January 09 2008   Story: Bryan Joslin

Saying that I have a way of over-committing is an understatement. But to put it another way, you could also say that I don't half-ass much of anything. Case in point: attacking the cracked vinyl seats in MWerks' Project E30. When I bought the solid Arizona/SoCal car two and a half years ago, I traded off a rust-free (if faded) body for a sun-beaten interior. I knew the moment I saw it I would at least find myself swapping out for some better seat covers, or worst case, back at the sewing machine stitching out some new bolsters in fresh vinyl. That was May of 2005, exactly a month before my VWvortex colleagues were handed the keys to a German-spec Mk V GTI for a summer promotional tour. That car's retro-plaid interior affected me badly, and I knew after living with that car for several months that nothing short of a full-blown interior makeover would do for the old BMW.



I set to work researching similar plaid materials for my new seats, only to end up rather disappointed. Most of the materials that were available in a large plaid design weren't really suited to automotive upholstery. Some were too thin, others too loose; and none of them were designed or treated for the harsh environmental conditions (UV exposure, temperature extremes, etc.) that a car interior must withstand. After all, there's nothing more disappointing than spending untold hours and dollars on a project that can't hold up to the task at hand. Eventually, I purchased several yards of a faux-Burberry cloth in matching red with black and white crossing stripes. A lightweight canvas of unknown content, it would probably hold up well, so long as it was treated for UV protection. Only real problem: it was over-the-top-obnoxious.

For several months I looked at that bolt of fabric propped up behind my office door, not quite ready to take the plunge and start ripping my interior apart for patterns. Then it hit me- why not use the same exact fabric Volkswagen uses in the GTI? I figured if it's good enough for a German OEM application, it should be fine for my needs. And its predominantly black pattern with faint charcoal, white and red stripes was far more toned-down than my original selection. A couple calls to some special friends in Auburn Hills resulted in a slim roll of the genuine article. Project E30 would soon be rocking Interlagos cloth!



A year after picking up the project car, I gutted the interior of everything except the driver's seat. The plan was to pattern everything from the original interior, stitch up the new pieces all at once, then swap everything over in grand fashion. Yeah, that was the plan. What actually happened can best be described as interference by this thing called a life. New baby, new house, new office, busy travel schedule. No new interior. I drove the empty shell from my lone driver's seat for the entire summer and fall. I learned about the thermal and acoustical properties of upholstery. The kid at the McDonald's drive-thru handed me my change and asked what happened to my car. I wasn't enjoying the car this way.



Thank goodness for national holidays. I chose the week between Christmas 2006 and New Year's Day 2007 as my do-or-die window to get this interior done, once and for all. But, in typical fashion, I had piled on a whole heap of other projects onto the basic interior makeover. As long as the seats were coming out, I may as well add seat heaters. And why not finally get rid of that nasty wood Momo shift knob and worn-out shift boot? A new set of pedal covers would bring some nice contrast to the dark corners of the cabin, and a set of matching instrument rings would add some drama to the dash. And I was in desperate need of a beverage holder, but not some add-on thing from a catalog; only an integrated piece would do. See what I mean about not half-assing it?

Project E30 entered 2007 with completely new seating, including the bum-warmers. Some of the other elements would come shortly thereafter (pedals, shift knob and boot, trim rings and cupholder console, to be exact). Sadly, another full year would pass before the door panels and rear cards would wear the same new look as the seats. In the final days of 2007, Project E30 finally got the last bits of its completely new interior.



Here is a breakdown of the before and after:



Seats
Before- Factory sport seats, black vinyl, no heaters. Vinyl hardened and cracked in numerous areas.


After- Factory sport seats reupholstered in new materials. Black vinyl for the bolsters and side panels, VW Interlagos plaid cloth for the seating surfaces. Check Corp's three-stage electric seat heaters added to both front seats.

Doors and Kick Panels
Before- Solid black vinyl vacuum-fitted to pressed fiber panels. Padding worn out, vinyl pulling away at corners and on bottom.


After- New solid black vinyl on the raised surfaces. Top-stitched "waistrail" trim. Interlagos plaid cloth for the recessed areas.

Center Console
Before- Plastic console trim with textured black vacuum-molded skin. Skin was blistered and peeling. No provisions for holding beverages.


After- Custom dual-slot (Coke can/Red Bull can) drinkholder insert fabricated from fiberglass and bonded into original console. New console covered in top-stitched vinyl.

Pedals
Before- Plain black rubber pedal covers. Clutch and brake worn through at corners. No footrest.


After- Four-piece (gas, clutch, brake, footrest) custom-fitted aluminum pedals from UltimatePedals.com. Frosted finish with black rubber button grippers. MWerks "MW" logo engraved in gas pedal and footrest.

Instruments
Before- Standard instrument cluster. Speedo circuit burnt and irreparable.


After- Replacement (used) instrument cluster purchased from EuroDepot.com. Satin silver-finished plastic trim rings purchased on eBay.

Knobs and Boots
Before- Wooden Momo shift knob, factory leather shift boot, factory plastic handbrake lever and accordion-style brake boot. Shift boot cracked.


After- Leather cover hand-stitched for existing Momo shift knob. New leather shift and handbrake boots fabricated. Leather cover for handbrake lever fabricated.

Cost and Time
Dropping your car off at an upholstery shop for a complete overhaul requires a fat wallet. Face it; this is handcrafted work that only a handful of people have the talent and equipment to complete. Depending on materials and the extent of your project, a new interior could easily cost $4000-5000 or more. Even if you're handy enough with some basic upholstery techniques, a pre-sewn kit can run several hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Clearly not a wise investment on a 15-year-old daily driver. But if you have some basic sewing skills, the ability to create patterns from worn-out old originals, and a mind for putting together puzzles without knowing what the finished piece will look like, then you might just try doing it on your own.



Here is a breakdown of the cost of the materials and the time investment used for the Project E30 makeover. Your actual costs and times will depend greatly on your own skills and ambition.



Money
- Vinyl- $105 7 yards (4 for seats, 3 for doors) @ $15/yard
- Cloth- Priceless (Let's just say it showed up one day) 3 yards, comparable materials range from $20-90 a linear yard
- Headliner Cloth- $80 8 yards @$10/yard, used as padding behind cloth and vinyl
- Spray Adhesive- $60 6 cans @ $10/can. Permatex Heavy Duty Headliner Adhesive, 16 oz can
- Sewing Supplies- $20 Pins, needles, thread, marking pencils
- Poster Board- $12 12-15 sheets, used for patterns
- Plexiglas Sheet- $30 48" x 48" x 3/16", used for door panel inserts
- Seat Heaters- $400 2 @ $200 each, three-stage custom-fit
- Pedal Set- $210 ($56 gas, $72 clutch and brake, $82 footrest)
- Trim Rings- $25 Bought on eBay from a German seller, shipped via postal service
- Bondo Kit- $25 Used for fabricating center console drinkholder.

Time
- Seat Reupholstery- 40-45 hours Includes removal, disassembly, patterning, sewing, reassembly and installation.
- Seat Heater Installation- 3 hours Includes fitting heater pads to disassembled seats, mounting switches in center console and running electrical wiring.
- Door Panel Reupholstery- 10-15 hours Includes removal, disassembly, patterning, fabricating insert panels, sewing, reassembly and installation.
- Custom Center Console- 20-25 hours Includes fabricating and fitting insert, and patterning, sewing and fitting vinyl cover.
- Pedal Installation- Less than 1 hour
- Instrument Ring Installation- Less than 1 hour



Conclusion
So, was it worth it? After a year and a half without a normal interior, honestly, it feels good just to look around the cabin and see it complete. Beyond that simple satisfaction, I am absolutley happy with the finished product. Although it was a lot of work and was spread out over a fairly long period of time, the end result not only makes the car livable again, it also gives it a distinct and cohesive new look. The new theme feels at once contemporary and yet somehow period-appropriate. Although I'm glad to put this phase of the project to rest, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again. But I'm not committing to that just yet...