My Detroit books arrived

[junkyardjeff]

Picked up some seats from a 66 Mercury Parklane and the front will most likely need repair since it has a cover on it,got a 65 and a 66 book but both years might be the same so since they both were available I grabbed them.  The easy part is getting the books now to find the cloth,I also have a 65 Galaxie that will need the interior redone and it also was originally cloth so I will be spending some money if I can find the cloth.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Ask SMS in Oregon. Lot of material, but lousy service.

[8E45E]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:56 AM, Roger Zimmermann said:

Ask SMS in Oregon. Lot of material, but lousy service.

They are overwhelmed at present, and one MUST plan well in advance when they will require the interior items.    Currently, they are backlogged one year.  NOW is the time to place your order if you are doing the body work and it still has yet to go in for paint.  

 

Craig

[TAKerry]

Part of my problem restoring is that I tend to order things as I need them. I have seen too many projects over the years that someone has collected many thousands of dollars worth of parts only to end up sitting in boxes and sold as a whole for pennies on the dollar when it loses steam. HOWEVER, if someone is closing in on the end product interior/upholstery stuff def should be thought of well ahead of time. I had simple door panels for a 70's car that were almost a year back log. 

[TTR]

The upholstery portion of my most recent complete/full restoration took nearly three years to finish, due to lack of acceptable materials and skills anywhere in SoCal or nearby.
I ended up sending the dash, center console, door panels and seats to Europe to a trimmer who also produces correct materials

It was initially expected to take about 12-18 months, but the trimmer had some severe, unexpected/unusual health problems, etc.
I ended up doing half the fitting and trimming myself, along with entire final installation.

Edited February 15, 2023 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

1 hour ago, TAKerry said:

Part of my problem restoring is that I tend to order things as I need them. I have seen too many projects over the years that someone has collected many thousands of dollars worth of parts only to end up sitting in boxes and sold as a whole for pennies on the dollar when it loses steam.

This ^^ is one of the many reasons why sooooo many projects, especially DYI by enthusiast/hobbyist ones, never get finished by those who start them, as majority of them, including many so-called “professionals”, don’t understand the complexity of and/or take a realistic approach to planning and preparations for them.

[junkyardjeff]

I am glad I got the 66 book as my 65 has a vinyl that is not in the 65 book but in the 66 book so it looks like my 65 is a late year build with a 66 interior,plans have changed on the seats as I need them to match the door panels more but will be cloth instead of vinyl.   I was trying to match it to the new seats but they are all a darker blue where mine are a light and dark blues,yes those 65 cloths I was looking at are available but having second thoughts on spending that much for the material and would have almost a grand in material just for the seats only and can not spend that much right now as I still have not gotten all the bills from the surgery I had last month.  This project is not a high priority so I can wait and see if I can find other sources for material,now the seats from the 66 has a vinyl that is not in the 66 book so could they be a late 66 interior.