I haven't had a lot of time to post lately but I thought I would start a thread about my interior redo and add to it as I go. There probably won't be anything earth shattering here but what the heck.

Here's a pic of the interior before I did anything but take out the seats and do the door panels. Nasty! I found this paper label stuck to the back of the original carpet when I took it out. I thought it was kind of interesting. It has a date of June 4 1970. I was surprised it survived.

 

Here's the back seat as it came out of the car. And after a serious scrubbing with Formula 409. That stuff works great.

 

cool find on the document, and 409! wow if I knew it worked that well I'd use it on the front seats too

 

Great! I like interior restos...

That's what you think. Wait till you get deeper into it...

This is how mine started out - I found the paper, also!

WOW! That stuff is strong. It turned the nasty blue into glistening white! Liquid resto in a bottle.

Keep the updates chuggin' along!

 

Here's the floor after a coat of Rust Convertor and Rust Encapsulator from Eastwood, and after that with a layer of Fatmat (generic version of Dynamat). Nothing too exciting so far. I found the place in the back for the two 6x9 speakers. If I had known about that I would have filled the holes in the cylinder cover where a previous owner had cut speaker holes.

 

Not doing a whole lot this weekend. Put together the two quarter panel covers. I used polyurethane construction adhesive to hold the cardboard to the plastic top rail rather than messing around with staples. Quick and easy.

 

I got the TrimParts carpet kit. It seems to be very good and high quality, the only issue was the driveline hump in the back floor is molded a little too high. I think this is the same issue Rob had. I did like he did and put in a little more padding...other than that this is a nice kit.

I did a little trick for the bolt holes...after feeling with my hand to see where the hole goes, I used an old soldering iron to make the hole. The hole comes out perfectly round and the edges are fused so it cannot enlarge or unravel. If you do this make sure you use an old soldering iron, it will be ruined. Luckily I had a spare.

 

My gas pedal has 73,000 miles of wear on it (see pic in previous post). It doesn't look like you can just pop a cover on it like you can the brake pedal. Does anybody sell a replacement?

 

Yes, you can get park brake, brake pedal and accelerator pedals new from Fusick. Check page 53 of their new catalogue. Or go to their web page and download it for free.

 

Good to know, thanks!

 

Looking good so far! I like the carpet bolt hole making tips - I wish I would have known before...
Unfortunately with the rear quarters, the staples will come back to haunt you when the inner window felts are installed.

 

Don't I know it. After careful consideration I opted for pop rivets painted semi-flat black. They're pretty hard to see.

I probably won't be able to work on the interior this weekend, I need to get a new battery and install it, and do some yard work (the leaves are beginning to fall). I'll update this thread later, in a week or two, when I get back to it. I need to get the console cleaned up and painted and the dash pad out, and maybe I'll get all the rear quarter stuff reinstalled.

Rob, do you have a pic of how to trim the edge of the carpet that's in the door sill? I'm not sure how far back from the sill edge to trim the carpet.

 

Good easy choice - "pop goes the rivet"!!

Looks like you have similar problems that I have to deal with also... I just mow em and bag em and trash em. One beer's time.

Here is a picture, the best I have. Cut small strips off - not one huge chunk. It is easier to take more off then add more back. I wont tell how I learned...
Use your solder iron to make the screw holes in it for the sill plates.

 

Yeah, sometimes life interferes with our car time! Thanks for the pic, that helps a lot. I wasn't sure how far back to trim the edge for the sill plate. Thanks again!!!!

 

Here's the console that I restored in January. It came out pretty nice. Thanks to some advice to a couple of guys on here! Replaced all the light bulbs and tested them with a battery charger.

 

Then in April I got the dash out and started on it. No real surprises in there, the wiring harness had not been cut and the radio was original (but pitted badly).

One thing I was concerned about was the grounding of the instrument panel. I soldered all of the grounding straps in back of the dash together and connected a seperate wire to a new ground strap. Also put a seperate ground wire on each of the instrument pods. Now I know they are properly grounded.

 

Here's the back of one of the gauge pods, I had to repair two of the harness pins, and you can see the new ground wire attached to the screw.

 

Dash back in the car. Had a heck of a time getting the instrument panel lights to work when the headlights were on....ended up pulling the light switch back out yada yada yada....finally got them working great. The problem was a flaky fuse--it tested 0 ohms but had intermittent contact. All the idiot lights worked fine right off.

Soldered and shrink wrapped all the wires for the new RetroSound radio. Temporarily hooked some speakers to the pre-installed speaker wires. Was amazed when it worked fine first time....I also have the windshield antenna. I was surprised at the FM reception, not that I listen to a lot of radio anymore.

Also installed a reproduction sport steering wheel from the Parts Place. It was a piece of cake 30 minute job, I kid you not. I put together a seperate thread on that in this same forum if interested.

I forgot to mention I also painted the metal part of the dash and the steering column before putting the dash pad back in. It was actually quite easy. Replaced the turn signal lever too.

 

I have the shifter down at the chrome shop being redone. I also need to take the front seats down to the upholstery shop and have them recovered this week. Hoping to have the interior buttoned up soon! Here are after and before shots of the piston covers...

 

Looks sweet - great work!!
Console came out great, and nice to know that the dash was not to bad to restore. I have seen flakey fuses before, too - always good to have some spares to test with when having a problem.

I like the steery wheel - I need to go that route also pretty soon.

How do you like the retro sound radio? Post some closeup shots of it and what model you have - I am thinking of using theirs also.

Again, very nice work - you are almost ready to hit the road!!

I will tell you my new motto now -
"Save your interior - drink water when driving. You never know when you may dump it..."

 

Thanks Rob! I will post some shots of the radio but it will be a little while, I need to clean up the original ***** and see if I can make them work. I'll post my impressions of it later also.

First time I'd ever seen a fuse that tested OK but did not work. When I saw the blue sparks INSIDE the fuse, that was my clue! Oh well at least I figured it out before I spent any more time on it.

The old steering wheel was badly cracked and missing a couple of chunks....the repro setup is the best $300 I've spent on the car. I had an OEM one but it wasn't in that great of condition.

I forgot to mention the repro neutral switch from the Parts Place, for the floor shifter. It fits and works perfectly also. Not always the case with repro stuff so I'm happy with the wheel and the neutral switch.

 

Wow! Nice to hear - i better get the wheel fast before a factory change make it wrong!

 

Well, I bought mine about 5 years ago when the kit first came out. Just now got around to installing it. HOPEFULLY they ones they have now fit as well. Get the full kit, it comes with the hub, horn adapter, horn cap and wheel and I think screws for mounting the wheel and horn adapter to the hub and saves a few bucks over the separate price.

 

My shifter still isn't ready after three weeks at the chrome shop, and my upholstery shop is a little backed up so I can't even get my bucket seats in there for a couple more weeks. I'll just have to keep plugging away on some other things for a while....

 

wow lookn good!! i just got my original pearl 70 int redone 2, do you know where 2 buy the color match pearl touch up spray paint?? ive been looking for it for a long time i need 2 paint my head rests and windlaces

 

Thanks! As for the pearl dye, I bought some from Year One. It's just a pearl overcoat, you need to have a white base first. I used it on a reproduction white windlace and it looks good. I'm going to try my headrests also....but I will have to dye them white first. I'll let you know how it comes out.

 

Very nice work on the interior. Keep the pics and updates coming!

 

mv213, do you got the part number from opgi, i just looked 4 it in the catalog with the red 70 drop on the cover and couldnt find it, thats my favorite catalog the cover car and my sx455 look like twins!

 

PM sent. The Year One part number is svm28s. It has a Year One label on the can so I don't think OPGI carries this particular product unless under another label.

 

mv213 thanks 4 info i just emailed year1 and they said they have them in stock for 18.95 a piece, im going 2 order a couple in the next couple days keep me posted on how yours comes out, thanks again

 

parstplace has pearl dye as well, a bit cheaper I believe. I just bought new windlaces in white and sprayed Pearl over those - looks great. For my headrests since they were brown I tried white dye first and that didn't work so well, so I bought a light beige and then sprayed the pearl over that - looks much closer to the reproduction seat covers than the white with Pear did (not that it was off a lot just the light beige gave it more of a pearl color instead of a white with a metallic coating)

 

steven i was thinking about selling my black headrests and tring 2 find some white/beige1s 2, im sure its going 2 be some work 2 cover the black1s i have right if they scratch theyll show threw, i have a set now that i had covered with the pui head rest covers they look real good but i like bone stock original, the pui pearl material looks great but its not the original look that i like, when i bought my car it had edelbrock intake/carb, long tube headers, hei i yanked all that stuff off and put all the original parts back on, i love the look of all original and the covered head rests catch my eye every time i get in, ive been looking for a non cracked pair for of pearl for 2 years with NO LUCK!!!

 

I covered mine as well, and they looked pretty good until I looked at a car with original headrests, then immediately took mine off. Same thing I have looked and looked for White ones. Every once in a while you can find a single white headrest for 25 - 50 bucks but I was always too late - take your time and wait for the white ones, though I have never seen a pearl one for sale! A good mint pair of white seem to go for 150+ I'll deal with a scratch here and there on the dark brown ones I dyed pearl, all you have to do is take the headrest off, mist it with one coat of white and then a quick light mist of pearl and good as new.

 

Here's the rechromed shifter and repro neutral switch installed, the rear seat and armrests installed, and finally the completed console installed. Waiting for the front seats to come back...

 

Congrats on the progress - it is starting to look like a car interior now!
I sure like the pearl color. In TX, it would save your butt in summer...
One suggestion would be to try to carefully paint your rear speaker grilles to match your vinyl. I did that (after being suggested by another member) and it makes the speakers not stand out so much. Take a vinyl scrap to the local rattle can paint store and find something close. White shades are so easy to match.

Keep it up - you will be on the road soon!

 

Hey, that's a great idea Rob, thanks! I love the pearl too, the old blue was just too much blue since there was no accent color.

I wish the p.o. hadn't cut those panels but oh well. BTW everybody, I have three restored rear deluxe seatbelts in the parts for sale forum, way cheap (compared to what I paid for them!). They're just like the ones in the picture of the back seat above. Somehow I ordered 3 extras....

 

looking good!!!! im burnt!! i just realized that its a convertable!! i paint cars for a living if your planing on painting it i wouldnt put the interior back in yet!! paint first than int!! no matter how good you tape everything off overspray all ways finds its way threw!! if it gets on the pearl you cant clean it because the cleaning will take the pearl off 2! just a thought

and thanks again for the year1 color code ive put my covered head rests up for sale i found a pair of 72 white headrests that im going 2 paint, i traded my aftermarket black1s and 50 for them, I WON!!!!!

 

Good score on those headrests! I still need to dye mine, hope they come out well. My car was painted about 4 years ago so I'm not doing anything with the paint.

I just heard from my upholstery shop, my driver seat has several broken springs. I had to order a spring kit from The Parts Place, that will set me back a week--which in the grand scheme of things is not that great but I'll miss Cars and Coffee this Saturday (unless I take my wife's 2004 Audi TT 3.2 quattro....kinda girly but a really fun car).

 

i have a 2001 TT a6 quattro sittn on the side of my house right now, it used 2 run like a porsche but nows its ruined!! 1st my X-girlfriend keyed it, cut up the int, smashed the speedo, and sugared the tank, than i was nice enough 2 let my daughters mom (differnt woman) stay in my rental because she got evicted, she let some1 steal the catalyic converters off my car after asking me 2 sell the cats 2 her friend because his car wont pass smog i told her loser *** no no no and when i finily got her out my house my cats were gone!! on top of my cat's stolen she only paid 200 in rent in 6 months and she stole everything that wasnt bolted down!! if your looking for a twin turbo 01 a6 that needs some work i got one for cheap!!!

 

Recieved my seat springs today and took them down to the upholstery shop. Nothing much else I can do but wait. My wife and I took her toy, the TT 3.2 quattro to Cars and Coffee this weekend. We enjoyed seeing the cool cars...there was one '69 Cutlass ram air there, it had a beautiful engine compartment.