NOR-MARtm ENTERPRISES 1948 (P-15) PLYMOUTH SPECIAL DELUXE, CLUB COUPE INTERIOR RESTORATION

United We Stand

Divided We Fall
INTERIOR ON DELIVERY DAY, NOT TO BAD BUT NEEDS WORK.  ONLY MISSING ONE KNOB FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER.   KNOB HAS SINCE BEEN REPLACED.

STEP 1:
Remove all seats and disassemble front seat, to make them ready for recovering.  These seats are in good shape, so it will not be necessary to replace the stuffing or repair the springs.

STEP 2:
After removal of seats, I took them to an auto detail shop for cleaning.  Car was stored in a barn and we all know that smell.  The detail shop cleaned and applied a disinfectant.  This got rid of all the smell coming from the seats.

STEP 3:
Remove all trim around inside of windows.

STEP 4:
Removed the headliner by cutting out the old one.  You should leave the supports in place until your ready to install the new headliner.  Usually each one of these supports are a different size, and must be put back in the exact order they are removed.  CAUTION:  Remember these cars are over 50 years old and many have been stored for years.  This gave a good home to all kinds of critters.  I decided to stand outside to cut and remove the headliner.  BEST DECISION I EVER MADE!  All kinds of dung and acorn shells came tumbling down on the floor of the car, when I cut the headliner.  I also recommend a mask when doing this, even if you do it like I did it.  Once headliner is down, vacuum the interior well.

STEP 5:
Remove door panels, kick panels and side panels in rear.  Also remove the rear window shelf.  Do not throw out the old panels or shelf, you'll need them to us as a pattern.  Remove them carefully without breaking if possible.

STEP 6:
Now remove the floor mat or carpet and insulation.

Now that the interior is completely stripped, any smell coming from the stuffing and material is gone.  Even if the car had no critters, 50 years in the car and you get that old car musty smell.  Now your ready to do any repairs to the floor and replace the interior with new fabric.  For floor restoration see Body Restoration page.

To make the new door panel and side panels, you will need either thin wall 1/8" masonite or you can purchase the proper black board from a trim shop.  The black boards are available in 3' X 4' or 4' X 8' sheets.  I purchased the black board in 3' X 4' (4 sheets).  This makes it easier to handle, but cost a little more.

Using the old door and side panels as a pattern, I traced them onto the new board, then cut them out using a scroll saw and craftsman knife.  Here's the new door panel and side panel before being covered with new material.
 
 

REAR SIDE PANEL NOTE THAT ALL HOLES ARE MARKED. I used chisels to punch the  clip holes.  Craftsman's knife to cut out for the ashtray.  Hole saw on drill for window crank and a drill for the proper size screw holes that hold the arm rest

FRONT DOOR PANEL ALL HOLES WERE MARKED USING THE OLD PANEL Use the same tools for punching and drilling all holes. Original armrest was replaced by an armrest out of a '53/'54 Plymouth.  This was done because these have the stainless trim. Mounting holes had to be moved on the armrest to line up with holes on the door. You can also use 1950 DeSoto armrest, the mounting holes will match perfectly.

Will be covering these panels soon.  These panels turned out perfect for fit.  They fit like a glove.

LEFT REAR FLOOR SECTION The floor is in good shape.  Note the wheel well needs repair where circled.  In addition, just below the circled area the floor is rusted through in the corner (not visible in picture).  I cut new steel and formed it over the wheel well to repair it.  Then I  fabricated a box with 18 gauge steel to repair the section just  below it.  This is where the rear seat slides back in the coupe.

RIGHT FRONT FLOOR SECTION As you can see, this area looks ok.  After testing for soft spots the only repair needed was a small section about 5" long.  Easy fix with 18 gauge flat steel.

RIGHT REAR FLOOR SECTION Here again, the floor is in good shape and needs no repair.  The did have the same problem with the wheel well as I had on the  left side.  The same procedure was used here.  In both sides the joint was rusted where the two sections were originally welded together.  The area where the seat slides in was ok on this side  of the car.

LEFT FRONT FLOOR SECTION As just about all old Plymouths, this is the worst section of floor.  You can buy new reproduction floor boards from Precision Auto Body for this area.  I decided to first try my had at fabricating my own out of 18 gauge flat steel.  I first cut out the bad section  where you feet go from the hump to the kick panel area and up to just below the brake and clutch pedals.  Formed the flat steel and installed it.  Made the cut out for the master cylinder and a  new cover for it, using the old cover as a pattern.

LEFT FRONT FLOOR SECTION (Just inside door) The arrow on top is pointing to the seat brace.  This brace is  supposed to be attached to the floor braces at both ends.  As you can see between the two arrows the brace is completely  gone at the rear.  I first cut out the seat brace and the bad floor section out.  Both floor braces were shot where they attach to the frame.   Using the old seat brace as a pattern, I fabricated a new brace, then attached to to both floor braces.  Then I  fabricated new floor brace sections so I could slide them up  under the floor and about a foot back.  Attached them to the existing floor brace and to the body, using new body mounts from Steele Rubber.  Then fit new steel over the braces to repair the floor.  Along with the floor repair on this side, the outer and  inner rocker panel was replaced.  These are actually part of the floor support system.

Once the floor was finished, I cleaned it all up.  Then gave it  two coats of Gloss Black XO Rust Paint (Oil Base) from True Value Hardware.  Since it is impossible to get all the old rust protective coating off the floor, I only removed the loose stuff. The XO Rust paint had no problem bonding to the old asphalt coating.  Once that was dry, I placed the seat in the car so I  could locate and drill new mounting holes for the seat.  Then I used self tapping bolts to attach the seat to the floor.

Now the floor is clean and the paint got rid of any old smell  that was embedded into the old asphalt coating.

SEATS I took the seat cushions to a auto detail shop and had them cleaned with a disinfectant cleaner.  Purchased new seat covers (fitted).  These are made by a well known manufacture who has the old patterns for old cars.  They slip over the old seats and are fastened by hog rings.  I purchased matching flat material at the same time.  The seat covers only cover the cushions.  For the seat backs I first removed the old covers.  They are held on by metal tabs and are easily removed.   Then I purchased some flat white fiber padding  about 3/4" thick from a local fabric store.  Using the old seat back covers as a pattern I cut the padding and flat cover material to fit.  The padding and covers were then stretched over the seat back and attached using the same metal tabs that the old cover as attached to.  CAUTION: These metal tabs are old and care should be used when bending them so they do not break off.  Luckily, I only  broke one on each seat back and they turned out not to be in a critical location.  I purchased the flat vinyl and pleated at the same time I purchased the seat covers so I was sure to get the same dye lot.  I purchased 5 yards of each, which should be enough for the door panels, rear deck, base of front seat and kick panels.  Floor carpet has not been installed yet.  The floor mats you see are old from my wife's car and are being used simply to keep from scratching the paint on the floor.

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