How do people make custom interiors?

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by skatinjay27

to come up with flowing designs like that you need to start out by being an artist.

then you need different thickness and density's of foam,glue,fabrics,a good sewing machine$$$$,random tools and TIME!

You forgot SKILL and TALENT.... LOL

[skatinjay27]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

You forgot SKILL and TALENT.... LOL

naw! SAR proved by making you that sweet cup holder that those arent necessary!!!!!!!

[RECOVERY ROOM]

Not sure how to answer this.....Its not any different than a good welder, metal shaper, body and paint guy who knows there craft well, Lots an lots of hours put in till you figure what your capable of. Greg is right talent helps. Knowing how to see the final product finished and the steps to get there is one of the harder steps. You could ask 10 different interior shops how they do it and get 20 different answers, The basic steps are still the same for everyone I'm sure.
Know what you want it to look like or a good idea of a direction to go. The real special tools to our trade is not as much as you think, Sewing Machine, good glue guns,steamer,and a bunch of hand tools, The rest is the same as you would use in a metal shop or wood shop. I use aluminum for just about all are base panels then draw my designs on them and start making the parts with metal, fiberglass,foam,mdf board an pour foam,This is where the skills and experience come in. Sewing will take the longest to perfect and being able to lay your patterns out in the right shape, that comes from a s#it load of hours doing it. I know from experience because I sucked at it for the first couple of years then finally started to get the hang of it. knowing which kind of foams and where to use them is something you have to learn hands on. The best thing you could do is try and get in to a shop and work there to get as much hands on training as possible and see if its what you want to do. Theres a lot of good interior shops around that don't always do custom work but know the trade well you could learn from. The picture of the car in your post is from Shannon Walters, very good interior guy. He has his own style that works for him and you could develop your style over time also. Buy a used sewing machine and try it. I was going to post some pics of different steps but Photobucket has changed since the last time I put any pics up. Go thru the INTERIOR section on this site and look for a thread I started awhile ago... Interior pictures.. There are some before and after shots. I need to start a thread about how you guys do some of the stuff you do with computers....frickin photobucket

[70rs]

Great advice Tracy. I am going to do my own door panels and console. I know I can build the sub structures without any problems. But the final covering on the console may be tough in areas for me. The rear side panels, sail panels and center divider will just be stock parts with matching leather adhered to them.
I have learned a lot by watching others and asking tons of questions. Looking at your finished jobs has given me several ideas I want to put my own twist on. I hope it all works out ok. I'll be doing some test runs with cheaper materials than leather.

[protour73]

After trying this myself, I have HUGE respect for guys like Tracey. EVERYTHING he said is true. Knowing the materials, and having the right tools, and not to mention TECHNIQUE!!!!!

This is something that anyone can try and end up with good results, but it will take years of repetition to yield a great finished product. My design was super simple to make it easier for me to complete. I can't even imagine how long that interior in the picture would take a newbie, not to mention what it would look like in comparison to the finished product in that picture. That is not something a novice should attempt. You need to start simple.

This fall I am finally going to get to my trunk upholstery project, I will post up the results of that project.

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=32009

[Ummgawa]

Scott,

Your door panel results are awesome! I really have to tip my hat to you for even trying.

You da man.

[J2SpeedandCustom]

Don't let "Dream Weaver" scare you he has mad conversion van skills....

[TreySmith]

Originally Posted by protour73

After trying this myself, I have HUGE respect for guys like Tracey. EVERYTHING he said is true. Knowing the materials, and having the right tools, and not to mention TECHNIQUE!!!!!

This is something that anyone can try and end up with good results, but it will take years of repetition to yield a great finished product. My design was super simple to make it easier for me to complete. I can't even imagine how long that interior in the picture would take a newbie, not to mention what it would look like in comparison to the finished product in that picture. That is not something a novice should attempt. You need to start simple.

This fall I am finally going to get to my trunk upholstery project, I will post up the results of that project.

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php4?t=32009

How did you make yours? Something yours is what I want, I don't need anything crazy just something better than stock. I want black leather and then like a suede center.

[sniper]

Originally Posted by TreySmith

How did you make yours? Something yours is what I want, I don't need anything crazy just something better than stock. I want black leather and then like a suede center.

Think of it more this way. Remember those old wooden puzzles you may have had when you were a kid? Door panels are pretty musch the same.

I like to build my base for the doors first. I am not even a good artist so when I have the base done, I take a picture of it mounted on the door. I then print that out and now have endless pallets to rough draw different schemes and ideas. You can then refine that and start building the pieces and blocks of the panel.

As Tracy said, there are tons of materials to get the shape and designs you want. Two-part pour foam can be used to give you dimensions beyond basic panel layers and stacking closed cell foam.

Don't jump ahead to quickly by covering pieces of you panels, just to get a peek at what you;ve done so far. Finish all the pieces and get fitment right first, then cover all of those pieces. Don't be afraid to experiment a little, the outcome will well worth it.