'65 Wildcat Custom Convertible - Interior seats

[65_wcat]

Hi There,

Got an esimate of $1800 to re-upholster (?) my front and rear seats (includes replacing the foam, tightening the springs, etc.). A friend of mine that owns a body shop recommeded the interior shop.

My questions are:

1) Does this seem reasonable?

2) Does anyone make a pattern for these? The shop says they can duplicate the pattern exactly. Has anyone had this done before??

Thank you!

Greg

[Guest BJM]

No one makes a pattern for these.

Regarding price, that's reasonable for a VERY NICE job. They must use exact NOS vinyl or EXACT reproduction vinyl from a reputable supplier such as SMS or Original.

I would like to see what they have done (references). It's good that your friend recommended the shop. $1800 for everything is on the high side of reasonable. They should give you some idea of completion. They should allow you to visit and they should keep regular business hours.

I had a front seat of a 66 Olds Toronado redone by a guy that said no problem. I said I would locate the vinyl fabric, and he said no problem. He charged me $550 and I paid in advance. He took almost 2 years and finally delivered a non matching, totally incorrect seat. I had no choice but to take it.

In the end, I had to move before he was done, so could not check on him and he knew it. I was lucky to get anything back. Sooo, use a reputable shop that is close by. If you want to check around, that's fine too but good upholsterers are getting few and far between. For those who don't collect common Chevy's, Mustangs, early Buick Rivieras, and popular muscle cars, no kits exist.

Good luck.