Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 10:07 am, by: Daniel Salt(Saltytt)
Well i have decided to retrim all of the interior and this weekend i will take the whole interior apart. I am lucky enough to be leaving the car off the road until late june , so i might aswell get stuck into it. The door trims are broke , all the vents cracked , seats are tatty looking . I'm thinking of doing black leatherette as this missus has me on a budget . Will be changing front seats to Supra items .
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 11:29 am, by: Sean Fair(Sean_fair)
Have fun breaking plastic clips!
PS - don't cut your fingernails too short the day you decide to take it apart. Can't pull any clips apart; my fingers were bleeding from under the nail afterwards. Oh joy
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - 12:20 pm, by: Byron Clarke(Byron)
Where do you get it retrimmed? Does it include all those clips for the door trims? I think I broke some yesterday trying to get to my passenger tweeters so I just quickly put it back on
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 08:46 am, by: Will Adams(Draco)
Daniel, don't know if you want to write a tutorial on doing the vinyl or leatherette retrim if doing it yourself? Would be good for those of us that don't want to spend $$$$$ at a retrimmer.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 02:01 pm, by: Daniel Salt(Saltytt)
Alright i will attempt to do a tutorial and i will talk to the person i'm buying material off to see if i can get a discount for any other members who wish try retrim.
i had bought grey electric seats to swap for my black non-electric one.
i thought i could retrim the bottom plastics... i did but it was not the great. i purchased vinyl from spotlight and noticed while retrimming that it was very difficult to stretch around the sharp turn. the vinyl had that thread backing..was i using the wrong stuff...Anyway i pulled it off now and going to try this vht vinyl dye. i sprayed a section with vinyl paint but it scuffs , dont like that
Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 07:29 pm, by: Ben Ramsden(Hound)
In the past I have worked in the trimming business. Here are a few things that might be useful:
Suppliers - The two major automotive upholstery suppliers are "Upholstery Distributors" and "Daleys". UDs I find has a larger range and will sell to the public, whereas daleys has some special bits you cant usually get (like windlace, pincweld, rubbers etc). You can try to say your a trimmer from interstate and 'may' get trade price. Avoid Spotlight or other retail outlets for just about everything.
Vinyl - The most important thing with Vinyl is to ensure that you are getting automotive vinyl. It has a higher heat resistance and uv protection. Buying anything other than that can gaurentee fading and delamination within 12 months. Most vinays are 2way stretch meaning they stretch on one axis. In limited colours you can get 4 way stretch which stretches on 2 axis and is useful for hard to get around parts. On the sorare, there are no parts i could imagine needing that. Make sure that if you are mixing leathers, vinyls or two types of vinyl that the finish (gloss, satin, flat)are the same and the grain is the same.
Glue - Its very important to get a good quality glue. Bostik is the most common brand, but get 'the good stuff' (UDs and Daleys will know what you mean). The good stuff is the higher grade glue and will stick better. In a can, there is also a brand called Starstuck, which is quite good. It is environmentally friendly, so no bad fumes. Remember with glue to lightly spray it on both surfaces and let it get tacky before trying to glue down. If you are gluing around a hard/curvy part, be cautious of how much load you put the vinyl under. Sometimes it can come unstuck.
Foams - If you are deciding to strip the panels down to the raw plastic/glass, sand it properly, clean it with prepsol or meths and then apply a layer of 5mm foam. Available sometimes at UDs or alternatively Dunlops or other foam suppliers. Go for the yellow foam as the pinks and greens are too firm. The foam makes application easier and also hides a multitude of sins.
Staples - It is worth getting a staplegun. investigate how useful it will be though. This depends on how many hidden edges there are and also the thickness of the surface you are stapling too. The front edge of the dash and between the sections of the door may be a liekly area. It holds well and you can use it to get a straight edge. (PM me if you are going to do this as i can offer more detailed advice).
Spare parts - If yu break clips, you can check toyota, but also there is a company called Wurth. They supply automotive sundries and fasteners. I dont believe they sell individual clips plugs etc, but they may do if you ask. they often sell small boxes of only 10 or 20, so what may cost 5 or 10 dollars at toyota could get you a box of 10 at Wurth.
General Tips. To ensure you get a good finish, there are a few little tips I can offer.
1) Take your time - Its best to lay things out two or three times before making a decision. For Vinyls, remember the direction of the stretch and consider this before cutting or gluing. Also, you can glue a top edge down first, then let it dry and give things a test before gluing everything. Remember - Measure twice, cut once.
2) Vinyl stretch. - Vinyl really can stretch quite a lot over the length of the item. Dont be affraid to really stretch it if need be. Its better to be tighter than looser.
3) Again - Preparation! - Make sure that any old foam is removed completely. Even the smallest lump or bump will show through.
4) Good glue - Get good glue! Nothing is worse than having a flash looking result suddenly go to s*#t a week later.
5) Markings - You can mark the surface of your fabric with either tailors chalk (it is thin to give a sharp line) or a product called Chinagraph, which is a wax pencil. Chinagraph should be kept cool, so keep it in the fridge when not in use. It can be removed with hot water. Chalk with alcohol.
Hope this is useful info!
Let me know if there is anything else that I can help with. Again, Im not a tradie, so its not bulletproof advice, but with care and attention, anyone can do a fine job. }
Sunday, March 25, 2007 - 11:51 pm, by: Ben Ramsden(Hound)
Yeah, no longer working there. but i can certainly help out..... In the WA section of events me and a few other newbies are trying to arange something for Friday. maybe then eh?
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