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Eeewww. Can’t somebody do something about this? Well, yes. Yes we can. Read on, MacD
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Dashpad Problem: The Bel Air came with a padded dash cover, one of the last year
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Solution: Molded urethane plastic dashpads for our 1965 are available through some resto
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Instruments & Gauges Problem: Malfunctioning factory gauges, tachs, and cloc
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Instrument Panel Bezel Problem: The plastic bezel around the instrument cluster
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Problem: Somebody scammed the original AM radio while the car was sitting in the field wh
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Solution: Find an original radio and have it restored, or better yet, get a Custom Autoso
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Steering Wheel Problem: The wheel is in very good shape with only a few very thi
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Horn Ring & Interior Chrome Problem: Years of angry drivers leaning on the ho
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Door Panels Problem: A little rough around the edges, but basically intact.
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Armrest Pads Problem: The armrest pads were dried out, cracked, and generally nas
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Solution: Reproduction molded-urethane armrest bases are available from resto companies,
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Armrest Bases Problem: The armrest bases weren’t cracked, but the chrome
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Carpet Problem: The carpet was torn and faded, and it smelled funny. Solutio
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Door Sills Problem: Scuff marks and dings are the norm here, and the Bel AirR
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Pedal Pads Problem: The rubber pedal pads were worn out and cracked. Solution
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Seats Problem: This was our biggest problem. First off, the seats that were insta
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Kick Panels Problem: Often broken or cut-out for speakers, the kick panels in th
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Solution: Old panels can be repainted with vinyl dye, but you run the risk of the new pai
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Headliner Problem: Next to rotten seat covers, a nasty, falling-down headliner,
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Visors Problem: The stitching of the binding around the edges of the visors had
To us, few aspects of car restoration are more satisying than returning a crack- house interior to its former glory. After all, for a car that's driven more than once in a blue moon, you spend most of your time enjoying it from the inside. If you own a really popular car like a '57 Chevy, a first-gen Camaro, or an early Mustang, restoring your interior is relatively simple because you can buy just about everything from the many catalog restoration companies that specialize in these popular models. But depending on the make and model, you may find that offerings are slim for lots of other very popular cars. Many items, such as replacement gauges, steering wheels, and interior chrome and trim simply aren't reproduced, and even among popular brands, stuff like upholstery and door panels for some of the lower trim levels such as Chevy Biscaynes and Plymouth Belvederes can also be hard to find.
The good news is that often your worn-out parts can be restored, so there's no need to go searching around in junkyards for replacements that are in no better condition than what you already have. The same holds true for restoration parts. Although something is better than nothing, some resto parts are made overseas and the quality and fitment can be disappointing in some cases. Unless you've got the cash and time to scout out new old stock parts to replace your worn-out originals, your best bet is to search out qualified specialists who can put a new shine on your tired interior.
Using our '65 Chevy Bel Air station wagon as a example, we've compiled a guide to companies that specialize in services to help you get your interior back in tip-top shape. We didn't just open a catalog and order every new part we could find, mainly because we couldn't, since lots of the wagon's parts are different than a two-door car's and therefore not available off the shelf. Plus that would be lame. Instead, we focused on fixing what we had and finding original-looking replacements for parts that were missing or beyond repair.
Restore or Restify?
During the interior restoration of a 20-plus-year-old car, you’ll be faced with many opportunities to deviate from its original colors and materials, and you’ll have to make choices about the level and type of restoration you’re trying to accomplish. At the car shows we attend around the country, we see basically three types of interior restorations--which we’ll call concours-quality, mild-resto, and custom--and each has its merits. The concours restoration tries to return every detail of the car to its as-new condition, which means that if the factory shade of the dashpad didn’t match the kick panels and the kick panels didn’t match the door panels and the carpet didn’t match anything, that’s still how it will look when the restoration is complete. This type of restoration is very difficult and expensive to accomplish and is best left to show-only cars. The mild resto applies to most of the "restored" cars we see at car shows and many daily drivers. The intent here is to return the car to close to as-new condition, but the owner may choose to upgrade certain areas or install parts that aren’t stock, like steering wheels and gauges. He may also choose to match interior colors or makes slight changes, such as using a different pattern seat cloth than came stock. This is the type of restoration the majority of people shoot for, and for the popular models and trim levels, you can buy most of the parts you need from restoration specialists. With a full custom interior restoration, anything goes, and it’s up to the restorer’s personal taste. We suspect that the reason so many people "customize" their interiors is because they can’t find, or don’t want to pay for, the parts to put it back to stock condition. Since our 1965 Bel Air wagon is a daily driver and far from a show car, our goal was to keep it as stock- and vintage-looking as possible without replacing any more parts than were necessary.
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S.M.S. Auto Fabrics
Portland
OR
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A&A Plating Inc.
Independence
MO
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Speed-o-Tac
Thousand Oaks
CA
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American Plastic Chrome
Wayne
MI
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C.A.R.S. Inc.
1025 E. Oleander St.
Lakeland
FL
33801
863-688-5577
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Custom Interiors
Indian Orchard
MA
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Instrument Service Inc.
11765 Main St.
Roscoe
IL
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Original Auto Interiors
Columbus
MI
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Gary Steering Wheel Restoration
Carlisle
PA
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Auto Custom Carpets Inc.
Anniston
AL
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D& D Plastic Chrome Plating
Toledo
OH
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Advanced Plating & Powdercoating
Nashville
TN
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The Clockworks
Eagle River
WI
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Classic Car Radio Service
Woodacre
CA
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Bob Speedometer
Farmington
MI
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Koch
Canyon Country
CA
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Ciadella Enterprises
Tempe
AZ
85282
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Just Dashes
5941 Lemona Ave.
Van Nuys
CA
91411
818-780-9005
www.justdashes.com
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Speed & Sport Chrome Plating Inc.
Houston
TX
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The Paddock Inc.
221 W. Main
Knightstown
IN
46148
800-428-4319
765-345-2131
www.paddockparts.com
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Acme Auto Headlining Co.
Long Beach
CA
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POR-15
221 Spice
Lake Placid
FL
33852
800-225-7422
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Custom Autosound
1030 W. Williamson Ave.
Fullerton
CA
92883
800-888-8637
www.customautosound.com
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By Matthew King
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