Underlay material when recovering inside of a 20's car

[rhurst]

I am in the process of redoing the entire inside of my 1923 Hudson Sedan.

I am now at the point of putting the new wool fabric over the Cow Board. The old underlay material looks like shredded wool which I don't want to use. Does anyone out there have a preference of underlay material?  I have several thickness of polyester but feel I need something denser, a closed cell material?

Robert 

[Str8-8-Dave]

Are you trying to insulate the floors or seal them?  If sealing that sounds like wood sealer, paint or even tar paper.  If insulate you can buy a modern version of jute underlayment.  

 

Shown top of first picture, original jute mat on an original 1931 Buick firewall insulator assembly

 

 

Modern jute like that shown here is available in numerous thicknesses

Edited February 16, 2021 by Str8-8-Dave
Arrange pictures (see edit history)

[rhurst]

Guess I was not clear  on what I am doing.  I'm up from the floor now working on the insides of the back seat.  A picture should help.

Robert

[Str8-8-Dave]

If it's the rear seat trim panel, IE. the brown board, thin cotton polyester blend batting material might be the ticket.  I assume the brown board had either leatherette or mohair fabric upholstery covering?  If yes typical construction would be panel board substrate, layer of the thin batting and appropriate upholstery material over that.  I'm doing door panels on my 31 Buick coupe right now and they are tan water resistant panel board with cotton or poly batting, then mohair over the top of that.  The fisher Body manual refers to the batting as "blue Lennox wadding"  and states the door panels are cardboard with nail strips placed such that nails are 2" apart with a layer of blue Lennox Wadding over the top followed by upholstery material, 1 inch of which is cemented with rubber contact cement, then stretched over the nails on the backside of the panel and pressed firmly into place.    I would guess the brown cardboard still nailed in place should be carefully removed and used as a tracing template over commonly available tan panel board onto which you can assemble the padding of your choice, upholstery material, hidem edge nails, contact cemented to the back side edges of the panel board.  I would also caution that what is in the car right now, specifically the tan cardboard, is probably not original to the car.  It has lots of tacks in it that look like they were installed by someone who didn't do it for a living so to speak.

[rhurst]

Thanks Dave,

I was able to find a thin cotton material from my local fabric shop.  The Cowlboard is original.  I had to remove it to replace the window from plate glass to tempered glass and get the widow channels to work cleanly.  I took off the board carefully but did not nail it back in the same holes.  That's why it looks like there are twice and many nails as needed.  I don't do this for a living that's for sure but after I put the fabric back on no one but you will know.  

Robert

[Str8-8-Dave]

Good stuff- glad it is working out..