'41 Dodge LL Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I just bought a '41 Dodge business coupe in very good condition. There is what looks like a vintage, professionally installed, seat cover on the seat. I was wondering just how long the cover has been there. Is it possible it was installed when the car was new? Anybody?Sorry, that's the best photo I have right now. Haven't brought the car home yet. thanks, bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 They were most likely installed when the car was done to dress up the interior. They are not the factory option covers. You most likely have very good looking original material underneath. However, I have seen cases where the aftermarket installer would cut off the original piping so it would not show through on his seat covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'41 Dodge LL Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Thanks for responding Dave. There is one small tear in the cover on the drivers side. I could see some nice original fabric underneath, but didn't want to make the hole any bigger. I sure hope the piping wasn't cut off! Lol Just trying to get an idea of the vintage of the cover. It looks pretty old. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) Looks like your typical aftermarket Western Auto or Pep Boys cover. Maybe even J.C. Whitney. I am so jealous. I used to have a 1941 business coupe like that. Edited January 30, 2016 by keiser31 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 In the late 40s - early 50s seat covers were such a popular accessory there were shops that did nothing but sell and install seat covers. Yours look like some of the more expensive aftermarket covers probably installed when the car was new or within a few years of being built. The reason no one remembers seat cover shops is because they all went out of business when Detroit introduced nylon and synthetic upholstery around 1954. If you take them off you will probably find intact original upholstery. I would leave the covers on, or replace them with new covers to preserve the original seats. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Outside of the hole you mention, they look very appropriate and period correct. As someone else remarked, they look like they were nice quality. I, myself, would be proud to leave them on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'41 Dodge LL Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Thanks Rusty, I'm kinda excited about the car. It was a long shot to see if someone had some kind of positive I.D. The cover has that "old" look to it, and wondered if in fact installed when new.I'm going to try and find more history on the car. It was grandpas, but he has passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Looks like a very nice car. As mentioned, there were seat covers sold by the thousands to either put over new upholstery to "protect" it (saving it for the next owner!), or to put over worn original upholstery. These came presewn, boxed, ready to install, and while there were generic ones, there were also make and model specific kits, which is probably what you have on your car. I cleaned out an old upholstery shop, and had about 20 kits from the 40's and 50's, and they were specifically labeled, for example "1951 Ford two door sedan". Your set looks nice, if you remove, remove carefully, you may want to reinstall if there are any issues with upholstery underneath!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Here are pictures of a couple of the sets I had, they were nicely done......and colorful! I still have a couple left, have to dig them out, not sure if it's these two or not....looks like they covered a number of different models, but all the same "family" of cars... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Some were other than pre-made sets. Upholsterers in days of old made custom covers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oily rag Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I had a set kind of like yours in a "41 Dodge Luxury Liner coupe.The better ones were put on with "hog rings" and were normally well fitting. The cheepies were held on with elastic straps with hooks or plain ties. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'41 Dodge LL Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Thanks for all the input fellas! First; I like old stuff. Not only do I love the old cars, which is my #1 addiction, I appreciate just about anything from the past. I'm sure there are a number of reasons for that, as many of you know. The seat cover is in real good condition. There is one small tear in the drivers side upright cover on the side. I may attempt to fix it. It looks like very nice original fabric underneath, which is realtive to the uncovered lower and back portions of the seat. Even though the fabric may be "cherry" underneath the cover, and the color of cover doesn't really compliment the tan to brown interior, I plan to leave it in place. It just adds to the uniqueness, and old look of days gone by. You can't buy "new" old, if you know what I mean, but many try to duplicate it these days. Once the old is gone, it looses "charcter". I had it in my head to "streetrod" my next purchase, (this car) and could have been one of about 6 different cars on my wish list. I don't think I can do it to this car. It's just too nice. Although it looks to have had a repaint at some point in its life, I could find any rust repair, or any place where rust was starting. The underside of the car, from frame to pan etc, is just lightly surface rusted. No pitting. I was really surprised, especially for an east coast car! Just goes to show you, they are still out there! AND, in great shape! Ironically, 2 weeks after I bought this car, an original 22,000 mile car popped up on ebay. (same 3 window coupe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 There were at least 4 shops in town that installed those seat covers many years ago and some with in a few blocks of each other,two of those shops are still in business and I worked at those two over the last 30 years. One shop still had rolls of that type material that was never used during the 14 years I worked there and a few years after I quit I went back and he threw them out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) We're probably all familiar with "Saran" wrap. I recall that the plastic-like material these seat covers are made of was a development of that company and that they were the first to market them. Here's a Google link to some images: https://www.google.com/search?q=saran+seat+covers&biw=1280&bih=609&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3hJ7T3dbKAhWISSYKHXOYARUQsAQIMQ Edited February 1, 2016 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 I still remember the unmistakable sound of those seat covers when you sat on them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'41 Dodge LL Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Thanks for the link Hudsy! That's real interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I remember the days when that type of seat cover was popular. We had a "Rayco Seat Covers" Shop in our town that installed many of them everyday. In the early days of old car restoration we joked that cars got a "Rayco & Fact-O-Bake Restoration" (Meaning seat covers and a $29.95 paint job.)With seat covers and a professional paint jobs costing so much, my brother and I lived with a set of curved needles to mend our upholstery and our mother's Electolux Vacuum Cleaner to paint our cars. Ah, I remember it well. (It worked for interiors and two convertible tops on a 1952 Renault, a 1956 Ford Fairlane, a 1950 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible, and a 1958 Corvette.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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