Any number of you have been down this road. Some of you even have Corvettes that received the NCRS Duntov award. I want to hear from you. I'm not doing this to enter NCRS judging but I do believe they have the best standards as to what is correct. Besides I joined about the same time as Noland Adams.
I need all the help and suggestions you can provide. This is going to be a long process and hopefully some other Corvette owners will find it helpful as well. Think of this as a group project.
I'm going to use Al Knoch for the interior parts. He's been beaten up a little on various sites but when I judge Corvettes it seems that all of the Top Flight and Duntov cars have Al Knoch interiors.
The interior on my car was blue when it left St. Louis. It's going back to that color.At some point in the early 60's the car acquired some really bad white seat covers.
I need all the help and suggestions you can provide. This is going to be a long process and hopefully some other Corvette owners will find it helpful as well. Think of this as a group project.
I'm going to use Al Knoch for the interior parts. He's been beaten up a little on various sites but when I judge Corvettes it seems that all of the Top Flight and Duntov cars have Al Knoch interiors.
The interior on my car was blue when it left St. Louis. It's going back to that color.At some point in the early 60's the car acquired some really bad white seat covers.
These white seat covers are finally going. I've sent the seats to Al Knoch in Texas and I'm having them totally restored. That means the springs will be sandblasted and repainted. All of the fabric and foam will be replaced. I was told the whole deal will be less than $1,500. I can deal with that.
I've known that this car was originally white for a long time. Removing the sill plates simply confirmed that.
I've known that this car was originally white for a long time. Removing the sill plates simply confirmed that.
The original owner changed to white exterior to a blue. Then he changed the blue seats to white. I guess that made sense to him. The good part it that he stopped with the seat covers. Everything else in the interior is stock.
Except for the Oldsmobile radio. I'll get back to that a little later.
I'm going to have the seat frames sand blasted. The folks at Al Knoch recommend painting them. Powder coating them just doesn't work because of chipping issue. Your thoughts on this?
Let me (and others here) know what you discovered as you restored your interior. We can all use your help.
Let me (and others here) know what you discovered as you restored your interior. We can all use your help.
Update:
I've encountered a few little problems. That makes this a normal project. The first problem was the leaking master cylinder. I rebuilt it about 30 years ago and it's started to leak again. It's best to take care of this before the new carpeting gets installed.
Since this is an original master cylinder I'm sending it to White Post Restoration to have it sleeved. They install a brass sleeve that's the correct diameter. That works a lot better (and longer) than honing the bore with the traditional stones.
The cap is wrong. It's plastic and it's been there for a long time. I'll probably replace the cap before this adventure is completed. At this point it's not a big deal.
Next Problem Up:
Actually this isn't a new problem. It's a 30 year old problem. About thirty years ago my heater control valve was leaking so I just eliminated the heater. At the same time I taped up the defroster box. It's time to eliminate the duct tape special here.
Several vendors sell these boxes. I'm going to Corvette Central for mine. They have it on back order right now so I won't get it for a few weeks. That's not a problem.
This interior rehab is typical of any project. Estimate the total cost of the project and then double that number. Then estimate the time you think the project will take and multiply that number by four. That might get you close.
Seat Belts:
I sent the seat belts off to Charlie this week. He thought they were in very good condition. I can't imagine what bad ones look like. The good news is that he thinks he can restore them for under $700. That's a lot better than the $1,250 he originally quoted me.
The Budget:
This is where the fun starts. You can't do all of this one the cheap. I'm holding the numbers down as much as possible. It would be very easy to spend $10,000 on an interior restoration. I'm hoping to keep it under $5,000.
Seats and Carpeting Arrive:
I picked up my seats and carpeting at the NCRS show in Lakeland Florida. Al Knoch does some incredible work. Here's the part no one will ever see.
This is the way things should be done. Those are also my original springs. Not only to my seats look beautiful but they're original. The color in this image is correct. Not so much in the other images. It's the lights in my shop.
The color is off in the following images. That's due to the lighting in my shop. The point here is the attention to the embossing and thread detail with the Al Knoch products. I think he's as obsessive compulsive as I am. No, he's worse.
The big problem I'm having is some of my trim pieces are simply not up to the standard of the seats. After 40 years they simply don't look new. I think I might be sending some more money to Corvette Central. All of the original pieces go into a box for some owner down the road.
Here's the carpeting.
The good part is I can't rush into anything since I'm still waiting on my master cylinder and seat belts.
The Master Cylinder Arrived
White Post did a beautiful job (at least the parts I can see) with my master cylinder. The good part is that all of the original numbers are still intact. The total bill was $195.00 + the shipping that paid to send it to White Post.
I also got a note from White Post that I shouldn't be using silicone brake fluid. I was told the same thing by Lone Star Caliper at a recent NCRS show in Lakeland FL. It seems that in the last forty years the formulation has changed and the modern silicone fluid causes the seals to swell.
Prices
People have been amazed at the cost of seat belt restoration. I can live with that. I just paid $25.00 for rattle can paint. Now that's a new experience. This paint is from Tower Paint in Wisconsin. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, they make the silver-blue paint that is correct for my interior. No one else does this. Secondly, they use something called Spray Max which mimics the pattern you get from a real spray gun.
I'm a little confused though by the two different paints they offer. I got the Spray Max 1K. They have a Spray Max 2K as well. 2K means that the paint is composed of 2 components. The second component is a hardener that mixes with the paint when it's properly activated. The paint is roughly the same price as the 1K.
I'm a little confused though by the two different paints they offer. I got the Spray Max 1K. They have a Spray Max 2K as well. 2K means that the paint is composed of 2 components. The second component is a hardener that mixes with the paint when it's properly activated. The paint is roughly the same price as the 1K.
I tried a sample and I'm not impressed. I'm going to give it another try though. I'll let you know in a week or so how my second test goes. The second attempt was just as bad. I really don't like this stuff. I especially don't like that I paid a lot of money for it.
Seat Belts Return
They're back and they look great. The hammertone on the buckles is really impressive.
The total came to $860.00. When you add in the postage I paid to ship the belts I $900.00 for restored seat belts. They are perfect though.
Updated Costs
They're back and they look great. The hammertone on the buckles is really impressive.
The total came to $860.00. When you add in the postage I paid to ship the belts I $900.00 for restored seat belts. They are perfect though.
Updated Costs
Part | Supplier | Cost |
Sand Blast Seat Frames | $100.00 | |
Rebuild Master Cylinder | White Post Restorations | $195.00 |
Defroster Box | Corvette Central | $174.00 |
Shop Supplies | Lowes | $14.47 |
Shifter Boot | Corvette Central | $26.95 |
Correct Door Screws | Corvette Central | $6.50 |
Brake Adjuster Covers | Corvette Central | $5.95 |
Carpeting | Al Knoch | $536.00 |
Blue Vinyl Seat Covers | Al Knoch | $514.00 |
Seat Foam | Al Knoch | $286.00 |
Restore Seat Bottom Springs | Al Knoch | $266.00 |
Cotton Pad and Burlap | Al Knoch | $24.00 |
Burlap w/Wires | Al Knoch | $94.00 |
Burlap Support | Al Knoch | $24.50 |
Labor to Sandblast and Paint | Al Knoch | $150.00 |
Labor to Install | Al Knoch | $417.00 |
Seat Belts | Charlie Santorelli | $860.00 |
Brake Fluid | Amazon.com | $8.01 |
Denatured Alcohol | Amazon.com | $10.98 |
C Clips for Door Lock Knobs | Corvette Central | $2.75 |
Door Lock Knob Washers | Corvette Central | $3.95 |
Courtesy Light Lenses | Corvette Central | $9.95 |
Sill Plate Filler Strips | Corvette Central | $27.95 |
Floor Plugs (2) | Corvette Central | $4.95 |
Window Crank Spacers (2) | Corvette Central | $4.95 |
Window Crank Spacer Spring (2) | Corvette Central | $7.95 |
Gas Pedal Stud w/support | Corvette Central | $14.95 |
Side Spear Reinfor. Plate | Corvette Central | $21.92 |
Radio Indicator Backplate | Corvette Central | $44.95 |
Radio Knob | Corvette Central | $21.95 |
Splash Shield Mount | Corvette Central | $15.95 |
Splash Shield Weather Strip | Corvette Central | $19.95 |
Carpet is Going In
This is finally reading the end. The carpet is finally going down on the floor. Here's the right hand seat in place. The center part is easy to locate if you follow the directions on the Al Knoch video. The end of the two seams should be placed on the corners of the tunnel.
New Defroster Box
I'm not sure why I replaced the defroster box since the blower motor doesn't work. Actually the old one was junk and looked really bad. About 30 years ago I duct taped it back together. Maybe next year I'll work on the blower motor. I live in Florida and the car has no top. A blower motor isn't exactly a priority here. I have enough to do with this car to worry about defrosters that I don't really need.