When we decided to build a car that would be driven wherever we wanted to go, the interior was a major concern. Think about it. Where are our butts going to be planted during those drives? Knowing full well an interior can soak up a large portion of a budget, we thought the expense to be a necessity--for our posteriors' sake. Several aftermarket companies carry upholstery, but we decided to go directly to the horse's mouth, so to speak, and contacted Legendary Auto Interiors, of Newark, New York. Legendary has been the choice of restoration specialists and our readers, so we were confident they were good enough for us.
When choosing the style of interior for our Valiant, we wanted everything to have a near-stock appearance. While perusing the Legendary catalog, we found just what we needed. Legendary only uses quality reproduction vinyl, leather, and N.O.S. materials for their seat-upholstery kits. They reproduce heat-sealed and embossed-upholstery kits, and each kit is individually handcrafted from patterns made from original seat upholstery. We decided at the beginning of our project that the interior was going to be blue, and after we received color samples of various shades of blue, we made our choices and began the skinning process.
Before...
and after.
The first time I sat down,...
The first time I sat down, I stuck to the seat. I don't know aboutanybody else, but I wasn't asking what made me stick. The next decisionwas whether to remove the old vinyl or just burn it off. We decided tobe gentle.
After the seatbacks were removed...
After the seatbacks were removed from the base, the old vinyl, burlap,and sponge material were removed from the springs. A word to the wise:Wear thick gloves because the material can be nasty. We found oursprings to be in excellent shape and required only a good cleaning andrepainting. This is a service Legendary can provide.
When the paint dried on our...
When the paint dried on our seat springs, we started with the rearbottom, and the new burlap was applied.