Kevin's Random DIY (upholstery, fiberglass, etc.)
 

Hey Guys.. I've been working on all kinds of upholstery and random parts lately.

I am just an average guy.. I've never been trained or worked professionally in any of this stuff.. so hopefully I can inspire you to start doing your own projects :thumbsup:

Since I've learned all my skills strictly from the internet.. it helps when people share their experience!! Hopefully you can learn some tricks I use.

I'll start posting below here. :popcorn:

Materials I use:

Vinyls
Faux Leather -- http://www.yourautotrim.com/torinoblack.html
Suede -- http://www.yourautotrim.com/imausubl.html

Adhesive
3M Super 90 -- I use this for large areas that need to lay flat. Also for concave areas that cannot be "wrapped around." In my opinion.. do not use for any section that needs a tight hold. It will loosen in the summer heat.
DAP Weldwood Contact Cement -- http://www.ebay.com/itm/DAP-Weldwood...-/281094382720
Most amazing glue on the planet. Cannot buy in stores. Bonds with the strength of Zeus. Use sparingly, very tough to remove vinyl after adhered.
Mineral Spirits -- Used to remove adhesive. Mostly safe on plastics. I used on my door after some ruined wrapping attempts with no problems.

Upholstery Tools
Sewing Machine -- I use a Singer Fashionmate. No one will recommend a consumer sewing machine for this work.. but it was $100 and does everything I need. The only problems are:
- I have to use a very thin bobbin thread. I don't have a tension setting for my bobbin. Unfortunately I cannot match my top stitch thread.
- The longest stitch length I can do is ~5-6 stitches/inch on 1 layer. Double layers makes it 6-7 stitches/in. Most automotive is around 4-5 stitches per inch.
Upholstery Cutting -- Get this kit
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B7K9UI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o07_s00"]Amazon.com: Fiskars Rotary Cutting Set[/ame]

Double Sided Tape -- I use Scor-Tape when preparing multi-pieces for a french seam. Some people staple the pieces together.. I think this tape makes it much more accurate.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RQ55ZQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o07_s00"]Amazon.com: Scor-Pal SP202 Scor-Tape, 0.25 by 27-Yard[/ame]


Threads
Singer 110/18 -- I use with #92 bonded nylon top stitch thread. Average size for automotive upholstery, not as thick as most stitches in the BRZ, but looks OK. Probably the thickest I can use on this machine.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00114Q99K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o07_s00"]Amazon.com - Singer Heavy Duty Machine Needles, Size 110/18, 3-Pack - Sewing Machine Needles[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JS77NTW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o06_s00"]Amazon.com: Superior Threads® - #92 Bonded Nylon Thread - #008 Bright Red[/ame]

Singer 80/11 -- I use with thinner blind stitches. Black thread always.

Fiberglass
Mats and Cloths -- I use whatever I can get my hands on. Lately overpriced 3M at Home Depot.
Resin -- Recommend Evercoat. I cheap out and use Bondo resin.
Filler -- Evercoat Rage Gold is the best. I cheap out and use Bondo.
Reinforced Filler -- Bondo Glass works fine for filling chunks if you messed up a cut.
Brushes -- Buy cheap chip brushes.
Mixers -- Paper cups and Popsicle sticks
Clean Up -- Acetone

Fiberglass Molds
Masking Tape -- I use masking tape to cover areas. I usually use 3 layers, crosshatches to prevent resin from seeping through.
Mold Release -- I use vaseline in a pinch. It won't offer a perfect b-side surface.. but you're probably not concerned anyway since you're just taping and molding.
Rotary Tool -- Anything with a fiberglass cutoff wheel. Where a particle mask, fiberglass dust causes cancer.

Leather Vent Rings
http://i.imgur.com/KkuzFPv.jpg

I first cut a piece with a single top stitch. I believe it was 10.9" long. I don't remember the width between stitch and side.
http://i.imgur.com/jwwtRrL.jpg

Use double-sided tape to adhere to the two ends together. Then run a "blind seam" on the red line. I believe it was 0.33" from the ends. After it is stitched.. the circumference should be slightly less than the inner circumference of the ring.
http://i.imgur.com/LLLOZ5C.jpg

To remove the bulk.. I use this trick for a flat seam.
http://www.thehogring.com/auto-uphol...eam-thread425/

http://i.imgur.com/SUCax9e.jpg

Small dab of glue on both pieces on the seam part. It gets stretched a lot, so I didn't want the seam pulling apart.
http://i.imgur.com/EUh4uem.jpg

I glued sections at a time. 4 points around at first, then filled in the rest.
http://i.imgur.com/aMnmXo5.jpg

Then left about 5mm overhang on the outer perimeter. Applied some glue, and wrapped in the backside.

DONE!

http://i.imgur.com/KkuzFPv.jpg

wow, that actually looks really good. nice job

Wrapped Dash Piece
http://i.imgur.com/pzmsOBZ.jpg

Start by joining the pieces together. My method was pretty simple:
1. Place some foil behind the seam on the dash.
2. Install the left dash piece.
3. Mix some plastic epoxy and apply to the side.
4. Install the right piece.
5. Apply some more epoxy within the gap.
6. Wait to dry and remove.

I glued it in the car since it seemed like they didn't line up in the car. I wanted the clips to match... So my method was to glue it in the car, then make corrections afterwards.

http://i.imgur.com/D0aDWd5.jpg

After some filler and sanding.. good to go.

One piece Cover
I decided not to use a multipiece with a french seam. Using a single aesthetic stitch on a single piece was MUCH easier.

I always make a template. This is my method:
1. Use masking tape to cover the desired area.
2. Draw where you want your stitching (or seam for a multi-peace with french seam)
3. Carefully remove the tape and lay flat on a piece of poster-board.
4. Cut the poster-board to shape.
5. Fine tune if needed.. sometimes you add some tape to the 1st template to remake a better one.

Since this is only one top stitch.. I needed a reference line. I tape the template down, then use tape around the perimeter for my line.

I then sew around the tape line. (the finished part you see below was Trial #1. I was not happy with my original template so I remade using this method).
http://i.imgur.com/lUJYrRP.jpg

I usually sew top stitches by hand by turning the wheel. My machine is very aggressive and makes jagged lines with the foot pedal. If you look closely, you can see where the stitches meet at the bottom left corner of the dash piece.

http://i.imgur.com/ua3PHPu.jpg

Halfway glued with the Dap Weldwood HHR. I didn't glue the center section at all. I feared the glue would show bumpiness. So it is merely stretched and glued from the stitch to the back.
http://i.imgur.com/yZ3PFGf.jpg

Leave about 5-10mm overhand around the edges, apply glue, and wrap.

The center cutout takes patience, heat, and strategy.

DONE!

http://i.imgur.com/pzmsOBZ.jpg

Multi-piece Cluster Hood (Padded with 1/4" Foam)

http://i.imgur.com/UhbMrMX.jpg

This piece involves french seams. French seams are difficult around curves.. youtube has some great tutorials:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8r_HMAjWvU"]UPHOLSTERY BASICS - French-Seams on square corners - YouTube[/ame]


My template's outline is exactly where the seam should be. You can see 1st trial run in the background. I use about 3/8" overlap past the seam. I make tick marks that should match when doing the blind seam.

http://i.imgur.com/Ok5h9iZ.jpg

I use double-sided tape to stick the pieces together.

http://i.imgur.com/t4rTyIC.jpg

You want "leather against leather" when you do your blind seam. It seems easy, but becomes very complicated when you go to sew the rounded parts.

http://i.imgur.com/tQyOgMz.jpg

Here is after the blind seam.

http://i.imgur.com/bkjejdc.jpg

I peel the double sided tape off the backside edges. Then apply more double sides tape to flatten both overlaps. I then use a mallet to flatten the seam.

http://i.imgur.com/sWH3Uci.jpg

I tried some different things on the backside. My cuts on the upper piece were way too thick. I probably did not need to cut at all.

On the inside section (outer curve).. it must stretch outwards to lay flat.. so you must cut slits and adhere down. Then you need to fill the gaps with small cut pieces.

On the inside section (inner curve).. you must remove sections so they do not overlap. My job was somewhat poor.. but worked fine.

http://i.imgur.com/7xcoP2N.jpg

Then do your top stitch on both sides of the seam.. Carefully. I hate ruining parts that are 90% done with a botched top stitch.

http://i.imgur.com/UhbMrMX.jpg

Here is an example of careless top stitching.. really makes you hate yourself on wasted hours of work.

http://i.imgur.com/RMzl36o.jpg

Wow looks great, I always considered changing my red stitch and fabric to blue. I like the red contrast but I think it would look great in blue, just not the BRZ blue series blue interior.

Thanks man! Blue would look cool, I'm fond of the red though :D

Wrapped Speaker Panels (US version)

http://i.imgur.com/TX0YMMX.jpg

On the US version.. unfortunately the speaker grills do not unmount from the panel. I did not want to pay for JDM or JPM.. so I cut them off!

I wanted to retain the shape of the ring, so I didn't use a dremel. I used a very small drill bit and went around the entire perimeter. Then I took a razor blade and fed it around the edge.

http://i.imgur.com/leNRGp5.jpg

Success! I then had to use filler to smooth out all the ridges I made. I had to paint the grille also after filling and sanding.

http://i.imgur.com/cb7kfk1.jpg

Here is getting ready to wrap. I do not condone doing any of this indoors, but keep things well ventilated if you do so!

Again.. I start by gluing the stitched area, then work outwards. Since the part is convex, I don't even glue the center (besides the inner ring).

http://i.imgur.com/0F4alJ7.jpg

Here's after wrapping.

http://i.imgur.com/ktsBSIO.jpg

Then I simply used RTV silicone to adhere the grille.

It was a surprising amount of work.. but I saved $100 so I'm happy.

DONE!
http://i.imgur.com/TX0YMMX.jpg

Sound Deadening

Fatmat is 25sqft for $50 I think. It works fine. Don't buy Home Depot peel and stick.
CCF on ebay.. $14 shipped per yard x 54" I think. Great deal.
MLV from Home Depot (DB3 online only).. $30 for 32sqft I think. About 0.75lb/sqft. It is MUCH cheaper than anything sold for automotive use (3x cheaper!). Everyone gripes that tape won't stick to it and other brands are 1lb/sqft, so they won't use it. I found that Tyvek sheathing tape works great, so IMO this MLV is a fantastic deal.

Test Run
I did a test by playing music on my cellphone.. then covering it with fatmat.. then CCF, then MLV, then CCF+MLV.

Fatmat - Small difference, but I only use for vibration so I don't do full coverage.
CCF - No difference
1 Layer of MLV - Good sound reduction. Satisfactory for me.
2 layers of MLV - AMAZING, I almost couldn't hear the music.. but I didn't want to use that much.

I noticed that the sound leaks very easily. Basically, cut your holes as small as possible, and try not to have seams. Luckily the doors can be one piece.

Fatmat+MLV+CCF for the doors
For each door I did:
3 sqft fatmat
6 sqft CCF + MLV ( full coverage)

http://i.imgur.com/cRGIYr0.jpg

It definitely helped.. but it's just the doors.. so now I hear other noise sources. From just the doors:
- Windows are much quieter (who cares :D)
- Driving next to a barrier is much quieter (much less high frequency tire noise)

But.. my tire noise is still loud in the foot wells. And my exhaust is super loud.

I made some progress cutting pieces for the trunk today.. but I have too many projects going so I couldn't finish.

http://i.imgur.com/4GsqRcf.jpg

Eventually I'll do the footwells, rear quarters, rear fenders, and under the seats. Should be about $200 max for everything. Some people are paying upwards of $1000 to do the whole car, that's just crazy.

Awesome work. I have done a lot of work myself out of necessity and fun. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I can accomplish. I haven't tackled upholstery yet, but this gives me some motivation.

The only stuff I have done has been by hand. I don't own a sowing machine, nor would I know how to use it if I borrowed someones, but like you said, there are tutorials.

Hell yeah!

When I first asked people about sewing.. they said "just take it to an upholsterer and let them do it".. I really had no clue, I'd never used a machine before.

Then every forum said I needed a vintage industrial Singer.. some $1000 or so. Since I'm not using real leather.. I was determined I could make my parts with a $100 machine.

The first few days were full of jamming, short stitches, tangled thread. But after about a week, I was finishing almost flawless parts.

Nice. Even if there is wasted material from failed attempts, and therefore more cost, you can't really price out learning a new skill :w00t:

nice! I was looking into sound deadening to improve the audio in the car. I have no prior knowledge about any of this so your write up was nice. have you also removed the sound tube in the engine bay? that will also reduce noise entering your cabin.

Yeah I removed the tube.. then I got a Top Speed Catback which is outrageously loud.

Usually I just bump music, but whenever I drive with passengers it always reminds me how loud the exhaust is.

They are always like.. "You drive this every day? :bonk:"

Why do the pieces you made look so much better than the crap I paid JP Coachworks to make for me?

Nice work!

Damn dude I am quite impressed :thumbsup:

Can we get a full interior picture? I want to see all the panels in place:respekt:

In for more. Good looking work!

Mad Skillz

Sweet! Looks awesome.

this is some amazing work

Thanks guys!

Here is a little sewing trick that prevents me from crying when my cheap sewing machine messes up :bonk:

Fixing Bad Stitches (jams, etc.)

- You can only do this if your holes are spaced evenly. If you short stitched or stitched crooked, those holes are permanent and you can't fix.
- Your thread will lose tension.. I usually tape my folds down before I top stitch, so I don't worry about about the material bulging back up

Here you can see my thread snagged, tension was way too high, I freed it, then kept sewing.

http://i.imgur.com/HQLOVfg.jpg

After you've spent hours on a part, there's no way you can just start over :mad0259:

So I cut on the dotted line (top and bottom thread)

Flip over, and pull up on the bobbin thread. This pulls the thread through.

http://i.imgur.com/xxb6Ywq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OnUJ2Eu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AMXTuPu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yZVy8Ha.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/G5sacnl.jpg

Now.. start sewing right where the previous top stitch ends. Carefully make sure you use the exact holes.

http://i.imgur.com/0bIMHYY.jpg

You'll end up with this.

http://i.imgur.com/16Q9swD.jpg

Now flip over.. and pull on the inner bobbin threads to pull the top stitch through

http://i.imgur.com/Y3rwZtZ.jpg

You'll get this.

http://i.imgur.com/JMI2tPZ.jpg

And boom! Hard to tell you even messed up :D

http://i.imgur.com/mPvdMV7.jpg

I usually just glue down on the seam before I wrap and it is perfectly good.

Great thread! Very inspiring! Please post some pics of the pieces you wrapped installed in your car. Thank you!

Thanks! I will soon, the car has been in pieces for a while. Ended up taking apart the center console to do the inner knee pads tonight.

Also still working on the door piece. The door piece is fighting me every step of the way. The fiberglass problems, the sewing problems. Ugh :bonk:

http://i.imgur.com/FV8SvXF.jpg

It needs to be stretched, so some areas look bad when it's just laying there. It's hard to visualize, the alcantara will be cut to surround the armrest. Should turn out good though.

Inner Knee Pads

http://i.imgur.com/4r5PM1L.jpg

Sooo.. these were so easy to sew, but annoying to wrap.

Here you can see I made a simple template for the outer stitch.. tape it to the fabric, then taped around the edge.

http://i.imgur.com/IIqWH8P.jpg

Then I sew on the edge of the tape.

http://i.imgur.com/zQGQiac.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6HLkQ0H.jpg

Didn't take many pictures. The top surface was easy, but it was meticulous cutting the edges to fit right.

http://i.imgur.com/NkVGyR3.jpg

Had some carbon fiber vinyl laying around.. so I wrapped the silver trim. Really happy with how these turned out :party0030:

http://i.imgur.com/4r5PM1L.jpg

Wrapped Shifter Surround

http://i.imgur.com/EKQHz9r.jpg

I rewrapped since my last one wasn't perfect and bubbled on one side. I forgot how completely annoying this thing is to wrap. It's also hard to hold while your wrapping so you don't keep touching the adhesive. I hope this is the last time.

Sooo.. cut to size:

http://i.imgur.com/FwJ2Y5Z.jpg

Peel the backing off.. and lay over the top. Check to make sure your placement is good!

http://i.imgur.com/SHCVYTV.jpg

Press down the flat areas.

http://i.imgur.com/HqdCPsX.jpg

The outer curved part gave me tons of trouble.. For these problems, I usually lift up, apply a little heat, then use my fingers to push the creases outwards. I had to do this inch by inch, it took a while.

http://i.imgur.com/kWlBQIp.jpg

The worst part is over.

http://i.imgur.com/JFPnfuV.jpg

Getting the sides completely covered without creases.

http://i.imgur.com/og3fi1h.jpg

Cut and wrapped around the back. Now time for the holes.

http://i.imgur.com/hpIzgtH.jpg

I continuously heat and push down to stretch the material. It has some spring-back when you apply heat again, but it stays partially stretched.

Generally there is not much worry for creases here.. just keep pushing downward to stretch it until it reaches the inner edge.

http://i.imgur.com/FYlfBqj.jpg

DONE!

http://i.imgur.com/EKQHz9r.jpg

Some random updates.. things haven't been working out lately :bonk:

Fiberglass Door-Panel Wrap
So.. I went to wrap the piece, and my skill level just wasn't up to par. Too many odd concave curves. You can see I glued some CCF to some sections. I saw this tip on TheHogRing.. if you've ever been in a modern cadillac, they have a similar feel. Firm, but not "fabric on plastic."



http://i.imgur.com/wAssZN4.jpg

So, I cut off the entire outer portion.. so I would just have a fiberglass cover for the perforated center piece.

I refinished the entire perimeter. I made it PERFECT.

http://i.imgur.com/BvLgXr1.jpg

In the picture below.. it's not adhered to the door.. it would normally sit perfectly flush.

http://i.imgur.com/EiNvVIE.jpg

I wrapped it.. but ended up hating it. The cheap alcantara I bought just never looked good. So.. I scrapped the project all together :mad0259:

The wrapped speaker panels are enough uniqueness for me.

Sound Proofing
Nothing much to see here.

Just in case anyone wants to see how how I MLV/CCF'd the rear panels.

http://i.imgur.com/lKvRQMr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QdtPo7q.jpg

Wrapped Rear Arm Rests???
I was bored.. and the panels were sitting in my living room, so I thought.. what the hell, I'll try it.

Here's how I make patterns now. The tape method was OK, but posterboard is cheaper than tape and I don't have to transfer the 'tape patterns' into official patterns on posterboard. I can just mock these up, pull them off, and use them! I did this for the knee pads also.
http://i.imgur.com/7JDLqM0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8EEKp8S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2hj6NxN.jpg

I then top stitched it with red stitching.. but when I mocked it up, it just looked terrible, so I scrapped the project.

Cluster Hood Remake
I need to make extra money.. so now I'm mainstreaming some of my projects that work 100% of the time.

http://i.imgur.com/JmRplNC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nnQAmW6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TMUjz5S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zsNSiWt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mdQPyLc.jpg

Gonna try a couple different versions and sell them. If anyone has any suggestions for designs, let me know! I am still not taking custom orders.. but I will entertain ideas and sell prototypes.

Just fair warning, be careful about selling stuff without a vendor account.

Good point, thanks for the warning

Thanks for the great posts. Question on the door, did you have to tape the CCF/MLV to the panel when reinstalling? Was there any problems with fitment?

Looking forward to any updates you have on the wheel wells as I'm considering doing this since I'll be upgrading the sound system.

This is freaking awesome read!!! Keep up the great work!

I glued the all the CCF to the MLV. I used 3M Super 90 in the beginning.. but now I use the Weldwood Landau adhesive since it's better and I have tons of it.

I only ran into a few problems on the doors.

1. For the Styrofoam insert on the doors, I didn't realize I would have a problem there. I simply cut a straight line from the bottom up about 6 inches (centered between the two clip holes) to allow it to "spread" as it got pushed inwards.

2. I also had some fitment issues where the door switch harness clips to the door frame (about 6 inches above the speaker). There are two holes there (one for the door panel and one for the wire harness). In my pics I only have one hole cut. I ended up cutting two separate holes.. but it was very tight.. so I ended up just cutting one large hole there instead of two separate holes.

3. I also noticed the wiring for the door light was way shorter on my driver door. I originally had my MLV/CCF mirrored right and left, but I had to cut a different slot on the left door.

4. I cut about another inch off the entire bottom, closer to the actual clips/holes.

Thanks!! It's been fun :)

is there anyway you might produce the cluster hood? I'm super interested in that design! keep up the good work

I picked up a new material. Another member suggested polyurethane rather than vinyl, so I bought some. It is much softer than the vinyl, and actually behaves a lot like real leather when you fold it.

It's the bottom left. The top is my previous material, the bottom right is OEM GM vinyl.

http://i.imgur.com/FmMKrQI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/E0ItyUU.jpg

Working on a gauge hood right now, hoping it turns out awesome :party0030: The only downside is tape doesn't like sticking to it, so I spend much more time using pins on all my corners to keep them aligned when I go to sew.

If it works out.. I want to do a french seam on the molded dash piece.. then I plan to sell a bunch of my parts already wrapped with the previous material:
- Padded gauge hood, molded dash trim, vent rings

Kevin's Random DIY (upholstery, fiberglass, etc.)
 

Just found this thread! Subbed 😍 keep up the good stuff. Maybe I can finally get the JDM/EDM armrest I want cuz all my stitches in the car is blue....watch & learn. >.>

Please do that next!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Working on the new material. So far I think it looks fantastic stitched up. I will do everything with this material from now on.

http://i.imgur.com/qQfMzpV.jpg

You can see on the old one in the background, I'm having problems with too much bulk where the seam wraps around. Usually you can just "float" the material, but it still becomes visible at the edge. Or you can cut the overlapped area before you top stitch. I might just pad these pieces since it makes it feel great.

I will finish that next week.

Also tried out a flat felled seam with the old material. Looks pretty cool to me:

http://i.imgur.com/E3kqUjc.jpg

Also working on a two piece dash with french seams. That that one should look cool :D

do you know if this material will encounter fade from the sun over time?

I think you might need one of those tools that thins the material. Cant remember what its called but using it on the edges should help to make it lay flat.

Edit: Something like a wood planer is what I'm thinking of.

I'm not familiar enough to know, but I would imagine it would be very stable.

http://www.yourautotrim.com/fusionblack.html

Almost twice as long UV testing compared to the boating vinyls.. but the cluster hood would reach 1000 hours of UV rather quickly. I imagine no color fade.

Can't wait for how the 2 piece dash gonna look like!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk