[Roadsters] Custom Making an Interior

[Eddie]

Thought I'd share this info, as it saved me a TON of $$$.

(And since some like to accuse me of never contributing...which I find 
hysterical for numerous reasons... anyway)

Custom Interior.

Home Depot sells the thin "cardboard like" fiber panel.  It's about 1/8" 
to 3/16" thick.  Brown.  Same material as "pegboard" but without the 
holes.  One 4 x 4 sheet should do the entire car.

Use the old panels as templates.  Cut out the Doors, footwells, the 
funny shaped vertical  "arch" piece that goes over the rear wheel wells, 
and the rear panel. 

Then you can get almost any color, texture, etc, of vinyl from a vinyl 
shop.  Some sewing places also sell the stuff.  There's a place here in 
LA called "Foam Mart" that literally has hundreds and hundreds of 
colors, textures, etc.  Stuff ranges in price, and is sold "by the 
yard".  I think I paid $30 a yard (or thereabouts) for basic black.   
Some stuff was less, some really exotic ones were more. 

I also got a thin foam layer, which was used under the vinyl on anything 
that was backed with the cardboard like stuff, like the door panels, etc. 

The entire car should be able to be done with I THINK 4 or 5 yards, if 
you're careful about laying it all out.  I think I used 5 yards, but had 
a bunch left over.  (I also did NOT recover the center console sides, or 
the sides of the heater control box thing with vinyl, and instead had 
those powercoated black.) 

When you cut the vinyl, leave a decent amount of excess.   Easier to 
trim off than it is to "add" more...

Use 3M vinyl glue to adhere the vinyl to the "cardboard" you cut out.  
Use a LOT of the 3m glue, and let it sit and get tacky.  Sometimes it 
takes several coats of the stuff.

You'll go through at LEAST 4 cans for the entire car.

On the areas where the vinyl is glued right to the vehicle, you spray 
the 3M on the metal, let it get tacky, and then clamp the vinyl to the 
car, where possible.

Hardest part is the rear wheel arches.  If you soak the vinyl with 3M, 
it gets more maleable and makes it easier to "pull out" the wrinkles.  
You likely won't get all of them out, but you'll get most.

I didn't do "pockets" in the doors, but if you wanted to sew some in, 
I'm sure that would work.  I played around with a sewing machine, and 
the stuff is sewable, but my sewing skills are lousy.

Hope that helps! 

 From Eddie,
The guy who never contributes.. lol