Interior and seatbelts

[johnshill]

I'm finally getting close to finishing my '56 2 door HT. I'm painting it Matador Red and India Ivory. Dash and garnish rails are M. red. Can't decide what color(s) to do the interor. Any pictures or suggestions would be helpful. Leaning toward leather rather than cloth because of our dog...sheds like crazy. I'm thinking that a cream white and tan interior might work. I'm keeping the stock seats. Also, is it possible to install 3 point seat belts in the front seat? Thanks for any input.

[Rick_L]

If you want leather, a custom upholstery shop should be able to give you whatever you want. Keep in mind that you don't have to have "real" leather, there are some great synthetic leathers available too. And not to say that those are infererior or cheap, just that there are choices.

A hardtop is difficult to install 3 point belts in. One choice is a shoulder belt intergrated into the seat, like on some late model trucks and convertibles, but many don't like that because the belt are is level with a headrest. There are other options like putting the should belt/retractor in the rear seat armrest, and putting it all overhead without retractors like on a 70s hardtop.

[chevynut]

A lot of it depends on your budget, and if you want more of a stock-looking interior or a custom one. Leather is very expensive as is the custom work required to use it. Good leather will run anywhere from $700 per hide to $1200 per hide, depending on quality, color, and treatment. It takes somewhere around 6 hides to do a complete hardtop interior, according to my interior guy, more for a wagon.

If you want a less expensive alternative imitation leathers are certainly available as are vinyls which are the cheapest. I really don't know what they run but they're a fraction of the cost of real leather. The labor doesn't really change if you're going custom. I don't think imitation leathers or vinyls wear as well as real leather, nor do they smell as good :p

You can buy complete interiors including headliners and carpets already stitched up from companies like Ciadella Interiors and install them yourself, saving a lot of money. I don't know what material options are available but I don't think they deal with real leather.

http://www.ciadellainteriors.com/products.php

[BamaNomad]

Just to add/comment on CN's post... re Ciadella..

Ciadella DOES provide options for Leather... I considered having them stitch my reproduction 56 Nomad interior in the original pattern, but using leather instead of vinyl... The higher cost dissuaded me... and that was with only a portion of the seat covers using the leather...

Call Ciadella and ask for Gina. I'm certain that if you are retaining your original seats, then whether you decide on leather, cloth, vinyl, etc.. Ciadella can stitch up the covers less expensively than anyone else... Of course, you'll still have to 'rebuild' the seats and install the covers...

[busterwivell]

I've spoken with Gina about my 56, and she'll be providing my interior when I get to that stage. I bought Juliano three way seat belts for my 56, but it's a 2 door sedan. A friend, who put them in his 55 sedan Delivery, will be helping me with the welding, mounting of the seat belts.

[Custer55]

It's possible to put 3 point belts in anything, but it is much easier in a sedan because you have the post behind the door for mounting the shoulder harness. With a hardtop you have 2 choice for that mount. Either below the window as high up in the quarter area as you can get it, similar to how it is done in convertibles. Or up in the roof line structure (You can use an extention bar off the mount point to get the shoulder belt lower down and more comfortable when your using it), Either way is not ideal, but will work. Take a look at how it is done on some newer vehicles to get some ideas.
Good luck, Brian

[brian55]

Call gina , I ended up switching to leather when I took my interior to her. cost a little bit more than vinyl but way cheaper than getting it done at a shop around me.the work they did is awesome.78947895

[BamaNomad]

That's a great looking interior Brian! :)

[brian55]

Thanks.

[BamaNomad]

Did you actually take your car to Ciadella to allow them to stitchup and install the interior? or have them stitch it and send it to you for installation??

[chevynut]

Looks great Brian55.

[brian55]

I loaded up the seats and door panel and trunk panels and threw the wife and the dog in the Yukon and made a road trip to Ciadellas from SF Bay area. Got to meet Gina face to face ,between her and my wife they told me what color to use :).Got a tour of the shop met all her workers, even got a couple of shirts out of the deal. I had them stich everything up refurbish the seats and send it back to me so I could install it. Gina and her sister couldn't be nicer, if you got the time to make the trip I highly recommend it. We squeezed in the grand canyon while there . She would send pictures as things were getting completed to keep me up to speed. If I do another car I will be making that road trip again without hesitation.

[brian55]

Thanks Lazlo how's the nomad coming.

[chevynut]

Thanks Lazlo how's the nomad coming.

Slower than I'd like :p, but it's moving along. Got the engine done last fall and the chassis is assembled. Trying to get it fired up soon so I can forget about it and move back to the body to get it into paint. I thought it would be painted months ago. I have a few threads showing the progress.

[Rick_L]

Brian, that's a nice looking interior. What was their turnaround time?

I like your car too. My first 55 was a coral and gray 2 door sedan Bel Air like yours. I hated it then, painted it something else. But coral and gray has grown on me since then, times change.

[brian55]

I think when I dropped it off she told me 6 to 8 weeks before they could start which was fine with me because I was still doing bodywork and was in no hurry, then I started to get pictures of the completed door panels about 4 weeks later. Then she shipped them. I think when it was all said and done it took 7-8 weeks in total. Then this7911 massive box showed up with the seats and everything else inside ,merry Christmas to me:).