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Grover

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Everything posted by Grover

  1. A couple of years ago I did the interior on a '61 Alfa and the owner was dead set on Spinneybeck. It is absolutely gorgeous material, but not cheap. The woven material is done on a custom basis depending on the hide color you select. It's then sent back to their factory in Italy and the strands cut to a couple of widths to choose from, we went with 5mm. Then it's woven and adhered onto a cotton back to give it strength and structure. My recollection is that the minimum order is 55 sq/ft, and the cost was about $3,500 including taxes, shipping, etc... Also keep in mind that if you want the non-woven leather portions to be a perfect color match (such as the red in this case) then you'll likely want to order these from Spinneybeck too, and their hides are about $1,000 each. On this particular Alfa the leather alone was about $7k. Again, beautiful stuff, but not cheap. Hydes Leather has something similar also, but I think the pricing is comparable if I remember correctly.
  2. As somebody who has done a decent amount of upholstery, including a couple pairs of E21 Recaros (one set for me, and one for a friend) I just want to help put in perspective the job. Those seats are fairly complex, my recollection is that each seat is either 19 or 21 individual pieces. If you are patterning that from scratch, it's a time consuming affair. Even if you have an original set to take apart, it still takes a while to lay out and get fitted just right. Also, as many well know, the side bolsters on these seats are often shot, and no exact pre-formed foam replacements are available, so you are doing something custom here. The seat backs are often also bent and lean to one side, so fixing that takes a bit of time and perhaps some welding up of cracks in the frame. If you want French seams, each of those seams will need three passes unless you have a twin-needle machine, and you can't go at a super high speed if you are trying to get the seams dead straight and looking good. If you've done these before then perhaps you have patterns which can save some time (hence places like Aardvarc can hammer them out more quickly and cost-effectively.) However, I'd say you are looking at a solid day for each seat, at least. Oh, and you have to factor in time for taking off the old covers, as well as installing the new ones, which are a bit of a bear. And again, doing it right and getting all the wrinkles out takes time and expertise. So, maybe best case is 20 hours of work (I'm kinda slow and am sure it takes me more than that.) What is a "fair" price to pay a skilled craftsperson? You pay a mechanic $100+ in pretty much any big city these days. And then there are the materials. Vinyl is pretty cheap, but a couple of leather hides will be $600+ just for raw materials. Long story short. I understand that the dollars can seem high, but when you break it down, and you have a desire for quality work and materials, that's just the reality of it. My two cents.
  3. It has been quite a few years since I built mine (car subsequently sold) but I used TWM ITB's run via MegaSquirt. I used a common vacuum tube to pull a steady signal so I could run off of MAP, which I found a much better option than AlphaN. I know that folks have developed systems which run a mixture of these two these days and this is probably a better set up. Initially I ran with just air horns and crude filters but later switched to an airbox. On the dyno it showed basically zero impact from an hp standpoint (when switching from airhorns to airbox) but maybe would change once things get warm under the hood in real life driving, I don't know.
  4. Funny you should mention that Bugatti Adawil2002. When I went down there the other day to check out the Countach I mentioned earlier in this post, guess what it was parked next to...
  5. Hey congrats COOP. I love FJ. I work all of a mile or so away so swing by their every now and then for inspiration. I was actually just there yesterday to see the early “periscopo” Countach they have in stock as I’ve never seen one in the flesh before. Next time I stop by I’ll see if you are there to introduce myself. Congrats again.
  6. Well that was a really fun watch. Nice driving by you and your fellow racers. Looks like a ton of well matched cars and drivers. Great stuff.
  7. In many cases, Veteran is the importer/distributor that sells to other folks. They typically have the best pricing from what I've found. They are technically a wholesale shop I believe so not sure if they will sell to individuals or not. Worth a try though, by all means. Curious what you find.
  8. Interesting info Andrew. I'm curious to hear a little more about how your leather guy made the weave, that's really cool. Any idea how it got the strips so precisely cut? Also curious if the leather is then bonded to something. With the Spinneybeck material it is bonded onto a cotton backing to provide additional structure for longevity. Did he do something different? Either way, pretty cool, and very resourceful.
  9. I would give Lebaron Bonney and SMS Auto Fabrics a shot. They both have a large selection of materials. Ace Andrews seats are very nice indeed. That looks like Spinneybeck woven leather, the same stuff Singer use in their cars. I did an old Alfa with this material recently. Beautiful stuff but uber expensive as it's basically made to order with the exact leather hides you specify.
  10. Hi guys. Been a long time since I've posted on the forum since I'm 02-less these days. However, still check in to see what's up... On this thread in particular. A co-worker of mine used to be a very good customer of H&B (had a pig-cheeked '76 Sahara with all the Alpina goodies back in the day, no idea what became of it though) and was the supplier of their cast parts. The company was Pacific Pressure Cast in the SF Bay Area (no longer around) and they did their valve covers, Weber manifolds, rear spoiler mold, various badges, as well as the wheel centers. On the wheel centers, one little tidbit he told me is that the material is an aluminum alloy called 206a which has silver in it. Apparently it is as strong as forging and very expensive.
  11. I've gone through very similar work on an old Alfa that I'm restoring (I don't even own a 2002 anymore, but still check in on the FAQ periodically out of habit....) Anyway, if you can, I'd highly suggest using a copper heat sink behind your welds. It will really help minimize the risk of blow through as well as getting you a smoother weld on the backside which helps with hammer and dollying after the fact. Also, be willing to accept the fact that it WILL distort to some degree. You could drive yourself crazy trying to get it PERFECTLY flat with shrinking, hammering, etc.... However, some filler will be needed to get it perfectly smooth, so don't kill yourself trying to reduce the amount of filler from 1/8" to a 1/16". I spent countless hours on some of my panels trying to get them to where filler was essentially not needed, only to realize that it really made no difference at some point and I should likely have been focused on moving other parts of the project forward in a timely fashion. Hence my metalwork took almost three years.... By no means am I suggesting slathering on boatloads of Bondo, but just being realistic about how perfect it really does need to be.
  12. This stuff is made specifically for door panels.https://keystonbros.com/auto/auto-supplies-tools/panel-board/black-waterproof-32x48-panel-board-standard-size.html It's called "water proof" but I'd call it more water "resistant." It doesn't swell up if wet, but you don't want to go nutty getting water on it either. If you get plywood, you can source marine grade which is water resistant. Both will accept staples fine, and a nice thing about the panel board is you can sew directly to it if you have an industrial sewing machine.
  13. I sold my car on BaT a while back and was really happy with the overall experience. The BaT team were easy to deal with and very friendly, the only debate we had was on the reserve price. If your friend chooses to go the BaT route, I'd encourage him to do some research and soul searching on establishing a reserve price first so you know what your lower limit is; obviously BaT is in the business of selling cars, so they may want a lower price than you desire. My second piece of advice would be to only put it on BaT if you plan on being 100% honest, transparent, and engaged with the auction as it progresses. The peanut gallery (comment section) can make or break an auction, so don't give them any reason to question to honesty of the posting, and maintain a positive dialogue through the process. Lastly, I'd very strongly encourage lots of well shot photographs, videos if possible, and whatever other supporting documentation you can provide. Take some time to look through a bunch of other BaT listings and see what others have done well and where they have flubbed, it will quickly become apparent how you can set yourself, and the buyer, up for a positive experience.
  14. By no means am I an expert on it, but I've driven Laguna Seca a couple of times. I've run it through BMWCCA as well as Hooked on Driving. With BMW I had an instructor with me all the time as this was my first event through them (Satch Carlson was my instructor, so no complaining there anyway) and with HOD I drove solo with no passing limitations. In both cases I had zero issues with too many cars in the run group, I think both of these "companies" put on events with pretty small group sizes and this is generally reflected in the price of the event. Both times I had a car with massively outmatched HP vs. most of the M-cars, Porsches, McLarens, Corvette's, etc... No issues with traffic if you keep your eyes up and drive smartly. A super fun track.
  15. I've reupholstered a couple of pair of these so can help with some of your questions: 1. Yes, the backrest knob on the side of the seat just pulls off with a decent tug. Then the plastic piece that it essentially rides in also will pop out. 2. The cable typically has a crimp at the bottom end that keeps it in place, almost like a small tube pressed over it. I have sliced through it and then unrolled it to remove, but I'm sure there are other ways of doing it. 3. I've seen multiple generations of this seat and the covers connect in different ways both underneath and "inside" where the side bolsters mount. Some use more hog rings than others. Even on the photo you posted you can see a couple of hog rings to bunch up the fabric in the corners. But, as Mike said, the C-shaped clips just pry out. 4. The headrest vinyl should have a bit of stiffening material sewn into each side (it will become obvious once you've taken it apart...) This stiffening material is then inserted into a metal channel the fits between the two posts of the headrest. It's a little tricky to get out, and even trickier to get back in, but basically becomes invisible once installed properly. 5. The headrest ring on the top of the seat back is held in place by another piece on the inside of the cover. Once you remove the cover it should be quite obvious how it is held on. 6. I've looked quite extensively for replacement side bolsters, but to no avail. The way I've tackled it is removing the damaged foam until I get to good firm stuff (a little like rust repair) and then try to create a somewhat flat surface to build upon. I then glue additional foam on, roughly shape with an electric carving knife, and then fine tune with a sander. It's hard to get the shape just perfect and smooth, but it's achievable with some time and patience. A couple of photos show the in-process work and how it turned out. I don't think you'd know how damaged that bolster was previously unless somebody told you.
  16. BaT prices are all over the place. Like any auction, it just takes two people (or not) to impact a price significantly. I'd guess that whoever it was that paid $50k for the tii is likely looking at it as an investment as much as anything else, and being that it was "pure" in its lineage I can see that. However, Mark (and I mean zero disrespect on this as your car was VERY nice) since it was not an original turbo, and therefore perhaps less of an investment grade car, I think the hammer price was impacted.
  17. I love it. Reminds me of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Super wagon.
  18. I don't know what kind of condition your car is in, nor what your hopes/dreams are for the car. However, personally, I would say that spending time and money on a nice interior is well worthwhile. Admittedly I love a nicely done interior perhaps more than the average person, but... Think about how much time you spend sitting inside the car. Investing money into the materials and surfaces that you touch and see every single time in the car is a worthy investment, and one I think you won't regret. However, I find that when you skimp on such things to save a hundred bucks here and there, one often kicks themselves as the item doesn't meet their desires. I put a boatload of time and energy into the interior of my car, and I never regretted it even for a moment. Just my two cents.
  19. Hi folks. All items are currently spoken for. I will update if any of the sales fall through. Thanks for your interest.
  20. Jmel02. Consider it yours. Send me a pm and we can work through the shipping and all that fun stuff.
  21. I was literally cleaning out the attic today and came across a few '02 parts that I no longer need since I sold the car a few months back (insert image here of tears running down my cheek.) I've got a full set of uncut interior panels in decent shape, not show quality. You can see that there are no speaker holes in the front panels and the boards themselves are in remarkably good shape. The "chrome" trim is serviceable, but not perfect. You'll notice that three of the panels are one color, while one of the door cards is different. I believe three are tobacco, while the other is saddle, but I could have the names backwards. I've had these about five years, and prior to that they evidently were in a slightly moist environment as there was some mildew on them. I've wiped them down but they could use a really good clean. $80 for the set. I also have a very nice heater valve. I cleaned this one up a few years back and it's still nice and shiny. Inner valve moves very smoothly. $50. Lastly, I have a few trim pieces. All are passenger side. One is for the door. One for between the door and the trunk. The third piece is the side trunk section on the passenger side. Finish is shiny. Only the one dent on the door piece, the others are straight with only very minimal marring. $50 for the set. Prices do not include postage. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Happy to connect with local buyers or ship if you are remote. Thanks folks.
  22. Morning folks. That is/was my car. BaT's listing fee for their auctions is $250, and I'd say that was about the best $250 I've ever spent. Joking aside, I'm obviously very happy with the final sale, I think it's fair to say that it exceeded my expectations. Pricing modified cars seems very challenging as it's hard to get a firm baseline vs. a restored original car, this was a large reason I went for the auction format vs. pulling a number from thin air and advertising it elsewhere. Okay, I'm going to get sappy for a second here, brace yourself.... I've owned this car for about 11 years, and it has truly changed my life in a positive way. Through those years, I have fallen deeply into the car hobby and I feel extremely grateful for that. Additionally, I think a key part of the inspiration was this 2002 community. I've seen numerous other forums and owners groups, and none can hold a candle to this for depth of knowledge, and so many great folks, many of whom I now count myself lucky to know as friends. I'll stop from listing them all, but you know who you are. The one name I will throw out is Curt Ingraham who I sort of consider my first "mentor" for 2002's shortly after I purchased it. Such a wonderful human being, and one who left us much too soon. The new owner of my car sounds like a super nice guy. He had intended to build up a 2002 himself, pretty much identical to what mine is. However, due to a busy life, he recognized that it just wasn't going to happen. And, fortunately for him, he was in a financial position where he can buy a car that basically needs nothing, so he took this route to get the car he wanted. More power to him, I say. I will encourage him strongly to check out this forum. While I will now be '02-less, I won't be able to help myself but to check in here periodically. My focuses have shifted to a '65 Alfa that I'm now restoring, but the Alfa forum just doesn't have the "home-like" feel this place does (don't tell the Alfa guys I said that.) Thanks for everything folks. Giddyup. Tom (Grover)
  23. A couple of thoughts. 1. I think you will want to try to minimize the amount of material build-up as much as you can. While vinyl is relatively thin, if you just lay it on top (not to mention any added foam you choose to put in) some of the fit tolerances will become more challenging. Think about the gaps around the glove box, where there dash mounts below the windshield, and where the heater controls area. Adding an 1/8" of material there could cause you some fitment challenges. 2. A few years ago I had my dash vinyl covered by Only02 down in Vegas. I've been very happy with the results. If you look at the photo, take note of where the seams are. While the seams provide a level of decorative finish, they were placed where they are because that's where the breaks "want" to be. In other words, I think you may be hard pressed to only get seams in non-noticeable locations without risking wrinkling/bunching the material around some of the numerous compound corners. By all means, give some things a try, but I'd test the theory in a couple of small areas where you can back out if it's not working to your satisfaction. Lastly, you have obviously already discovered The Hog Ring forum, which is great for upholsterers. Also check out the Chechaflo YouTube channel, he has a bunch of great upholstery tutorials and one or two on covering dashes. The videos have no audio as I don't know how good his English is, and they move quite slowly, but they can be very educational.
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