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By Will Handzel - Photography: Will Handzel, Brian Matthewson and Rich Santana
Editor's Note: In 1995 HOT ROD built this '31 Ford Model A Roadster "Budget Beater" (Nov. '95) and then drove it on the inaugural Power Tour. This $10,000 exercise proved that we (or you) could build a low-buck driver and then slowly cherry the ride out as funds became available. After 15,000 miles of warming a station-wagon bench covered with a Mexican blanket, we thought it time for a respectable interior decorating from a craftsman. Follow along as a novice rodder learns the ins and outs of interior decorating from a craftsman. This story won't turn you into an upholstery expert, but you'll have a better understanding of the production process involved in the makeover.
A functional interior should look good, be comfortable and durable, and not cost a fortune to create. To prove that, the Budget Beater's new interior has seen about 6,000 miles since it was installed more than a year ago. This scheme was designed, built and installed by master upholsterer, Rich Santana, an apprentice of the legendary Sid Chavers. Santana has refined his look with years of experience, and, though he has a deep waiting list, he slowed down long enough to pass this information to us.
Rich Santana’s comfortable, simple interior is complemented by a Brizio Street Rods-installed Grant steering wheel, Lokar throttle pedal and kick-down cable, B&M Pro Stick shifter and Juliano’s three-point seatbelts. Now we got bucks, so we paid more then $3,000 for this high-caliber interior.
Picking the type and color of the materials is a critical step. Since this is a roadster, Santana advised us that vinyl would be a better choice than leather because it lasts considerably longer if exposed to the elements. We used MB Tex-OE Mercedes-Benz vinyl. The Porsche square-weave carpet features closed-loop construction that looks smart and is easy to keep clean.
Santana began by covering the floor and side panels with Dynamat second deadener. He put Premium Dynamat in the rumble-seat area and applied heat-shedding Super Dynamat to the office space. A heat gun helped him mold the Dynamat to the floor before he removed the protective backing for the adhesive.
Next, he cut a piece of ½-inch mahogany for the floor and glued ½-inch jute padding (40 ounce) to it. Apprentice Brian Matthewson cut the jute to fit around the shifter, throttle pedal, and brake pedal. The mahogany provides a flat area for the carpet, which is glued to 1/8-inch mahogany and then screwed to the ½-inch mahogany.
To obtain a flush fit between the flat quarter-panels next to the seat and the curved shape of the body, Santana cut a small piece of ½-inch-thick mahogany in a curved pattern to simulate the body shape and then screwed this to the ¼-inch mahogany wood panel. Since body filler will be used, the panel doesn’t have to fit the shape of the body exactly. Masking tape kept filler from sticking to the pristine rust.
The filler is fed into the gap between the body and the interior panel. Once dry, it’s sanded smooth to create a clean flange so that the vinyl will fit tight against the body.
Door panels are begun by laying a clear piece of 8-mil plastic over the door and then marking the outline of the interior panel, all the mounting holes, and flanges. Any steps needed to be performed on the panel are noted on the plastic.
The holes in the door for the panel clips are marked with an "O" on the clear plastic. To locate the hole for the clip anchor in the door panel, Santana laid the clip on the plastic and marked that hole with an "X". He used a punch and hammer to make the anchor hold in the panel.
A roughed-out 1/8-inch mahogany door panel was laid on the door as a checker. Santana used a double-arrow horizontal line to indicate the top of the panel. The dotted lines that make a rectangle in the center of the panel indicate the cut line needed to make a pocket.
Santana then glued ¼-inch-thick open-cell foam to the 1/8-inch mahogany panel before sewing on the vinyl. Though he needed the volume supplied by a glue gun, an aerosol can will work for do-it-yourselfers.
The vinyl was cut to fit, pulled tight, and stapled around the perimeter of the backside of the panel. Santana’s staples are butted end to end around the panel to "minimize the chance of the material tearing or getting a crease in it after being in the car for a while." The ¼-inch-long stainless steel staples pass through thin chip-board cardboard between the foam and the mahogany so that the door clips won’t protrude through the foam and dimple the vinyl. With the vinyl stapled to the panel, Santana marked off a border around the pocket with chalk and then sewed along this line with a commercial sewing machine.
To add a classic design to the door panel, Santana sewed 1/8-inch plastic hollow-core welt cord behind the vinyl. The key is making certain that the thread matches the color of the material. Use polyester thread because it withstands exposure to the elements much better than cotton. Be advised that the sewing machine requires a welt foot that gathers the material for the proper tension on the fabric.
When Santana finished sewing the vinyl, he rechecked the material to ascertain its tightness on the panel; he cut off the extra material, so it didn’t prevent the panel from fitting flush on the body.
With a central pocket and carpet kick panel, this door panel is considered a simple design. The main portion of the panel is held with interior clips, and the kick panel is fastened with two screws.
Carpeting is glued to the kick panels with a piece of vinyl binding sewn to the top and front edge of the panel. The carpet is used in this area because it is more durable than the vinyl. The floor carpet was trimmed in a similar fashion and glued to the mahogany. Rubber inserts were sewn into removable floor mats for a heel surface that will look new for a long time.
Once he had the kick panels under the dash, Santana roughed out the door panels and the side boards and went to work on the seat. Per the owner’s request, the seat was to be as far to the rear (for legroom) and as low as possible (to get the passengers out of the breeze). Santana began by cutting ½-inch mahogany to make the seatback. He trimmed the upper corners to allow the shoulder belts to pass through from the rumble seat. Notice the panel on the right with the body filler sanded smooth.
The shape of the seatback was determined by cardboard cutouts and by sitting in the car on a piece of foam. Once the shape was determined, Santana cut a 5-inch-thick block of ILD 35 foam-2 ½ pounds per board foot, open cell-to fit and glued it to the backing board. The description represents the density of the foam, which determines its stiffness as well as the extent of its "memory".
Santana then sewed up a vinyl cover, using perforated vinyl in pleats for the lower back section, and stapled the perimeter of the cover to the wood backing.
To get the lowest seat height possible and provide usable cushioning, Santana built a seat bottom with two big cutouts under each passenger and 2 ½-inch-wide seatbelt material woven across the area. He used high-density, 2.7-pounds-per-board-foot, open-cell foam with an ILD number of 43 (the density) in the base. This foam is dense enough that it won’t compress and flatten out over a long trip and many miles. Santana cut a 6-inch-thick block into cross sections to create the desired shape. HR
SOURCE
Rich Santana
Dept HR07, Diamond Springs, CA. 530.295.3727
