Detroit Vette

i guy has asked me to restore the interior on his 1961. i am a c3 guy so i am exploring new territory.
the seats and door panel have some funky 1970's velvet covering. the seats need to be recovered. and the door panels need to be completly replaced. there is also a large crack in the dash board. and of course it needs new carpet.
my biggest concern is the seats. they are totally different then the c3 seats. what is the best bet for having these recovered? does anyone know of a place near detroit that can do these? i would prefer not to ship them away for the work.
as far as the door panels, dash, and carpet are concerned. who has the best quality, but within a reasonable price range?
is there any pit falls i need to be aware of before i start disassembling this thing? :confused:

62fuelie

Quite a little project. When you say the dash pad is cracked, I assume you are refering to the pad. This requires removal of the windshield assy. That in itself is a pretty good chore. Be sure to remove the defroster ducts so you can access the two nuts under them. If the windshield or gasket needs replacement, now's the time. The seats will probably require new foam and new springs. There are two types of springs on the market, exact repos, and generic replacements. The repos are much more expensive, but a skilled up holstery guy can probably make the generics work. The easiest solution to the door panels is to get complete panels. This approach is the least friendly to your friends wallet. Be SURE to get door panels with metal uppers. Corvette America makes some with plastic uppers that are a little less expensive. They do not perform satisfactorily.
In general, Al Knoch interior components are probably considered the best.

andy60

Use the Al Knoch covers and do the seats, they are not hard at all. Much easier than the dash you are looking at doing.

Andy

Detroit Vette

does al knoch have a website? you are making this dash pad removal sound tough? so recoving these type of seats does not require an upholstery wizard? :confused:

richscorvettes

Scott,

Try this link for Al Knoch's web site" http://www.alknochinteriors.com/welcome.htm

If you call them ask for Dale Robertson. He can help you out.

Rich Lagasse

62fuelie

While not as complex as some of the later interiors, the C1 interior is not all that simple. In addition to the obvious, you will end up pulling (and probably refurbishing) the instrument cluster, the dash insert, and probably refinishing the kick panels, package tray, center console, etc. Of course, while you're there you may as well pull the radio, heater controls (careful with the heater switch, rare/expensive), and the steering wheel/ turn signal housing. While you have the doors apart, you will probably need to replace the window felts and the front and rear channel liners. You will probably want to make rear liners from some old convertible top material since the repos are too thick and cause the window to bind. :eek:

The "guy" WUZ going to PAY you for this , wuzzen't he? :D

Detroit Vette

he's paying. this is work. not a favor!! i just checked out al knoch interior's website. wow is that stuff pricey.complete delux door panels are 1184.00. they have got to be cheaper somewhere else.
i am still trying to find out how involved the seat cover installation is. if it is anything like the c4 seats, forget it!! those are a nightmare!!!!!

62fuelie

That price on door panels sounds more like an interior Kit price. Deluxe door panels run in the $500-600 range. You can buy all the pieces and assemble yourself to save money. they are not too difficult to do. Check Zip or Corvette Central. You can usually buy cheaper from them than directly from AK, except at shows.

The seats are not complex, but they have the internal tie downs just like later seats. The big problem will probably be the springs. I almost guarentee they will look like red dirt when you get the seat bottoms out.

I'm no pro, but having done this a few times, I would think it would require 60-80 hrs of labor to do it right. Probably more if you disassemble the windshield frame. :eek:

Chuck Gongloff

Al Knoch makes the best materials in my opinion. Original style door panels are expensive. As I recall, there is a lot of machine turned aluminum trim on 61 doors. They're not plain vinyl. Don't think you'll find them much cheaper. The dash pads are VERY tough to do. You'll spend hours trimming the foam to get them to fit. Windshield assembly and gauge cluster has to come out, etc. Chuck

62fuelie

The complete door panels are $979 at Corvette Central. I guess I was thinking about the 62 door panels, which are a lot cheaper. If the existing panels have the small ss moldings and/or the reflectors that are still useable, or even most of it, you can get just the parts you need and assemble yourself. It is neither real difficult or time consuming. MAry Jo Riner sells the ss mpulding by the piece if there are some missing/unuseable pieces. The door panels are no doubt the most expensive item, but they are not labor intensive to install. :D

JohnZ

C1 seats are a lot more difficult than they look, especially the backs, around the top - they take a lot of hand work, extra batting, and contouring to get good fits, no wrinkles, and proper appearance/gaps relative to the cutouts in the top compartment lid. There is NO substitute for Al Knoch springs, foam, and covers on a C1; it's expensive, but this is one area where you really get what you pay for.

Bill S.

I visited with Al Knoch today about restoring my 61 very helpful. he has cd's you can purchas that walk you thru restoration of interior if needed.

Ironcross

Give me a call at 734 556 2535

Wally Knoch,

the cell phone is not always on and the instant message system is turned off so let it ring

62Jeff

9 years, 11 months ago, a guy started this thread with a question about an interior for a 61.

Today, he got some answers.

Patience=Virtue

splidecision63

Well, IMO I just bought a set of door panels, seat covers and foam and springs from Corvette America. They have a sale going on now and if you buy 3 out of 5 large items they will cover your seats for 50.00 and ship them back to you free. The 5 items you have to choose from are
dash pads
seat covers
foam/springs
door panels
carpet
this is really a good deal. As you may kn ow they make their own seat covers, panels ect just like Al Knox, Al is good also Try calling CA on Monday and speak to JIM @ Extention 219 800-458 3475. He will explain t he sale and how it works.
I am redoing a 61 also, not sure if I will put in a new dash
Good Luck George

mike coletta

LOL!! Jeff, that's funny!!! I never even looked, and was getting ready to post some info myself.

Mike Coletta

Frankie the Fink

I got sucked in too. I wish these noobies would not crank up these decade old threads again!

Fawndeuce

How the hell did this pop up again after ten years?
I also got suckered until i read Jeff's post.



Paul