Vinyl - too thick, fat (reproduction)

Just finishing interior work on series I FHC. All the vinyl was thicker than the original. I wish the folks marketing reproduction items actually tried installing the stuff they sell. In some cases they may do this, but as real professionals they may have experience and equipment that masks real problems with the goods they offer. Nearly all the covering on an early FHC must fold over something and get glued or stapled. When the padding and vinyl are too thick problems happen. The door panels are retained by jamming into a channel at the top of the main panel. The new panels only fit after the most aggressive attempts to compress the foam and push until you think everything is going to bend or get wrecked. Every single time the vinyl needed to bend over, the thickness was an issue. Despite the wildly bad condition of the original car, I had much of the original interior - it fit everywhere just perfect, in its original holes.
Over $1 000,00 down the drain just on poorly sleeved brake parts and reproduction stainless calipers (leaked from improper machine work) - pardon my obsession with this issue.

Larry,
I agree, the vinyls supplied for my interior Kit and that of one other supplier I used are all backed by a knit fabric which makes them thicker than what was originally used. It’s a struggle to make it all come together, using professional glue is a must.

Hi all,

It is doable to peel off the white fabric and stretch the vinyl. For some parts like the console, you need to do that for a descent fit, so the face panel and instrument panel can lower correctly. My vinyl came from Aldridge, which supplied SNG.

Try to resuse as much as possible. I reused my original vinyl and backing panel from the doors to get a good fit.

Regards,
Richard

Used the “vinyl top” stuff that everyone says is the best - glue was good, no issues.

Job is now actually done. Using original not an option. Car was lower mileage, but used as a drag car with Chevy engine and was shop worn as a result. Old stuff useful as a guide, but couldn’t be reused.

Can you be more specific about the glue…spray or brush/ name would help …I have had no long term success with Wellwood contact cement

weldwood landau vinyl top adhesive, comes in gallon cans. can be brushed or sprayed, I only brushed, did not see a need for spraying,

Re: glue and vinyl.

I owned an auto upholstery shop in the 70’s and 80’s so I’ve seen just about every failure imaginable.

There is a problem when the vinyl you are attempting to glue down isn’t of the correct type. The problem isn’t with the vinyl itself, but with the cloth backing. Most adhesives need to stay stable over time. Most vinyls are meant to do just the opposite. Trouble occurs when the two meet. The softening agents in the vinyl migrate to the adhesive turning it into goo. We’ve all felt that slimy stuff after a year or two where the glue used to be.

The cloth on quality vinyl will be robust and stand proud of the vinyl. The cloth on average and poor vinyl will have sunken into the vinyl layer during manufacture.

We want the adhesive to sink into the cloth backing, not just sit on the vinyl’s surface. If the surface is showing more vinyl than cloth, the adhesive will fail no matter its quality.

Wen I get a set of door cards now and the vinyl is just ‘ok’ quality, I chase the edges with CA adhesive. It helps.

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Now that’s something that I’ve not heard of. Can you use it straight, in lieu of the rubber-based cements? I have in mind steel door caps with minimum purchase for vinyl that is folded around the ends and glued on the back.

I’d test the metal bare and with primer. I’m thinking the primer will keep the adhesive from popping due to oxidation. I use the gel, it doesn’t run. I’ve used it on glued and bare vinyl, seems to work well either way.

CA wasn’t around in the 70’s. We could have used it in a few tough spots.

Thanks for the advice. BTW, CA glue was around starting in the late 50s (Eastman 910) but it was very thin and very pricey (about $10; quite a piece of change then, for an eye-drop size bottle). As you say, the thicker and cheaper stuff became available decades later.

I have to agree with the OP - I have some nice looking door cards to go into my car but the vinyl is so think the they will not fit into the stainless trim fittings. I recovered my original cards with locally sourced thin vinyl (so the right vinyl is available) which is not quite the same colour but not really noticeable when in place.

As a general statement I have found repro parts generally do not fit without a bit of modification - this applies not only to Jag stuff but all Classic Car repro items.

What I used. “Weldwood” makes many types of ‘glues’ - it’s the “Landau” in the gallon jug that you want. I both sprayed it (headliner only) and brushed it. Bought about one or two million cheap ‘chip’ brushes, cut the bristles blunt and it worked well. Must super seal the can. Used a bit more than one gallon. I thought guys were joking when they said they used that much…

I know what this thread is about, because I once had the same problem. But that was then and this now.

[Ring tone followed by click]

“Hello, ABC Trim, this is John Doe, how can I help?”
“Hi, do you sell the thin non-stretch vinyl used on rigid parts of old cars?”
“No, we only sell thick stretchy upholstery stuff but we have lots of colors.”
“No, I need the thin stuff. Thanks. Bye.”
[Click, brrrrrrrr]

[Ring tone followed by click]

“Hello, XYZ Trim, this is Jane Doe, how can I help?”
“Hi, do you sell the thin non-stretch vinyl used on rigid parts of old cars?”
“Yes. What color?.”
“Great, I’ll take two yards of red…”

[Cont’d.]

Hi There was CA available from 1974 on, it was called Hot Stuff, I used it to build R/C model planes. I also use black CA to help keep the body to bumper rubber trim in place.
Regards,
Allen

This thread is of interest to me because I am currently shopping for a complete interior kit for my '64 FHC. I have looked at the web sites for SNG, Muncie Imports, BAS, and XKs, Can anyone tell me if I have overlooked any good sources for kits? Do you have any opinions regarding the merits of these different vendor products? I plan to do the installation myself. I have experience.

I bought a Suffolk & Turley kit way back when I did my car and the vinyl was the proper original kind with a non-stretchy thinner fabric backing, similar to what I removed. Most of the samples I got from others at the time were the thick stretchy stuff winch is really unsuitable for many places, like the console trim and piping and the edges of the sill covers. Too thick where it’s folded.

I know people like Hirsch etc. also sell the correct stuff but in rolls, not kit form and I bought some of that too.

Suffolk and Turley, the look is superb.

BAS in Wales, UK and they will trim your small gear lever console for next to nothing.

OSJI, aka Original Specification Jaguar Interiors, formerly G.W.Bartlett in Muncie, IN has good products in my experience. I have purchased two interior kits from their earlier GWB iteration and they were superb, though at the time they still had access to and supplied Connolly leather and Wilton wool which are both now nla. However, I purchased new door panels and carpeting from OSJI abt 5 years ago and was again very pleased with the quality. Fwiw.