1963 Dart 170 2 Door Post Resto
Still moving forward. Got the service covers made and installed on the doors and rear seat area. Was going to buy some but figured that since I had some nice heavy vapor barrier laying around may as well put it to good use. And it was cheaper overall too.
Not really happy with how the upholstery did the door panels. Quality definitely isn't there. The lines aren't really straight and how he finished the backs was a mess. It was going to hold the panels away from the car and have a bunch of gaps. Instead of trimming the corners so it all laid flat, he just over-lapped everything and stapled it to hold it down. I wound up trimming a bunch so they would sit better. The back panels were better than the fronts but still needed a little work. Also, he added foam behind the vinyl to make it softer (something I didn't ask for), and while it looks nice it interferes with the window cranks a little. Also where he wrapped it over the top of the panels they no longer fit in the stainless trim. I wound up taking them apart along the top, trimming back the foam, and gluing them back down and clamping them overnight while the glue set. (used heavy duty contact cement to ensure good adhesion). This worked pretty good. Only issue I ran into was on the first one I did I got clamp marks that show up on the top edge. Hopefully they will steam out. On the rears I used pieces of wood to keep even pressure and leave no marks. Worked much better.
Overall the look is good. Time will tell how they hold up. Love the material we chose. Just wish the fit and finish of the workmanship was there. Won't be very noticeable once it's all finished and in the car though. Just bugs me. Will NOT be using him again, nor recommending him. Got 3 panels done and installed. Still have to finish the last panel modifications.
Then onto carpet trimming. Getting down to the final touches now. Still have to take the front 2 wheels off and repaint them where they were damaged during tire install (used the wrong shop). Also have to repaint the headlight bezels and a few small interior parts I wasn't happy with. Then I can do final install. Parts boxes are getting nice and empty now. Good feeling to finally see the end is getting close.
Still moving forward. Got the service covers made and installed on the doors and rear seat area. Was going to buy some but figured that since I had some nice heavy vapor barrier laying around may as well put it to good use. And it was cheaper overall too.
Not really happy with how the upholstery did the door panels. Quality definitely isn't there. The lines aren't really straight and how he finished the backs was a mess. It was going to hold the panels away from the car and have a bunch of gaps. Instead of trimming the corners so it all laid flat, he just over-lapped everything and stapled it to hold it down. I wound up trimming a bunch so they would sit better. The back panels were better than the fronts but still needed a little work. Also, he added foam behind the vinyl to make it softer (something I didn't ask for), and while it looks nice it interferes with the window cranks a little. Also where he wrapped it over the top of the panels they no longer fit in the stainless trim. I wound up taking them apart along the top, trimming back the foam, and gluing them back down and clamping them overnight while the glue set. (used heavy duty contact cement to ensure good adhesion). This worked pretty good. Only issue I ran into was on the first one I did I got clamp marks that show up on the top edge. Hopefully they will steam out. On the rears I used pieces of wood to keep even pressure and leave no marks. Worked much better.
Overall the look is good. Time will tell how they hold up. Love the material we chose. Just wish the fit and finish of the workmanship was there. Won't be very noticeable once it's all finished and in the car though. Just bugs me. Will NOT be using him again, nor recommending him. Got 3 panels done and installed. Still have to finish the last panel modifications.
Then onto carpet trimming. Getting down to the final touches now. Still have to take the front 2 wheels off and repaint them where they were damaged during tire install (used the wrong shop). Also have to repaint the headlight bezels and a few small interior parts I wasn't happy with. Then I can do final install. Parts boxes are getting nice and empty now. Good feeling to finally see the end is getting close.
