Package Deal Part XIV -- Technical Article -- Classic Trucks

It was good to put the carpet pad/insulation down first because we could figure out what needed to be trimmed without the pressure of cutting the carpet wrong.

Now that the pad was in, we had a good idea of how the carpet needed to be and got right to it.

Next, we got started on the interior panels. The RodDoors pre-trimmed ABS panels are pretty spot-on, so take your time and line them up before putting all the Dualloc Velcro-type squares all over the place.

Once the door panel was where we wanted it, we did stick a couple Dualloc squares to the back to hold the door panel in place so we could trim a few little spots like the latch area. You might also have to do this if your truck has upgraded latches like our Bebop's body does.

These curved panels go in the cab corners to not only hide that area, but to also serve as a surface to upholster.

The RodDoors cab corner pieces are made for a small window '56 cab, so we had to trim them like this to fit the larger opening of our big-window Bebop cab. The RodDoors ABS plastic panels were real easy to work with and can be cut with tin snips and sanded, or filed down to finish, or to "sneak up" on trimming areas that are very visual.

Here's the same deal with the kick panels. The one we trimmed is on the left, and with its untouched brother on the right, they don't need much. We made sure to deburr the trimmed edges so the Ultraleather wouldn't snag.

We cleaned the backsides of the ABS with a little BraKlean on a rag so the Dualloc pieces would stick well.

Now came time for a professional to step in. I loaded up all the panels along with the Ultraleather and Ultrasuede to take a ride over to see Rudy at Auto Upholstery of Orange in the city of Orange, CA. He began by laying out the ABS panels on the Raisinette Ultraleather to see where it would be best to cut out the pieces and to make sure we had enough material to cover everything.

After cutting out a piece of the Ultraleather, the backside of it was sprayed with an even coat of upholstery glue as well as the outside of the door panel and both were allowed to set up for a couple of minutes before joining the material to the panel.

Once he flipped it over to make sure there weren't any wrinkles, Rudy it put back on the table face down to wrap the material over the edges after adding some more glue to the backside edge of the door panel. Also here you can see where the armrest area was cut out and again folded over while pulling everything tight to make sure nothing got bunched up along the way. Notice the relief cuts around the curves of the armrest hole.

The armrests themselves were a little trickier. Here's Rudy checking the elasticity of the Ultraleather, making sure it'll wrap around the armrest.

After laying down the glue in the same manner as before, Rudy busted out the heat gun to get the Ultraleather to stretch just enough. Use the heat gun carefully; you don't want to burn yourself or the material.

These little Dualloc squares are all that's behind the RodDoors panels to attach them body. The heavy-duty squares are backed with 3M tape, the same kind used to hold exterior body trim on many cars so you know they'll stay in place and as a result you don't see any screws that would normally hold the panels in place.

Here's the all the upholstered RodDoors panels with the assembled seat. All that's left is to install everything and tackle the headliner.

The RodDoors headliner is made of the same ABS as the rest of the interior panels are made of. Again, this kit was made for a small-window cab, so we had to trim some of the headliner that borders the rear glass of our big-window cab before Rudy covered it in the Chamois Ultrasuede that matches the two-tone on the bench seat. Rudy had to put a small seam in the two rear corners of the headliner since the Ultrasuede doesn't stretch like the Ultraleather.

The Package deal is now done, and its finale showcases a custom interior that wound up with looks that are comparable to much pricier scratch-built trim jobs...

...thanks to our kit from RodDoors and help from Rudy at Auto Upholstery of Orange.