for original fabrics, vinyl, and leather, a great place to start your search is your local auto trim supplier. They may have the original OEM Detroit Fabric books to help you find the desired color and material type you need for your restoration.
Online searches can also aid you in finding original materials for the year and model of your project. If you have a piece of the original material to send a supplier, they can do a search for you and get you an exact match. They may also be able to help you locate other hard-to-find interior materials to complete your project. Be careful of online sellers of vintage auto upholstery materials. Some of them charge you up front for the product you desire and then take months to deliver them. Be sure to ask when the items that you ordered will be shipped for delivery and what their return policies is if the materials you ordered are not what you expect them to be.
Leather
The auto industry has used leather for interior seating from the early 1900s. Leather is considered a premium upholstery material choice because it has proven to be very durable due to its natural ability to withstand the effects of rain, sunshine, and extreme temperatures. The outer seat and door coverings in open cars were generally fashioned from leather. Leather is a natural product coming from the hides of cattle, and it is preserved through a tanning process that allows it to remain soft and supple. Different grades are available for the upholstery trade with a wide choice of colors and textures.
Nothing speaks louder than real leather when it comes to luxury seating. Leather has been used in auto interiors from the very first cars and is considered a premium upholstery material. This natural product is available in full and half hides and in many colors and grains to complement your projects.
Vinyl
Prior to the 1940s, the vinyl material that was used in auto interiors was actually an oilcloth. This material was made from a coating of boiled linseed oil applied over a close-woven cotton duck cloth. Although it was waterproof, it was not very durable. When it was exposed to sunlight and heavy use, the surface cracked and deteriorated with age. A more stable product later replaced oilcloth; it was made from a composite of a knit fabric backing and an expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic coating. Sometimes referred to as pleather (plastic leather), this has evolved into the modern vinyl that we know today. Vinyl is manufactured to a standard width of 54 inches and is sold by the running yard.
Vinyl is a durable choice for automotive seating because of its ability to withstand rain, temperature, and heavy use. Available in a wide variety of colors and grain, vinyl is more versatile than natural leather and can be embossed with patterns and company logos.
Modern embossing has given manufacturers the ability to create patterns and logos in the vinyl, which enhances the look of the material and gives styling to cars, which nature cannot do.
Woven Fabrics
Before the onset of synthetic fabrics in the 1940s, car interiors were trimmed in fabric woven from natural fibers such as wool, cotton, and linen (made from flax). Cotton and linen are derived from plants and wool is made from animal hair. Weather conditions are harsh on an interior and durability has a lot to do with the materials chosen by car manufacturers. The materials also had to be attractive and comfortable to the touch. The most durable and versatile material available at the time was wool. Thanks to its ability to be dyed and woven into many different patterns and textures, it was the logical choice for upholstery. Different types of wool fabric have been used on seat covers and door panels; the most common are broadcloths and mohair.
The 1950s and 1960s brought many color and design choices. Seats were covered in beautiful woven hard cloth that added uniqueness to the interior of each car. These fabric examples represent just how different the patterns and colors can be.
Broadcloth was typically made from wool and was easy to tailor into seat covers. Durable and yet economical, it was the standard upholstery material used in car interiors until the early 1950s.
Mohair is made from the hair of the Angora goat. It is best known for its high luster and sheen, giving it a velvety look. Although it is extremely durable, it is also soft to the touch, making it a perfect auto upholstery material.
In the mid-1950s, automakers started using ornate woven hard cloths on seats and door panels. These fabrics brought a new look to the interior, making it more elegant and distinctive. This body cloth was made from blends of synthetic fibers, such as nylon, polyester, and rayon. The result was a polished-looking material with beautiful brocade patterns, stripes, and textures that are not only durable, but they are available in many complementary colors to the car’s exterior paint.
CHAPTER 2
SEAT RESTORATION
The main focal component of an auto interior is the driver’s seat. Its purpose is to provide a safe and comfortable place for the driver to operate the car. Over many years of evolution, the driver’s seat has changed in style, comfort, and safety.
Early seats consisted of a hand-crafted wooden frame with coil springs that were covered in leather, linen, or wool fabric. After many years of service, these seat covers have worn through, exposing the springs, horsehair, cotton, and burlap that had been supporting the cover and providing comfort.
Seats in this condition do not necessarily need to be replaced. They were built with raw materials and basic woodworking joints, so repairing a distressed seat frame and springs can be restored to original condition with a lot of patience, time, and basic woodworking skills.
This front seat is from a 1952 Cadillac. The original cover is dry rotted and in need of a complete restoration. The owner bought the car when it was already disassembled and the repaint process had been started in a non-original color. I will re-create this seat in a period-correct red.
The post-war car era began fabricating seats with metal frames and zigzag springs. These frames were mass produced by stamping out components from sheet metal and spot welding the pieces together, making the frame stronger and very durable. The springs were covered with burlap and employed a latex rubber pad for comfort. Because of the abundance of man-made materials, manufacturers were now able to mass-produce the seat coverings from broadcloth, leather, and vinyl. This allowed many variations in style and features.
In the early 1960s, the challenge of restoring a seat became more difficult for trimmers to reproduce when manufacturers began to emboss vinyl with patterns and logos. The process of dielectrically embossing vinyl involves expensive equipment. The average trimmer typically does not invest money to acquire the tooling or the time learning the process to produce one-off seat covers. Sewing the patterns into the vinyl used to be the only way an upholsterer could get the general look of an original embossed piece. Fortunately today many manufacturers can do the embossing of these patterns and once again these seats can be restored to original condition.
The market today offers many ready-made reproduction seat covers and interior kits. A lot of these interior kits use generic materials that are not correct in color, texture, and fit. The tailoring on some of these seat covers and interior kits fits well, but many do not fit. This is why a professional upholsterer should install
