44:56 PM Good for you.Glad to see you're making some progress. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #5 – April 25, 2009, 07:16:13 PM I'm not saying a thing. You saw what mine looks like at the moment...So now you can drive it ti Catjam. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #6 – April 25, 2009, 07:40:23 PM Looks good, I actually like the red and black..to me it's different.So why'd you go back to the TC wheel? Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #7 – April 25, 2009, 08:14:39 PM I went back to the TC wheel because I hated that GT one. It looked and felt cheap (the handle was a dense foam). The only reason I'd ever installed the GT one was that the horn ring on my original one came apart. The parts TC's wheel had a good horn ring so I used it. The GT is now hanging on a nail in my garage :hick:If budget ever allows for new carpet and headliner I may go all-black, but until that happens I have little choice: It was either black, red and blue or black and red. I actually kind of like the red myself - it lends a bit of colour to an otherwise dreary interior (and to the car itself - black interior and white exterior isn't very interesting). The thing is like a cave inside with almost everything being black, I can't imagine how dark it would be with everything black. Truthfully, I'd have liked to have done the seats themselves two-tone, it would have made it look more like a factory job, but the red dye simply would not cover the dark blue (I tried it on a s of carpet from the parts TC).Paul: I used Duplicolor Vinyl and fabric dye. I know some people don't like that stuff but I've had good results with it in the past, including when I re-dyed the original red seats in this car several years ago (it lasted for years, they still looked like new when I sold 'em). They're as dark as they are because I did several coats. There are three full cans of it on the front seats (1.5 cans each), plus two full cans on the back seat. I made certain the dye went all the way into the fabric by continually brushing the fabric with a stiff paint brush as I was spraying. It helps the dye go in deep and also helps prevent the dye from stiffening the fabric fibers. They were a little stiffer than normal when it all dried, but a quick run over the surfaces with the shop vac softened 'em right up.The long and the short of it: I know it's a hillbilly interior job, but until I can afford to buy new carpet and headliner (and considering both are currently near mint, they're way down on the list of priorities), and until I can find a full set of mint leather seats, it's going to have to do. Otherwise it'd be forever before I could drive the frickin' thing. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #8 – April 25, 2009, 09:55:56 PM Quote from: Thunder Chicken;269108I know it's a hillbilly interior job, but until I can afford to buy new carpet and headliner (and considering both are currently near mint, they're way down on the list of priorities.Hey sometimes those are the best ones!!!!! Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #9 – April 26, 2009, 11:13:50 AM I love it,, the gloss black sections could have been flat. Im surprised you went with any gloss at all on the plastics.Great job,, get it on the road man!! Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #10 – April 26, 2009, 11:20:55 AM Quote from: V8Demon;269091As soon as I come up with a couple I'll keep them amongst everyone here but you as per your request :hick: J/K it actually DOES look good. What exactly was used for seat dye? I don't believe I've ever seen a black seat look that dark in a photo before. Well done!I see you went back to a standard wheel with the cruise functions on the wheel as well.X2 there. I like it man, two thumbs up from me.... Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #11 – April 27, 2009, 11:19:50 AM I like it. I'm thinking of doing mine in Black and Blue.:D After all what I'm planning is punishing. So black and blue would be apropo.I going to take pretty much everything from my 86 tbird and install in my 82 Cougar wagon. Dash and wiring included. But I'd like to keep my carpet and headliner but do the seats and door panels in black as the exterior will be silver/black/white. Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #12 – April 27, 2009, 07:45:21 PM You know I like it. The red and black give the car an 80's vibe so it works :D Quote Selected
After nearly 3 years the interior is back in... (DUW) Reply #13 – April 27, 2009, 07:59:06 PM ^^^^ Yeah Im gonna second that. I almost even think of like a video arcade or something for some reason. I dunno why. :hick: But that's really neat. Quote Selected
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