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Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 12:28 PM

Just received some pics from autobahn of my recovered seats. Kinda excited to get these in the car.

I’ll post more pics once they arrive. This is the German Houndstooth (called Pepita, I believe), which was a much heftier material than the standard houndstooth.


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Posted by: Tdskip May 31 2018, 12:30 PM

Those look great!

Posted by: Beebo Kanelle May 31 2018, 12:35 PM

Jeeezzz... those do look great!

Where did you get them done? Autobahn?

Posted by: Tom_T May 31 2018, 12:35 PM

If it's the old school German fabric, yes it was called "Pepita" Rob, & will be a better & heavier fabric than the newer "Domestic" or other-country-of-origin fabrics.

IIRC you can see it from the original dealer ordering documents as available on the 70-72 914-6s on Jeff Bowlsby's website Interior Fabric section.

I've seen this inset done on both 914s & 911/912s by Autos International on a few SoCal cars, & it looks good.


Tom
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Posted by: mepstein May 31 2018, 01:15 PM

I purchased the 914rubber kit. I hope it turns out half as nice as yours.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 02:27 PM

Yup, Autobahn Interiors in San Diego.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 02:32 PM

I think I’ve seen that document on Jeff’s site.

Autobahn sent me several samples. One was the ‘other’ houndstooth. It was amazing how thin it felt. It looked decent but I didn’t think it would wear well over time.

I am looking forward to a cloth insert. While I do like the original basket weave, it’s a hot seat during the summer months here in Texas. And I usually only drive late in the evening or night!

Posted by: burton73 May 31 2018, 03:19 PM

Looking super.

Now that is a nice job.

Bob B

Posted by: bandjoey May 31 2018, 03:52 PM

Those look great. Even better than original basketweave.
Are you going to Okteenerfest in September?

Posted by: burton73 May 31 2018, 03:55 PM

Sorry but how much for the work on the seats?

Bob B

Posted by: rgalla9146 May 31 2018, 04:31 PM

Sorry, same question
Rory G

Posted by: oakdalecurtis May 31 2018, 05:38 PM

I get more comments on my seats than any other item...

Posted by: r_towle May 31 2018, 05:43 PM

nice seats, but why is there a ferret in the car?

Posted by: oakdalecurtis May 31 2018, 05:55 PM

Hey Towle! Great question! Because of my custom center console box, the seat could not be slid forward at all without hiding the seat belt latch. I added a belt latc extender to it which I then covered with a sheepskin cover.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 08:14 PM

Don't think I'll make OkteenerFest this year. I have two small kiddos, so anything more than a half day or day event is tough to pull off. But once the seats and dash is back in I'll be once again hitting the cars and coffee and events like those at Ed Mayo's place.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 08:21 PM

I drooled over many photos of your interior before I pulled the trigger. There was another thread with some seats that had a blue tartan insert thing going on that Autobahn did. I really should've taken some pictures of my seats before hand. They were just demolished. As a matter of fact, I haven't had a passenger seat in the car in at least six months. The driver seat had the back pulled entirely off and my back was against the fiberglass shell. The bottom cushion was split in about five places and the cushion underneath was tired and ripped. You could easily see the sensor for the seat belt relay system in the cushion. The rest of the interior looked pretty good though.

I'll update this thread once the seats are back. While the seats were gone I restored the seat adjusters. Powder coated them and had the adjusting hardware re-plated. Bought new bushings from 914Rubber, too. Only used one of the bushings from that kit, though. The majority of the stock bushings were in great shape and fit a little better.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 08:28 PM

Are you installing them yourself? Because after seeing the way your house project turned out I'm sure they'll be really nice.

Posted by: worn May 31 2018, 08:54 PM

Me too. Took about a day of work. I like em.

Posted by: mepstein May 31 2018, 08:59 PM

That's nice of you to say but there is a big difference between what I can do and what I contract someone to do. My only real "talent" is tracking down (hard to find) parts. I have great respect for people who can really create things.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 09:06 PM

I'm kind of the same. I can paint (really well) and wield a wrench pretty well, but sometimes I see the things that other people do and it's just art to me. Like metal work and interiors...

I'm still waiting for you to find another set of 3" front struts with the newer style pin. After this interior the 5 lug is going to have to happen.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 09:07 PM

Seat adjuster, restored.




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Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 09:07 PM

I hate that I keep taking pics upside down...

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 09:08 PM

I hate that I keep taking pics upside down...

Posted by: mepstein May 31 2018, 09:11 PM

I have a set. A couple of the bolts that hold the brake shield to the strut broke off at the head. It's not a big deal to drill them out. I've just been lazy. I will get them done and put your name on them.

Posted by: Rob-O May 31 2018, 09:18 PM

Great! Give me a few weeks for my wallet to recover...

Posted by: 914-300Hemi Jun 1 2018, 07:53 AM

Great looking seats.

Posted by: majkos1 Jun 1 2018, 08:15 AM

Had same issues when I installed my Amco console,
Found a longer seat belt receiver side out of a Rabbit,
Looks the same as 914's
Has same orange/red release button.

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 04:13 PM

Wanted to update the thread.

In addition to the seats I rebuilt the seat sliding mechanisms and also replaced the dash. When I redid the dash I also replaced the basketweave. It wasn’t but a few years old but had curled in a few places. That’ll teach me to remove old adhesive before applying new adhesive!

Interior parts used.

1). New upper dash vinyl. Picked up from JoAnn Fabric. Not the factory type grain but has an extremely low gloss. This helps cancel out glare outdo the windshield.

2). New dash pad from 914Rubber

3). New bezels for lights and cigarette lighter.

4). New cig lighter element.

5). New dash basketweave

6). New door panels from 914Rubber

7). New driver smuggler box from 914Rubber.

8). New passenger side armrest lower.

9). New German loop carpet from 914Rubber

10). New floor mats from Lloyd Mats

11). Gauge bezel powdercoated with wrinkle finish

12). Gauge lighting done by Timothy here on World

13). New shift knob from Pelican (Dansk part but plastic not the Bakelite material).

14). New heater knob from 914Rubber

15). Seats recovered by Autobahn Interiors in San Diego.

16). New ‘PRESS’ stickers on seat belt receivers.

Still lots of work to be done. Backpad needs to be replaced/repaired/recovered. I’m currently on the hunt for good looking fresh air controls. Working on the glove box cover this evening. New center console (the type I have is incorrect for a ‘74). I have a Blaupunkt Frankfurt fro Mark Heard but it needs to be sent off for repair.

But it’s getting nice...





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Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 04:14 PM

More...


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Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 04:14 PM

Even more...


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Posted by: n2j2ryan Jun 19 2018, 05:22 PM

where did you get the shift boot?

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 06:42 PM

It’s the stock unit. I just cleaned it up and hit it with some black leather dye.

Posted by: SteveL Jun 19 2018, 07:32 PM

Rob-O: If you don't mind me asking, how much was the seat recover job? Did you ship them to San Diego?
Those are awesome. I have the dark brown interior now, but it is too hard to replace, so thinking of seats like yours and replacing the doors panels and back pad with black.

Thanks

Posted by: jesse7flying Jun 19 2018, 07:37 PM

Looking good Rob!

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 07:51 PM

I shipped them to San Diego. Price for seats was about $1600 with the German houndstooth (known as Pepita). There are tons of options out there for the tan/Brown. I believe there are multiple houndstooth colors. Call and ask them to send you some samples, can’t hurt.

Just going back to vinyl inserts in basketweave would’ve been several hundred cheaper I believe. But here in Texas that vinyl gets warm.

An added bonus (so far, we’ll see if it continues to be) is that the cloth tends to hold me in the seat better. No more sliding around. It does make getting in and out of the car a smidgen tougher. But once you’re in, you’re in.

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 07:55 PM

BTW, there was a second houndstooth sample they sent me. It actually looked more ‘houndstooth’ than the German houndstooth or Pepita. But it felt awfully thin and had this weird stretch to it. If you pulled on it in one direction it didn’t budge. If you turned the sample 90 degrees in your hand and pulled again it was a little stretchy. Just the thinness alone nixed that sample. I didn’t feel the wear on it would last. Or sit on it with something and blow a hole in the fabric. I’d be sad for sure!

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 19 2018, 07:58 PM

Thanks Jesse. Let’s see if we can go grab lunch somewhere soon.

Posted by: mepstein Jun 19 2018, 08:01 PM

That price is very good for top quality upholstery. Your interior looks great.

Posted by: ConeDodger Jun 19 2018, 08:03 PM

You've set your goal to low! I've seen it. It will turn out just as nice!

Posted by: Mikey914 Jun 20 2018, 06:14 AM

My kits are $399 a set your choice on color, in stock and ready to ship. For $1200, pretty sure you could have done locally if you need to.

https://shop.914rubber.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=Houndstooth

Posted by: jrblackbox Jun 20 2018, 06:28 AM

Those seats look fantastic! love that vintage look!

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 20 2018, 07:29 AM

I should clarify, Autobahn Interiors didn’t just recover the seats. They also replaced all the foam. The only piece I’m unsure of is the molded rubber headrest portion. All the rest (bolsters, back and bottom cushion), were all replaced. Supposedly German vinyl too, although it’s pretty difficult to validate that.

Also, in looking at your link it looks like you may be using the houndstooth material I posted on above. It may be a fine product, but in having a swatch of each in my hand I opted for the heavier material. While researching this I found a thread where a guy had the German houndstooth and loved it. Another guy chimes in with pics of his seat in houndstooth and said the material was thin and he already put a hole in one of his seats. That kinda sealed the deal for me. I’m in no way implying his seats came from you.

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 20 2018, 07:33 AM

The German Houdstooth (known as Pepita) on my seats. Notice the areas between the complete black and complete white areas. There are two or three black lines running through the white area.


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Posted by: Rob-O Jun 20 2018, 08:02 AM

As a comparison this looks like the other material that was available. Notice the areas between the completely black and completely white areas. Not much detail there, just one line of black as the differentiating color. I found this pic online so I can’t say definitively if this is the same material that Autobahn Interiors sent me as a sample. I also can’t say this is the same houndstooth 914Rubber uses.

Ironically, the pattern does make it appear to be a more authentic ‘houndstooth’. The German material is more of just a alternating ‘checkered’ pattern.


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Posted by: ConeDodger Jun 20 2018, 09:06 AM

Bill did mine for $400 both seats with 914rubber.com kits.

Posted by: napasteve Jun 20 2018, 09:14 AM

Rob, who is Bill that did your seat recovering?

Posted by: Rob-O Jun 20 2018, 09:42 AM

Would love to see pics of your seats!

Posted by: Mikey914 Jun 20 2018, 12:57 PM

I looked at the German material, could use it, just raises the cost about $80 if I do in some quantity.
I was pretty happy with the quality and selection of the material we used, especially since we could make at the same cost as the vinyl. Making these a reasonable price.

Replacing foam will add some cost to a seat most need only a little to glue into cracks and carve flush. Not rocket science, but takes some time and attention to detail. Starting from scratch without any foam, much more difficult.