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Tue Jan 16, 2024 4:46 pm

mg50 wrote: Do you use contact cement to hold the tar board down?

No, it isn't necessary. Between the tunnel, the dog leg, the rocker, and the seat tracks, it fits snug with nowhere to go. And unlike the original VW tarboard, it's pretty weighty, so it holds itself down.
I also didn't want to glue anything to the floorpan so that if there is ever a leak I could take the floormats, jute, and tarboard out to dry everything off.

Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:50 am

Last month I had picked up an original 356 B/C VDM wheel with the intent of installing it in my car, and found that it would require permanently altering the wheel to add a hub adapter. Ultimately I decided against modifying an original wheel. I had started a thread on it here.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=788552&highlight=

So, that didn't work out, but I did love the look of the wheel. So instead, I picked up a smaller 400mm reproduction of the VDM wheel, which comes with a billet hub adapter for type 1's. I also custom made a Wolfsburg horn button for it. Sadly, it obviously doesn't have the real life 356 history that the original wheel had. But, I think it looks great with my car's interior, almost like it could've come from the factory this way. And honestly, I find a 400mm wheel much preferable to the large 420mm size of the original. Plus it's brand new and shiny 8) Quality is excellent, and the wheel has a nice weighted feel to it.

Fri Feb 16, 2024 11:10 am

Looks awesome! Nice.

Fri Feb 16, 2024 3:10 pm

That looks outstanding.

I need a new wheel and have been looking at those imported reproductions that everyone sells. Dreading getting into trying to fit one after reading threads about problems to solve. Such as the need to remove the early model cancellation ring and replace with a 1971 and later horn contact cancellation ring and then tweak.

Fri Feb 16, 2024 3:36 pm

mg50 wrote: That looks outstanding.

I need a new wheel and have been looking at those imported reproductions that everyone sells. Dreading getting into trying to fit one after reading threads about problems to solve. Such as the need to remove the early model cancellation ring and replace with a 1971 and later horn contact cancellation ring and then tweak.

Thanks!
I bought this wheel direct from Thailand. No mods necessary to install it.
https://www.mswsteeringwheel.com/
The owner of the company is named is Chung, and I found him very helpful and courteous, answering my many questions without ever pressuring me to buy.
He's got a couple of really great feedback reviews here on the Samba, which gave me the confidence to make the purchase. Admittedly only two reviews total (well, 3 now with mine), but all positive.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=645912
I'll warn you that you should be sitting down when you convert the Thai Baht to USD, but IMO totally worth it. It got here in less than a week from the time I ordered it.

Sat Feb 24, 2024 9:17 am

I got started on reupholstering my seats yesterday. I spent alot of time studying kingkarmann's excellent thread where he re-stuffs his original seats to see how the factory installed the upholstery.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777661&highlight=seat

My brick red seat covers by Sewfine. I decided to do a slight backdate, and use the 58-60 style pattern which I like better than the stock 61-67 style.

Found this original sticker on the bottom of the coconut pad after removing my seats from the car.

And after pulling off the aftermarket seat covers, I found the remains of the original covers, which had been re-stuffed (actually a bit over-stuffed) and then subsequently ripped.

I removed the original coconut pads, and used hog rings to secure some thick fabric to the seat frames.

The original pads were still in pretty good shape, so I opted to re-use them as a base for the padding.

I had bought new foam padding from Sewfine, but when these seats got re-upholstered by a previous owner, someone had already added some additional foam padding to them. There was also a bunch of stuffing, like you'd use to fill a stuffed animal, which gave them the over-stuffed look. I decided to re-use this foam (but not the stuffing), since it was already shaped and formed to the contours of the seat. I'll probably put the Sewfine foam up for sale in the classifieds if anyone is looking for some.

Now the fun part. I started by running thread laterally across the seat cover where the pull seam would be, through the padding webbing as the factory had done.

But rather than looping the pull-down threads that go through the seat pad around this lateral thread only (like the factory did), I also ran them through the sewn seam of my hidden-stitch pleats for extra holding strength. The needle Sewfine gave me was about 10" long, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't accidentally stab my hand a couple times with it!

Running the pull down threads through the seat cover after labeling where they'll be. I also covered the padding in plastic, to hold the padding in place and prevent any further coconut material from falling out, and to make installing the seat cover easier.

The threads running down through the frame. I didn't tie them down tight yet at this point.

Seat cover goes on. Thankfully all of my seat's spike tabs were still in place, and the metal wire that goes through the rear of the seat cover was still with them as well, and I installed them into the new seat covers. This is where the install of most aftermarket seat covers stops. But mine have one more step to go.

After pulling all the threads tight and tying them down. I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. Not too bad for my first time doing this, I think. Next up is the backrests.

Sat Feb 24, 2024 7:35 pm

Your seat bottoms look fantastic. Nice job, especially for a first time around. I'm working on the drivers seat in my 68 so your post along with Kingkarmann's really helped me to understand how to go about putting it back together.
Thanks,

Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:45 am

Marcdeb wrote: Your seat bottoms look fantastic. Nice job, especially for a first time around. I'm working on the drivers seat in my 68 so your post along with Kingkarmann's really helped me to understand how to go about putting it back together.
Thanks,

Thanks! Glad my post could be of help. For those of us here who aren't professional restorers, we're all just learning from each other's experiences, so if a post can help someone else keep their car going, that's what it's all about!

One thing I didn't mention in my post above, was the process of getting the seat cover onto the seat frame. I didn't get a pic because it required all 4 of my limbs. This might be of help as well.

First install the cover over the pad and frame. Then with the seat upside down, I put a gardening knee pad on the springs and knelt on the seat frame with my entire body weight to compress the springs. I then pulled the front of the seat cover over the spike tabs first, then turned it around and pulled the rear over the spikes tabs, then pulled the sides into the metal slots on the side last. Once the seat cover is secure, bend the spike tabs back down, and gently hammer the slots on the sides closed.

Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:11 pm

That red on blue is going to look killer. Reminds me of the 356 Porsches color combos with blue and red interiors. Did you ever consider having the dash upholstered in red?

Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:45 am

Outstanding work! Beautiful.

Olli

Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:20 am

Braukuche wrote: Did you ever consider having the dash upholstered in red?

I did, and that was actually my initial plan. But after covering the rear parcel shelf, the rear seat surround, and the windlace, I didn't have enough left of the brick red yard I'd bought to do the dash. Not knowing at the time if I'd be successful in re-covering the dash, I didn't want to spend $80 on another yard. The black pebble grain vinyl that I used for it was like $12/yard, so I opted for the safer gamble. Maybe on the next one, now that I know I can do it. Or, maybe after the car is done and I get bored because there's no more projects to do on it, I'll pull the dash and re-do it.
I'm also really considering getting a 60 ribbed dash top, which would kind of go with my seat cover backdate. I contacted Jerry Heldt but unfortunately he can't make them anymore due to an equipment failure. But California Classics in the UK does make a nice looking one.

Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:20 am

Olli from NJ wrote: Outstanding work! Beautiful.

Olli

Thanks!

Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:05 pm

Chipping away at the interior. Front seats are done and installed.

Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:14 pm

flipping beautiful!!

Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:29 pm

I love it, Custom, but how Karmann should have done it!

Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:31 pm

obus wrote: flipping beautiful!!

Thanks man! I have to say these Sewfine seat covers were really a joy to work with, although to be fair I have no other point of reference :lol:
If I do another Ghia I'll definitely use them again. The employees I interacted with were really nice. Brick red is not a color they offer, and they were happy to order it just for me from TMI. And I also had them make me a rear seat cover with no pleats, as is factory correct for 66 and earlier but that they don't normally do, and they were totally cool with all my custom requests.

Honestly if someone wanted to pay me to upholster Ghia seats all day with these seat covers, I would take the job! It was really weirdly enjoyable to do.

Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:32 pm

Braukuche wrote: I love it, Custom, but how Karmann should have done it!

Thanks man. Yes, exactly! As I'm going along I'm finding myself taking the best bits from different years, like a greatest hits compilation :lol:

Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:03 pm

Seats look fantastic. Nice to see those pleats since so many leave them out. Color combination is very attractive.

Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:53 pm

Marcdeb wrote: Seats look fantastic. Nice to see those pleats since so many leave them out. Color combination is very attractive.

Thanks! There's no way I'd leave those pleats out. It's what lead me to Sewfine in the first place. I might be wrong but I don't think from what I've seen online that TMI adds inner padding to their seat covers, that would allow you to sew them in.

Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:28 pm

Finished upholstering the rear seat today after work, and got it installed. I'm still waiting on the little white rubber holding strap and its chrome cover plate to arrive from KGPR.
Upholstering the rear seat is such a different experience from the fronts. It's basically like, get a staple gun and go nuts with it! :lol: