Colin Rouse Auto Trim Cornwall

1967 VW Split Screen Bus Trimmed For A Wedding Bus.......................

2011-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all, sorry its been so long...

I have been so busy trimming I've not had anytime to update the blog....anyway here is an update for you which include some beautiful buses for you to see,,,,,,,Below is a gorgeous vw split screen bus trimmed out for wedding hire......And WOW the customer wanted and WOW they got......After three weeks solid work and gallons of tea and biscuits the end result......I hope you like and if you have any questions please contact me on : info@autotrimvw.com or tel : 07794978914..... Enjoy.......................

This is a 1967 bus in all her glory......gorgeous colour and her name is BERNIE............................

This is a photo showing the old seating frames, these frames were cut down and reused for the buddy seats.

Front cab area before the strip down started, the front seats were in very good order but these were replaced to match the rest of the bus.

A full width rock and roll bed was fitted, for the times when the new bride and groom cannot wait.....loll.

Again the old door cards were in good order but not fitting in with the new style.
Note:- All the new door cards no screws and cups were used.....This gives such a clean line and finish.

A different picture showing the new rock and roll bed.You can see the new foam fitted to the base boards and the workings out of the new covers, this helps when cutting to get it right first time.

Here you can see the ply head liner, This was re used but it was covered in cream head lining cloth to match in with the plush wedding look.This bus had a small rag top which was in very good order and just a clean and was as good as new.

A striped down and ready to go.......well it was 2 in the morning so off to bed for a early start.....

The rear area being mocked up with the two buddy seat units having the frame work made and the rock and roll bed unit now all fitted with some old cushions in place to see how it would look.... a long way to go....

Front seats striped down and all the old covers removed. All the frame work was cleaned checked and then painted ready for the new seat and back pads to be fitted.

For a bus this old the springs were so good order, its hard to believe they are over 30 years old.

Here you can see some donor covers I used to template the design that the customer wanted. You can see the inner and outer style being worked out....... measure measure measure and in the end...............success.

Template cut out, ready to be cut out of the leather, as you will know if you've ever bought leather it is a costly product, so moving the parts around to find the best fit so as not to waste the leather.

A little step forward.....this is the suede fabric used for the center panels of the seats and door cards.
This was the wow factor that complemented the leather so well.This was being foam backed ready for the stitching work to be done.

Here you see a panel marked out of leather, as you see leather is tricky to cut as it comes with natural marks called SCARS.....all this needs to be taken into account, before making the cuts

This is the reverse side of the center panels..The customer wanted diamond stitching style, You can see some adjustments were needed to get the sizes right, Once this was sorted all the other panels were much easier.

The marking out of the backing shows just how much work goes into even the smallest of parts..........

A picture showing the outer boarder marked and ready to be transferred to the leather. You can see the sewing guide marks, This is very important as if they do not line up when sewing you will end up with a out of shape seat......

This is the finished center panel ready to go into the leather outer section.....TEA time.............

The center and the outer panels put together before the stitching was done just to make sure all lined up......

As if by magic........All sewn with piping added to create the sharp clean finish.

Well this looks like just a pile of material............Well its taken over 5 hours to get this seat to this stage, The covering is being placed over the seat swab and foam to make sure all fits.Note the wire showing this allows the cover to be pulled tight and making the clean finish.

This shows the seat ready for the cover to be fitted, you see the outer foam which is shaped to fit and creates the style the customer was looking for.

All on.....with double stitching seams for strength and it also finishes the look ........I LIKE.....cool

A different angle of the seat in the bus.... finished you can see the suede center with the outer in leather with suede piping.

The back was much the same process but with the added touch of having 3 flowers embroidered into the back panel.I think a nice touch....

The finished item..............I loved the look and the effect i was looking for......10 hours of work on this seat alone but well worth every minute spent I think...let me know if you like, on my comment box

The rock and roll seat being fitted to the base board. Note the white wadding used.... this allows for the extra softness to the finished look.

All done... you can see the full width rock and roll bed in all its glory, with the detailed stitching / diamond style with the matching flower as the front seats...looking nice....

Here you can see the flower design in more detail... working out the style and colour which matches the outer colour of the bus makes the finishing touches.

This is the re used ply head liner lined with new white lining cloth then re fitted with new aluminum fitting strips.....makes such a great finish.

As you can see this is the large rear cushion that makes up the rock and roll bed... We have put the name BERNIE in the center .I think this looks great... A few more adjustments to the cushion and its ready to fit to the bus.

Even closer look at the name.....a great touch we can do to any ones bus or beetle.... just ask me for a quote and i be happy to help.

Above you can see a selection of pictures of the door cards trimmed in the same style and fitted to the bus.... it was important to get the scaling right for these to match the seating.....and note there are no fixing screws showing on this panels as some buses show, I use my special fixing way.... this helps keep that clean look to the whole job.

The front seats in all there glory..... with all the finished parts fitted around them......She looks great....

This shows the two rear facing buddy seats that were completely custom mad to fit the bus..... they were trimmed in the same style with lift of seats for storage under neath.

Open wide........ All that's missing is the bride and groom.....wow what a job.... i hope you all like the pictures it was a lovely bus to work on.....

There you go ..... all done keep a look out for the next project Any job undertaken from the full on re trim as above to the small stitch repair . I you have any questions you can contact me on mail:- info@autotrimvw.com
or tel : 07794978914

Cheers Colin

1978 vw beetle in for more re trimming

2011-08-31T03:49:00.001-07:00

Hi all .... Have got this all original beetle in for re trimming keep a look out for more updates to follow.... Colin

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VW 1967 21 Window Samba Split Screan Full Lenth Rag Top Re Build

2011-08-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

Hi all well hears a lovely 21 window samba !!!!! Yes it is.... with a fully rebuilt full length rag top sun roof.

This is a gorgeous bus that i have fully re trimmed in two tone leather.... This part is all about the re trim and re fit of the sun roof.....The windows in the roof are there in the inside but not been cut through in the outer roof... this is a very rare as i believe this was ordered of military use . Below is a selection of pictures showing the make up and fitting of a full length rag top roof. I hope you enjoy and any questions you may have please contact me and i be happy to help.

This is Malcolm's gorgeous bus waiting to be picked up by the customer I'm sure he will like it.

Just a different angle showing the bus in all its glory a lovely choice of colours for the paint.

Here is a roof shot showing all the old roof removed and all the fixing holes cleaned and ready for the new roof to be fitted.

Here is all the new bits ordered in from the USA. the quality of the product is superb , the cost was not the cheapest but well worth it as it all fitted without and alterations needed.

There are many parts to this roof, the best tip i can give is to take loads of photos as a reference and keep every part just in case, For this job the customer has decided to replace all the parts at a very high cost but i am very pleased with the result . The photo above shows the laying out of the front locking mechanism and all the sliding roof bows fitted to See if all works and at this stage before fitting any cloth you can sort out any problems.

Here you can see the runners in the track with the new nylon bushes fitted and running smoothly. Also showing the top bow working as it should, which allow the roof to close and container together.

A shot showing how the top bow lifts to allow the roof to open onto the next roof bow as pictures will show. If not using new like i was its very important at this stage to make sure all parts are working and using a good lube like WD40 will help free and stuck parts, If this dose not work replacement parts are recommended.A overhaul of the front locking arm is very important , in most cases a good clean and oil will make it work almost like new.

Here you can see me adjusting the tensor, These two screws depending on how they are turned allow the upper runner to run smoothly in the track, Again care is needed and take your time in getting this right as the smoothness of operation relies so much on this adjustment.

A nice new stainless track in place again the tip here is to make sure all the fixing holes are clean and if needed clean the thread with a matching die , New fitting screws are a must and when fitted make sure the screws are fitted flush and any metal burs should be sanded off. I also fitted thread seal on these as they are prone to allow water to leak into the bus.

The pen shows the metal griper teeth ready to take the new marital, I always get these as level as i can as it relay helps to get a even tension on the cloth when fitting.

Just a different angle showing the front header unit and one of the bows all ready now for the marital.

You can see here the fixing strip that fits into the slots shown in the above photo. If you cannot use the old headliner as a pattern I would recommend getting a new one made . You can buy these or get your local auto trimmer to make one for you.

This is the start of the fitting of the materiel starting with the header unit and working your way back and take your time as a mistake can be costly.....

Once fitted gently tap down the metal barbs working your way along and doing this two or three times is better than trying to hammer them home in one go.

With that done you now can work your way back, one bow at a time, you are looking at the fitting of the inner headlining cloth.

Once this is set in place use ca strong contact adhesive and bond the two fixing sections together as shown above, do not glue the roof bow bar as this still needs to hang free to allow for the best opening and closing of the roof.

This is the roof layed out on a bench and all ready for its first fit to see how it works....cross fingers...loll seriously take your time and it will work out great. The trimming of the surplus fixing cloth is done on the first bow, then the next ones can be done and so on .

There you go , all fitted and working OK....at this stage you can do any adjustments needed to get the inner lining tension right.

This is the rear of the inner liner , this is the last part to be fitted as this part is the all important part to get the tension correct so i temporary use double fixing tape here to allow for adjustments till its right.

Once you are happy with the tension you can use the fitting bar , again i would start from the middle outwards and temporary fit the screws and then fit down fully when happy.

Here you can see top covering being put to the upper part of the tension bars making sure they all fit and look right.

This shows you the inner headlining all done and ready to be used....bring on the summer.

This shows the top cover all tensioned and ready for the side fixings to be put in place, the webbing you can see runs up both sides and this allows you to pull it to the correct tension ready for the final fixing.

You can seethe lower part of the fixing fitted ready for the top to be secured... great care is taken here as a hole in the wrong place would mean start all over again....

Marking with a wax pencil so no mistake were the hole and fitting needs to be... this is repeated along both sides.

There we have it.... all fitted and ready for its final cheek......looking good.

And after many cups of tea and long nights its all done.....Now the customer has many years of leek free and great fun.

One final part to be done... smear some Vaseline along both tracks this helps the runners to slide more easy ....JOB DONE....

As you see the sun roof sliding back smoothly and it all works great,

A close photo of the handle locked in place making sure there are no snags....all OK here.

A wider angle photo showing the inner liner all in place, Note bellow you can see some custom lights we fitted in the bus for the customer.....nice.

Again a photo showing the inside with the sun roof fully open and you can see how it all folds into each other.

A picture from above of the finished job.......

A great photo ,as you can see what a lovely bus this is......

Well i hoped this helped any one who is trying to fit or is about to under take fitting a full length rag top to a 21 window samba.... good luck.... If you need any info or help or you would like me to price on supplying and fitting one for you please contact me : Colin on : 07794978914 or email me on : info@autotrimvw.com for more help.
See you all soon

Colin...

Vw bay window rock & roll bed

2011-08-24T00:25:00.001-07:00

Hi all just an update of the vw bay window i am working on...all new foam cut and new two tone vynal covers being sew up....

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2011-08-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

Just finisjed two lorry seats for halo horse boxes... Cool

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2011-08-20T02:05:00.001-07:00

Vw Bay window in for triming to rock and roll cushions

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VW Type 4 Front Seats and Rear Rock and Roll Re- Upholster

2011-06-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well hello to you all again...........I seam to be having a run of T4 vans.....loll. But i do like these vans, they offer modern driving with a cool surf bus/ day van look.Bellow is a re trim i did for a couple who were over the moon with the end result. This transformed the whole look of the van from standard to a stand out from the crowd look. ENJOY.

Ready for the strip down......front seats and rear rock and roll bed unit.

The seats were in great shape , so just a strip down and a clean of the runners ans a layer of over foam to the seat bolsters was all that was needed.

The inside of the van with the front seats removed ans a cool surf board table......

Hear are all the seat components cut out and ready for sewing....you can see the piping cut and ready to be sew up first...a long process but the end result is worth the work.

These are the rear rock and roll covers ready to be sewn, you can see the lone side boarders ready to all be sewn together.

The foams cut and have been marked showing the process of working out the alignment of the materials and proportions before the sewing is done. Time is always taken at this stage as a mistake hear can mean starting all over again.

The sewing process shown, I had to stop for a cuppa as this was late into the night as i had to meet a deadline for the customer....So tea and biscuits was needed.

There all done, sorry about the jump in the process of pictures, If you want to see how the covers are put onto the frames please have a look at some of my earlier blog as they show this process.

Looking good....I love the contrast piping it makes the plain blue of the seats stand out really good.

Hear you can see the rock and roll bed all in place and ready for some use...I always look and try the seating out, As looks can be good but you need to make sure that the seating and bed use works....And it was just fine on this bus.

The buddy seat looking cool.....a great little extra seat for using for storage and when Friends pop in for a beer or two.
I hope you all liked and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.....Cheers for now.
Colin

VW T 4 Van Rock and Roll Seat Upholsterd

2011-06-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all hear is a short post of a nice 3/4 rock and roll bed that i re trimmed in a very Nice t4 day van......hope you all like.

This is the van just been dropped of ready for me to do some magic...........loll

First steps was to cut out the foam, this foam i use is a mattress grade foam which is great for sitting and sleeping on.Making sure the foam fits good then you can go on to the cutting of the covers.

Hear you can see layed out the blue and silver material the customer wanted....you can see the process needed making sure that it all lines up.

This is the under lining i use, it is a water proof liner just in case there are any water leaks in the van the foam will not get wet............

A closer look at the strips....i had to cut all the pieces very accurately so when sewing you get this nice straight look.

And as if by magic...all done.You can now see how important it is to get the stripes lining up.... i think there is nothing worse than it not matching........

A cool look....loll seeing it from this angle give what could be just a plain looking re trim into something very good.

Te strips followed on the out side of the van to.....Cool. i managed to get the strips lining up with the inside.

There you have it...a nice little blog showing what can be done.......Hope you all liked and please leave a comment if you like or if you have any questions please contact me......I'm of to the beach now........Cheers .Colin

Type 25 vw Camper Van Re Trim

2011-05-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hi to you all hear is a seat out of a type 25 camper van. there is two front seats and rear rock and roll cushions, The customer has chosen some very nice colours which match his van. Have a read and see what you think.................

This is the seat before the strip down,, looking old and worn out. Lets make it all new.....

Taking the back apart was quite a hard job...and remembering how it all goes back together, I always take plenty of pictures.

The seat cover removed ready for me to unpick and use for a pattern to cut the new covering by.

Hear you can see the rear cushions layed out ready for new foams to be cut and new covers to be made.....Its very important at this stage to get your measurements correct.....

This is some of the seat boarders cut and layed out ready to be sewn.....

Above is the seat cover all sewn and ready to be put on........

Hear is a close up of the sewing line marked out ready for sewing....this make the sewing process a lot easier.

This is a finished top of a seat..... showing the tuck and roll style chosen,This is now ready for the side boarder to be sewn on.............

The seat foam swab was in good condition but i put extra foam on the side areas to give the foam a little uplift.

Hear you can see the seat with the boarder all sew on and ready to fit.You can see the card sewn round the bottom edge. this is for the finishing allowing the cover to be fixed to the frame work of the seat.

All don........the finished item looking good with a nice tight fit you can see the contrast center with the contrast piping to match.....nice choice.

The finished seat......looking good and with the original head rests being kept but the match in well with the rest of the trimming.

Hear you can see both front seats done and ready to fit to the van....Matching pair.....cool.

Now on the the rear rock and roll cushions.....and buddy seat ( to the left ).I have taken of all the old coverings ready for me to measure and cut the new material.Its important at this stage to make sure you get all the cushions in the right order......As you will see later .

A small step on with all the covers cut and sewn This shows the main cushion being checked before fitting to the new foams . If you would like to see the process i used to make these cushions please look in my earlier BLOGS which shows you this process....thanks.

Hear they all are ......ready to be used......I love the way the tuck and roll all lines up and you can see now how important it is to get this right at the planing and cutting stage,

A bit different....The buddy seat done all in green with a brown side boarder......looking great to.....

This is a photo showing the seat and back lined up and you can see it looking good even when it is in the seating position...

Smile ...for the family shot....loll. All done and ready for the customer to come and pick up. I am sure he will like what he sees.....Well that's all for now but keep looking for mere projects coming soon
Cheers Colin.

A Late Brazilian Bay Window VW Camper Van Front Seat Re Trim

2011-03-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hear is a picture of a new brazilian bus that a customer ask me to do some re triming to make the interor more modern and more in keeping with the bus......I hope you all like the pictures and info given.....COOL.........

A clasic design of caravan upholstery put into a camper van............MMMMM not my choice !!!!!!but it takes all sorts.

This is a differant photo showing the rear of the front seats ...these had a problem that the poptop roof leaked and soaked and this was the reason for the triming.......

Hear are some colour samples of what the customer was wanting.........better than the origonal.....

The cutting procese under way , as you can see the markings on the revers of the matiral... this helps with the sewing.

All cut and ready to sew, This is the rock and roll bed unit. this matched with the front seats.

The seat all layed out and you can see the shapes and parts needed to make it fit the base foam swabb.

A smily face......lol , this show the center pannel ready for the tuck and roll sewing.

A close up of the sewing of the center panel making the tuck and roll style.

The next stage.....the sewing of the side pannels stiched together.....a slow proces but well worth the finished result.

A differant close up picture showing the boarder to the top pannel.

All done and ready to be put onto the foam swab......

This is the back sewn in the same way and ready to be put on....re using the old but good condition foam.

Ready to have the cover put on....some silicon is used to help the cover slide over the foam.

All done....PEW....a late night needed to get this right, the finished result looks great.

The two side by side ready to be put into the vanall thats needed is the head rests fiting....job done.

A angle photo of the matching door cards.....these were styled in the same colour and style as the seats.

New carpet fitted and glued down....the front kick boards were next on the list to do....

As if by majic....well quite a few late nights and cups of tea later....

Just a angle veiw of the van with new roof seals fitted this stoped the leeks into the van....

There all done........ready for the customer to pic up....this is a great look for this bus,,it realy made a differance to the look and styling ...I hope you all liked, see you all soon for some more updates...
Cheers
Colin.

1967 tin top split screen camper van conversion

2011-03-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all, Well the new season will soon be hear and and WOW so bizzy.......Bellow I've just finished lining out a split screen tin top conversion with birch wood ply covered in perforated PVC head lining. this is a great way to finish the roof of your van as using the correct sizes of ply and fitting right it makes the van look complete, I also made and fitted new door cards for this customer to match into the front seat piping , I hope you all like and if any questions please contact me for any questions you may have.

This is the van ready for the work to be done....hear it goes.....

This is a close up of the rear section of roof behind the cab area.....this is a small ply liner in place as this guides the main ply head liner into place.

As you can see take this all the way down both sides of the van.

Hear is a close up of the rear head liner cloth fixed into the rear grip fixing ready to be tensioned.

From the other angle and the PVC tensioned and glued to the frame.

Hear you can see the rear of the van with the front part of the liner in place with just 4 fixing screws to hold it all in place.

The second panel all in and with the rear hinge covers on, All that's needed is the center trim to hide the fixing screws.

From the rear looking forward, looking good. Time for a cuppa....pew....

A side view of the front cab. with the front window surrounds glued in place with the curtain track fitted.

The door panels are on and ready for some use.......how did i fix them in place ???? no screw holes........

A life style picture showing the seats and door cards all in place.

How it all matches and I'm very happy with the end result.

Bye Bye another van ready to hit the road............I hope you all liked the pics , if you have any questions or if you would like your head liner doing please contact me on : 07794978914

email : info@autotrimvw.com

Cheers COLIN

VW Bay Window Re Trim Rock And Roll Bed And Buddy Seat.

2011-03-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all below is a lat bay window that we had to fit in for a re trim of the front cab head lining and rear rock and roll cushions with a buddy seat............hope you all like............

This is the lovely van that was waiting me Monday morning...........and needed for the Friday the same week..........late nights...................

As you can see a bit of a mess, but under all the over covers was the original covering.

The customers were down in Cornwall on a two week holiday.... i had there van for the first week so they can enjoy there new seats in the second week....

What did we find.... the original Westphalia covering... this was keep for re use as it was in great condition.

The buddy seat was ready for some up dating and making look good again.

Firstly the cab head lining had to be cut sewn and fitted...... This shows it all striped and ready for covering.

As if by magic.....a newly made and fitted head liner.........what a difference.

The same lining from a different angle......with curtain track fitted.

This is the tools ready to strip of all the old covering and foam ready for new foam and covers.

A close up shot showing the stitching taking shape, The contrast stitching matches the cream outers.

All together.... with the tuck and roll with the side boards attached.

Piping all made up and ready to be sewn to the panels.

There all done......looking good if i say so my self....loll. A few late nights to get hear...

This is a tool i could not do with out, A electric foam knife which makes cutting the foam so much essayer.

The under side of the large 3rd cushion, this shows the water Prof lining, it allows the cushion to breath but stops water from getting in to the foam.

All done....a huge cushion making up the rear of the bay window bed ....sleep tight.

All done and in place as you can see its important to get the strips lining up, If they are out the whole job looks bad........

From the other side... showing the large cushion in place ,All you need is some pillows and a quilt...night night....

This is from the front again.....with a removable right hand side cushion allowing access to a storage unit.

The buddy seat striped with new foam cut and ready for covering....You can see the markings to work out the tuck and roll placement.

All done.......the buddy seat all done and ready for some use........fixed in place by Velcro for easy use.... I hope you all liked this trim and if you have any questions please contact me.... cheers Colin.

VW 1967 Split Screen Tin Top Camper Van

2011-01-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all.......happy new year to you all and WOW its going to be a bizzy one.......Bellow is a project i am doing for a customer.........these photos show the striping down of the front seats and re covering in a white with a blue piping with a flower embroidered design......have a look and i hope you like......

This is the seats before i started....some one had had a go at re covering them in the past..........well start again i think.

This is the drivers seat with the base removed and the old back still in place.....the start is always the hardest.....

There all striped down with the frames cleaned and painted ready for new seat and back pads.........

The replacements i use are the best i have found.they cost a little more but its well worth the money.

The double seat at the same stage ready for the covering.

I used the old pad to mark out the area for the tuck and roll and were the foam is to be placed on....

This is a close up of the customers own design flowers.......I can get any name or design that you wish......just ring or email me and i can chat to you in more detail : info@autotrimvw.com

This is showing you all the covering cut out for the drivers seat back........as you can see the flower in the top corner.

This is the marking out with soft pencil so very easy to remove once stitched through .

A close up shot showing how i mark the stitch line and hold the layers of material together very important to keep all the materials in place.

There.....all good so far with the tuck and roll in place and the panel ready for the piping.

This shows the under side of the drivers seat,all under tension.....if you get this right you only need a very few fixing points...........

A close up shot of the tension wire fitted round its fixing point....this keeps the covering tight and in place.

this shows the back with the foam all on and ready for the back cover to go on..............you can use silicon spray to help the cover slid on.

The over side of the back....with the foam wrapped round...I find this helps make such a neater job.

All done.................just a little adjusting to do then ready for the back to be fixed on.

Hear you can see the flower design in place and looking very smart...........

Done...pew....a lot of car was needed to make sure the lines on the seat line up with the back....

There all ready to be fitted to the bus...........Keep looking as there is much more to come on this bus and i cant wait to see it all in place.

This is the bus as it came in......its having some major work doing to the body work ...see you all soon i hoped you liked....if you have any questions please feel free to ring or pop in.

cheers Colin.

Porsche Front Seat Strip Down And Repair

2010-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all here is a pair of front Porsche seats out of a 911 car, These seats are very rare as the covering on them has Porsche written across the fabric....The customer was keen to keep this material as its no longer available. I had to carefully strip the seats down so he could hand wash the covers ready for me to repair and re fit.....enjoy.....

This is the seat with it half striped down.......you can see the dirt on the lower left back corner......all of the foam seat swabs were in good condition and with a bit of work and new over foam added they were re used.....

This is the back and the inner foam striped down and ready for repair and the cleaned cover put back on.

A close up shot showing the wear and split in the foam seat swab.......a easy repair and it be as good as new.

There is the back ready for strip down you can see the writing that makes this cover special.

The seat striped down needing some new piping making up in matching vinyl and sewing in,

This is the back layed out with the outside back panel removed also the piping removed read for cleaning and new piping fixing on...Time for a cuppa.....

This shows the piping cut and sew ready for re sewing....

Hear you can see the new piping sew in place a very close match to the original.

The old piping layed out next to the new....you can see were the old one has worn !!!!!

This is a close up shot of the hand stapler clipping the outside back to the newly washed inside back with the new piping fixed.

A close up shot of the sewing process.......with the piping foot on the sewing machine allowing the piping to be sewn.

All done......wow what a difference a good clean and a new foam layer....it looks as good as new.......Hope you all liked the photos....if you have any questions please feel free and email me....

Thanks....Colin.

BMW R1150 GSA Moter Bike Seat Re Cover...................

2010-11-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all.... well this is a bit of a different job.......A BMW moter bike seat as you can see the original cover was in two tone colour ,The customer needed major adjustments to the seating height, as he has long legs the seat height had to be adjusted as you can see in the pictures bellow, i hope you all like.

The angle of the front seat showing how low this made the seat.

Hear you can see the shap that has to be reproduced when addind extra foam

The cover all removed ready for my artistic side of me to have fun sculpting ....

This is the very first stage of gluing and shaping the foam.....slowly and carefully till it starts looking right.

There you can see the new foam shaped and ready for the foam topping to go on..... I used a specialised foam cutting electric cutter but a cheap and easy way is a electric calving knife.... dose the job as good.....Remember to ask mum before using...lol.

There all done ready for the top covering. again preparation is key to the finished look.... any lumps or hollows will show up now....very hard to put right.

All done.....just like that.... well not quite.....a few hours of stretching and gently heating the vinyl to help it stretch round the shape.

I hope you all can see the extra shape and height that i achieved..... if you need any help or advice please feel free to ring me or email me.

cheers Colin

VW Bay Window Van, Complete Rear Interior.........

2010-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all , now summers gone and Christmas just round the Corner.....lol its time to think about all those winter projects to be done to your bus......let me know and i be happy to quote for any trimming needed. Well bellow is some update on a bus that i worked on the front door cards and fitting of IKIA micro kitchen units, i hope you like .

This is the bus ready for me to get stuck in.......

This is a picture showing the rock and roll bed fitted and in place....there are some more pictures in detail of this bed being done in an earlier blog.

This shows the table i made and fitted , it folds away
allowing the rock and roll bed to be used.....cool.

The IKEA units made up and fitted in to the bus.....a very cost affective way of having top quality units which fit.......

As you can see the rock and roll bed out in all its glory....ready for the shows next year.

A closer picture showing the table... note.... you can see the hing joint on the left side.... also you can see the folding table leg...very neat.

A birds eye view showing how important it is to get the upholstery all lined up.

This shows a add on which the customer asked for.... in blue at both sides a pocket for there phones and bits when in bed.....nice....

Striped back to the bones....... the floor was already down so a good clean and ready to go....You can see the new Blue Bird Kustoms rock and roll bed fitted with new seat belts.

All the units arrive....now the fun begins.....wares the instructions...lol

There we go the first unit being put together and trial fitted, always double cheek as mistakes can be costly as i found out .

The unit in place and you can see the sink bowl ready to be fitted with the pump and drain all fitting in the one cupboard. A jump in picks to the door cards which the customer asked for to be done in the same style as the bed.

The finished look.....looking cool and with those speakers cruising with sounds..........

I treated the inside of the door with a waxol treatment ...silly not to as how offen do the door cards ever come off..............

Hear is a picture showing the door card almost done... ready for the final stapling and new fixing clips.

Hear you can see me sewing the plain boarder to the tuck and roll panel, note the stitch line to help sew too makes the job much easier.

The second door panel all cut and ready to be sew together.

This is were you can see me marking out were the stitch line goes to make the tuck and roll.

This shows the seat of the rock and roll bed being fitted....looking good. PEW......

A close up picture showing the piping just sewn to the top panel.

Almost done.....the last piece to go on is the back border,this then allows you to fix the covering to the base board.

The large rear cushion in place that makes up the bed when needed.

At the beach with a brew on.....mmm roll on summer.

how important i feel to get all the lines matching up, this makes the van.

the picture says it all..................

The full width rock and roll bed in all its glory....

Plain and simple but looks great in the real.......keep an eye out as I'm sure the table design will be seen on many more buses.....

The van in all her glory........ready for some show sleeping.................

A closer shot of the rear area showing the glove pockets.... i hope you liked the pictures and the info.... if you need any advice or prices on any of the above please feel free to contact me.

see you all soon Colin.

T 5 FRONT VAN SEATS IN LEATHER

2010-10-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hi to you all hope the rain and wind not getting to you......Hear is some photos of a T 5 van that i re trimmed the front seats in leather and alcetara fabric centers, i hope you like as this is the first T 5 van that I've shown on hear ENJOY.

What a great looking van all it needs is the seats.....lol

]With the seat removed , now begins the strip down....careful removing the panels and keeping the clips all together, loads of photos helps you remember were they go when it comes to putting it all back together.

the before look ...... with the fabric centers........let the magic begin....

All striped down and ready for the cutting out.... on the seat foam swabs i swapped the drivers with the passengers...this evened out the wear on the foam swab.

As you can see the foams are in great condition so not much repairs needed

The old covers layed out ready to be marked and unpicked for use as patterns.

All marked...... this allows you to transfer the marks to the new material so when sewing it all lines up....

Head rest unpicked , this might be a small part but it takes a lot of work to get it right.

The cutting starts with the center material. as this material is over £95.00 meter i made sure i was not cutting it wrong.....gulp.....TIME FOR TEA.

This shows the seat swab all cut out the leather side panels with the cloth centers.

A jump forward hear to the fitting of the new seat cover to the foam swab,these fit to the base frame separate to the main chair...makes life a lot easyer.

There all on and i must say myself looking great.

Now for the back........ as you can see you slide the back on inside out . This allows you to access the inner fixing clips.... great care is needed here as one slip and back to the start......

This shows the seat swab just fitted to the base frame......it still needs working into place to remove the fullness you can see on the leather, if this does not go away a ( TIP OF THE DAY ) is use steam.... this softens the leather making it more workable if needed.

There all done.....just the arms and head rest to go......

There the arm all done.....people think that they are easy..... they may be small but they very hard to get right .....just take your time.

There all on just the over cover for the rear arm fixing to go ready for the van.

There the arms and head rest all on and me very happy with the result.

A close up of the stitching finish.........hours of fun that was......

There as if by magic......well about four days of hard work and some very expensive materials... but wow it was worth it.........

Well i hope you all liked the pictures.... if you have any questions please contact me and i be glad to help.... or pop in for a cuppa as the kettles always on.

Cheers Colin.

Bay Window Full Width Rock & Roll Bed

2010-09-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all....I have uploaded these pictures of a full width rock & bed that i re covered in two tone leather cloth, I'm sorry that I cannot show any pictures of the make up as the computer ate them ggggrrrrrr.

Still i hope you like these and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

This shows the bed layed out in all its glory.....i love the colour combination, it shows the bed of to its best.

From above as if on top of the wardrobe !!!! this shows about lining up the upholstery is all important.

With the bed in seat mode again all lining up with a nice contrast piping to finish.

You can see a gap in between the seat and back to allow the seat belts to feed through and if you look close there is a tab in the center , this allows you to pull the bed back into seating mode.

Last but not least ....the 3rd cushion ,this is a beast of a cushion filling the whole engine bay area but no bed would be complete without it. I hope you liked the pics is you are passing call in and say hi and the kettles always on.TA TA FOR NOW Colin

Type 25 Cab Head Lining

2010-09-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all hope the summers been good to you all ?. bellow are some pictures showing the steps of fitting a front head lining to a type 25 hope you find them interesting.... i had a few swears at this one , but all come good ENJOY.

This shows the head lining all made up and with the support bars in place. note the contact glue along the front edge.... this was put on just before fitting as this can be a messy job in the cab area.

This show a view from the rear looking forward. Note the sound proffer foam put in place.... this helps reduce noise and insulates at the same time.

This shows the lining being tensioned all around. the secrete to this is not to over tighten the cloth when fitting and Patience, if you try to fit all in one go it will not work small adjustment are the best.

The rear lining finished in the grove on the van. tension is then pulled forward to the front corners then work from the middle out, this is getting there slowly.

Almost there, you can see the front now finished all the surplus lining was trimmed of then tucked under the front screen rubber.

All done....... ready for the sun visors to be fitted along with the rear view mirror time taken to fit this was about 3hrs but if you are fitting one yourself time is yours so slowly dose it as one wrong cut and ... start all over again. I hoped you liked this short blog keep looking as more to come.

thanks Colin,

Split Screen Devon Camper

2010-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well hello to you all, bellow are some pictures that Ive taken of a early Devon conversion splity camper van.I am supplying and fitting new front and rear door cards to match the front bench seat colours. .Also i will be fitting head liner in ply covered in head lining PVC, I hope you all like........

This lovley bus in all her glory at the VW jamboree the owners simon and andy let us display the bus on our stand a big THANKS.

This is one of the old door cards ,note the speaker placement which will be needed to be kept in the same place.....

The rear of the van empty waiting for some insulating to go in,Also the window surrounds will be covered in the same PVC as the roof boards.

The front cab area ready for some insulation then the PVC ....wish me luck, they may be small bits but they very hard to get right.....

On to the front door cards and kick boards, you can see the board layed out with the material cut ready to be fixed in to place,now the fun begins..

Marking out the areas for the material's, it a must to do this as you can see what it will look like when all done,this shows the center with tuck and roll.

The stitching in progress....this shows the piping being sewn to the center tuck and roll.

This shows all the parts to the door panel,vinyl top and bottom with tuck and roll cloth centers time for the sewing.....

All done....as if by magic.... well quite a few hours of hard work and loads of cups of tea......oops and a

kit-Kat.

This shows the lower section of the door card having the foam glued and cut to shape,always take great care hear as this shows on the final look.

The wonders of staple guns.......makes my job so much easier,note the two rows of staples the first straight and close to the finish line and the second at an angle to hold down the salvage nice and neatly.

Almost there as you can see the speaker hole ready for the hole to be cut in the upholstery,as you can see keeping it nice and neat pays of, no big lumps and bumps in the panel.

This shows the two rear side door panels all ready to be fitted much care is taken to get these panels to line up with each other.

There all done, with the speaker fitted and ready to fit to the van........

The front cab area having the head lining fitted, much care is needed as all be it a small area its one of the hardest to do and get a clean neat finish.

This shows the finished interior,note the seating cushions that i also done ,this was done in a matching tone fabric with contrast piping to match the front seat.

All done........with all its trimming in,matching curtains to finish the look. I hope you all enjoyed looking and reading this blog as much as i did working on this lovely van. keep looking for more updates soon.

Colin

Motor Yacht Upholstery

2010-08-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all, well hears something different to VWs and trimming of seats.

I have re covered cushions on a large motor yacht, I worked for a company some years ago now in Falmouth working on super yachts , This is a Little job i was asked to do. I thought it would be interesting to show you all. There are two areas to this job, all the upper deck area in the blue and white striped fabric and the lower deck cushions to the main cabin seating area.

This shows the upper deck area many hours of head scratching over getting the lines to match up but it was worth it.

The forward upper sun deck, more of the same cushions they look great ......sun sea and a few beers......mmmm

The stowage unit this was a simple cushion the make....lol

The main seating area bellow deck, trying to form the shape was the hardest thing to do, well worth the time spent.

This is ware it all happens,the helm seat.....many hours of cruising from this seat.

The pilots seat.....or wear you put your feet up and enjoy the ride.

A cabin end cushion, not the shape much like working on camper vans fitting cushions in small areas.

One more picture of the main seating area, hope you liked the pictures.

And the view of the yacht from the out side.......lets hope I've won the lottery.....and i have one please.

Mazda Seat Repair......

2010-07-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hello sorry not updated for so long. Had problems with camera...all fixed now,Bellow are some Mazda seats that i re trimmed the center seat panels for a customer . I hope you like what you see ..........

As you can see above the drivers seat had most wear but surprisingly the side panels were in good condition, So removal of the center for trimming was all that was needed.

With a few swear words.....the complete seat was removed,they did not make it easy to get at the fixings......

A close up view of the worn area. The customer supplied the replacement cloth needed.

All bere....A few repairs were needed to the foam seat swab, once glued they were strengthened with calico patches.

This shows the removal of the fixing clips........oops sorry about the wrong sequence of pics, great cere is needed at this stage as not to damage the foam and fixing rods.

This shows the new foam backed material being glued to a backing cloth to give it more strength allowing the fabric to be sewed.

There all cut and ready to sew, TIP : always make sure the brush ( nape of the material ) is cut in the same direction as this is easy over looked.

The magic tools, the are called hog ring pliers a must need tool for this job.

There all done and back round the foam swab ready to fit to the frame work.

There you go .......looking as good as new.......sorry about the water marks on the picture .

Both seats done and ready for the customer to pick up, I hope you liked what you see, keep looking as got loads more to put on hear soon.

Colin

1972 BAY WINDOW DEVON CAMPER

2010-06-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all, hope you are enjoying the sun.....Bellow are some photos showing Des and Olivia's bay window van .

I am re-trimming the rock and roll bed and all front and rear door / panel cards. Also i am installing some units with a sink and a fold down table, I hope you all like.........

Day one....all the rear units arrive form.... IKEA, yep that's right , its a great way to get some good quality units and in the size needed to fit the van.

The door card before removal , these usually come of very easy......Not this one....GRRRR a cuppa and head scratch, the window winder screw had seized on, but hay all in a days work, and it was sunny while i was doing it.

This shows the new door card ready and the fabric all cut , just waiting for me to sew.

A close up shot of the stitching, this shows the fabric sewed through foam and a backing cloth .This gives the tuck and roll style.

All done....ready for the fitting to the panel.

As you can see i staple the material on the reverse of the board using 3mm stainless steel staples this makes the job so much neater.

The last panel ready to be fixed, you can see the half inch foam used to give the nice padded look.

The door ready to take the new panel, I make sure all the fixing holes are clean and all the old fixings are in good order and also clean to go back on.

There all done.........with speakers fitted as well..... great sound to..... i hope you all liked the pics and info, there be more pictures to follow soon. See you all soon,

Colin.

1961 SPLIT SCREEN PANEL VAN

2010-06-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all ....its a lovely summers day and I've finally managed to put together the finished photos of Ewan and Alie's van just before it rolled out to go on the road trips of all road trips.......i hope you like and please leave comments.
Thanks Colin.

The van before i started the work...in Ewan's garage, what a garage I'm so jealous...lol.

A front shot showing the gorgeous shape and paint job.

This is a shot showing the complete interior from the rear hatch ,note the inset roof lights...great touch gives the van a real plush finish.

The rock and roll bed layed out showing why making sure that's is so important to get all the lines and patterns matching.

Hear you can see the three colours mixing well together with the speakers wired up ...put on your ear protectors...

My best pick... i love the retro look of the colour and styling, this front seat alone from start to finish took over ten days, but I'm sure you agree its a one of a kind.

This is a shot showing how i lined the tuck and roll with the dash to get the flow ans styling looking right !!!! well that's what i thought.....I'm sure some one tell me different, note the custom fitted map holder in the door cards......cool.

Trying to get an angle so you can see the carpet toning with the piping on the seat and with the tuck and roll on the doors.

As you can see the instrument cluster from earlier blog, now all in place and looking very retro.

The last picture before Ewan took he of for a spin......Great van Ewan have fun... i hope you all liked what you saw and if you would like any advice or pricing please feel free to contact me on my mobile : 07794978914 or my email : info@autotrimvw.com

Thanks Colin.

1972 Bay Window Full Width Rock & Roll Bed................

2010-05-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all..... Here are some pictures and info on a rock and roll bed which i have just done.....hope you like what you see and thanks for all the great feed back you have given me....
Colin

This shows the bus fitted with the rock and roll seat and back fitted, this shows the third cushion foam being cut to fit and working out the alignment of the tuck and roll.

A very nice blue vinyl was chosen to compliment some excising colours in the van....my little book or my bible they call it at the shop....

A action shot showing me profiling the foam, this is a special foam cuter that i use. A good tip for cutting foam is to use an electric calving knife they do the same job and are easy to get hold of.

Measure measure measure....then cut once.........even after all these years i still do this and as my mum says better safe than sorry.....this shows the top panel, the side boarder and the piping cut into strips ready for sewing.

Getting there.....this shows the top panel with the tuck and roll style being sewn in to the vinyl.

A closer pick.... you can see the back all in place , as you can see marking out the foam to make sure all the patterns line up....

There the seat in place, hope you can see the look in the top panel....with piped side boarder all that needs doing is the other two cushions.......not before a cuppa tea.....

There all done, surprising what a cuppa tea can do...lol. I hope this shows you how important measurements are to get this finished look, nothing worse than the lines not matching up. well mine did PHEW.....

The final shot, the seat in place with the camper ready to go.... customer was over the moon.....COOL. hope you looked what you see, if you need any advice please contact me and I'll be glad to help you.

Colin.

1961 SPLIT SCREEN PANEL VAN

2010-04-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my viewers and i hope you find of interest this new project i am working on at the moment. It is a very gorgeous and now quite rare original panel van. Ewan has given me the task of re trimming the van. there are a number of pieces to do to the van, starting of with the front bench seat. This seat is called a hump back (because of the hump half way down the back section ),as you can see bellow Ewan and Ali had some very nice ideas of how they wanted the seat to look. Their wish is my command................as you will see there is a vast amount of work to transform this plain bench sea into a gorgeous looking retro style bench seat.... ENJOY.

This is the van in all its glory....looking very nice, cant wait to get started.

The bench seat in its place....as you can see the hump in the back....

Planning, measuring and working out proportions to get the look that is in balance with the style Ewan and Ali wanted.

There we are all ready for the next stage, making templates may take a long time but in the end it makes the job a whole lot better.

What a sorry state the seat was......well over 40 years of use......time for a make over.....

All striped back and springs were in good condition, a clean down and a lick of paint....look like new. The same process was done on the back.

A new canvas was cut and attached with special clips called hog rings........

The rubber mating was in very good condition ...so with a wash.....yep that's right put in a washing machine it comes up like new....TIP OF THE DAY... With the new foam cut and starting to take shape, you can see the look of whats to come.

A bit of a jump forward , this is the seat and back all ready for the materials to be applied.The center sections on the seat as well as the backs are now all inset to create the look.

This is the first step , cutting the material to the templates....as in all trades measure twice cut once.... that's what i still do and I'm glad i did .........

This is the main area of material to be cut, this is a very awkward shape and you also have to allow for stretch of the new material...BIG headache.........

Hear you can see all three colours together ready for the sewing to begin....wish me luck.......

The first step is the center sections, with a tuck and roll style with two inch to a three inch finish with the stitching to highlight this look.

Now the piping.... a strip of material cut to a set width then rolled together with a cord in the middle......this is how it done......simple.

The seat ready to be put onto the unit, along the base of this cover there is a wire. This allows you to pull all the material into place and make a stronger edge to finish with.

OLD SCHOOL.............this long needle and special twine, this is used to stitch through the salvage of the center panel to get the roll affect of the seat and back........

As you can see the seat all done.....ten cups of tea and many hours of hard work........ but i love this job so satisfying to see the end result.

A different angle so you can see the three colours and the stitching on the home straight..............just the back to go.

As if by magic......well six hours of hard work the back in all its glory.

Closer look, showing the contours of the upholstery and the line of the piping.

There all together and all lining up and looking great....i love the look and colours......very retro.

A face on view..........I hope you all liked the info and pics, keep looking as there is a rock and roll bed to do plus a whole van of panels ans roof lining to come. thanks again for looking and if i can help with any info or questions you may have on this or any other trimming questions please feel free to contact me.

Colin.

BAY WINDOW PICK UP COVER

2010-04-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hello to you all....yep Summers almost here YAAAAAAA. Below are some pictures Mark Walkers pick up bed cover.....what a difference a good fitting cover makes, hope you like what you see and if you got any questions please feel free to contact me.

Looking from the rear tail gate with a well made inner frame ready for me to make the templates.....
Just a different angle to show you all some of the problems I had to over come......such as the rubber stoppers, and locking pins in all four top corners.

As you can see with the pattern plastic layed over and taped down i start to cut and mark all the holes that are needed and were the fixings will need to be.......

Looking down shows that you need to get it as tight as you can as the new cover need as to be even tighter.....stopping the cover sagging when rain water lays on the cover.

A close up of the markings and the black lines show were the wall of black is to be sew to the orange top......

All ready to remove and lay out and cut , the material chosen is a very strong PVC which is used in the marine industry, its UV resistant and self cleaning !!!! that's what the manufactures says........

There all finished and just in time....as soon as I finished fitting the cover it started to rain.......well it was soon put to the test......and passed .

You can see the black sides fitted to the cover as requested by the customer...nice touch.

The money shot...........well I'm very pleased with the end result . I hope you all liked the info and pics.....keep looking for more updates to follow soon.

Colin.

SIMON BOLITHOS BAY WINDOW CAMPER RE-TRIM

2010-04-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

Hi all this is an update on Simon's van , bellow are some pictures and info on the make up of front door cards. This shows the process and the steps you need to do....enjoy all.

This shows the material cut and being stuck to a thin layer of foam with a lining fabric backing

.
Here are all the pieces cut and ready to sew together, note the sewn fluting with the foam in between.......

The pieces sewn and again you can see all the pieces together, the center fluted panel is glued to the door card ready for the foam to be glued and shaped.

This is the sewing of the panel note the sew line on the reverse side of the material.

Nearly there ......just ready for the staple gun to fix the material to the panel.

There all done........hope you like, they look even better in the van, keep looking on my blog and the finished van will be shown.......cheers for looking Colin

Hear are some updated photos of Simmonds front seat , still looking good after some summer use,

This shows the rock and roll bed all done and in place so Meany people love the cloth centers with vinyl surrounds.

And a final photo showing all the curtains and loss cushions in place VERY NICE.

SIMON BOLITHOS BAY WINDOW CAMPER RE-TRIM

2010-03-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all, this is the first of Meany parts to Simon's bay window camper complete re-trim,

this is a bit different to the usual camper vans as this one has still got its original tin top roof.....and very nice it is to. You will see some pictures of the van as i do the complete through head lining.......looking forward to getting into this one.

Bellow is the first part : the front seats, as you can see they are not the original seats and they are very worn out......but hay scroll down and see what you think....enjoy. As you can see the old seat is in need of help....but they are very comfy seats.so well worth the work.
First stage was to remove the seats from the van and then dismantle them into there component parts and inspect them.

The under side of both the drivers seat and the passengers seats had the same problem.....over the years the tension rods that fixed to the springs had worn or broken. So the firs step was to strip down and repair this area.

This is part of the process that I've show you before, i have striped down the covers and undone the stitching ,the panels are then used to cut the new cover with. All ways checking that the pattern is of a good fit so the new part will fit snug.

A mixed shot showing the parts needed to make the seat swab cover, the piping,the boarder, and the top panel. As you can see the center part of this seat is being done in a strip tweed type fabric..........it looks fab.

This shot shows the out side back panel being put together,note the two panels clipped together so when sewn the stay in place,This is a common problem when sewing an people ask me all the time on how this can be stoped. Well you can hand staple like i have, pin them with needle work pins or have check marks, you can see I've done this as well doubly making sure that all lines up.

Almost done.......this is the inside back panel with the piping sewn on with the bottom loop waiting for the fixing rod to be slid in........

A little jump forward....this is the shot of the under side of the seat again...... this time looking as new, i hope you like the finished item.

There it is in all her glory......I'm very pleased with the look of the two types of material, cant wait to see them in the van.

The back also complete just waiting to be put back together.

There all done.................. Note the strips lining up from the seat through to the back...i must as this was wrong the whole job would look naff.

Oops yep almost forgot..... the head rests.........as a trimmer these always cause Meany hours or filling the swear box and tons of cups of tea to get these right. well i have worked my magic and made these look better than new..... well i think so.

I have cut the material to a over size then filled the center hole in with foam and a over lay of canvas, this gives a smother feel.

Ten a thin layer of foam.....all ready for the hard bit getting the material to shape .

All done.... as you can see the head rest was finished of with a contrast but matching piping trim.

All done ready to fit into the van a lot of hours to make this happen , but i hope you agree it was worth it.

There she is, looking like new and still a very comfy seats for many miles of driving.

I hope you liked what you have seen, as i said keep looking as the door panels and rear panels are the next items to be done.

See you all soon Colin.

Ash and Tobis pop top.....................

2010-02-17T23:46:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all, here we have a dormobile pop top with a striped canvas supplied by the customer for me to fit......Ash and Tobi a really nice couple who love there van and needed this fitting but also the roof needed adjusting as it was not fitted right so i needed to adjust the hinges to get the top to close right. have a look and enjoy............
This is a picture of the roof re fitted after the hinges were adjusted a snug fit now......

The roof off and upside down...looking clean ...Tobi and Ash done a great job of cleaning up the top before i got my hands on it......

A action shot.....seeing the van with the roof off, I had to clean the area of old fitting debris and make it ready for the big fit......................

Wow what a colour ....I loved it this fabric is a PVC type with the strips printed on the face of the fabric.... fitting the aluminum track with the use of rivets.

Just a different angle of the same process...this takes the most time .....getting this right is the most important part of the job.

As if by magic .....its on.......if only.....many hours of hard work and gallons of tea........as you can see the lower part of the hood fitted by the same way as the top......when this was done a line of clear silicone was applied to seal it to stop any water leaks.................Also note the trimming and adjustment of the side was still under way.

All done.......................and wow looking good, and i was in a tea shirt doing this ....in Feb ??? no I'm not a nuter but it was hot work and it was a sunny day..............

One more photo of the finished roof, some vw trimmer's will not even look at fitting these pop tops.............
its just down to patience and time ...you cannot rush these tops.......thanks again for looking and hope to see you all soon .

Colin.

THE RE TRIM OF AN EARY SPLITI VAN BACK

2010-02-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all here are some pictures and info on a re trim of an early split van...this was done as a sample for a customer.....yes he liked it and his job is on my list...............

As you can see it was in a bad way...well 40 odd years.....not bad really.......

Good old gaffer tape.....turned up side down revels some old school workmanship.........and the spec was to try and re use as much old wadding's as possible.

There striped back to the bare bones.....some broken springs to replace and some painting and be as good as new.

Once the old cover came off minus the gaffer tape the cover fell apart...........let the fun begin.

The top panel was spiked out to get the original shape so I could template for the new cover.

Oops a sideways view sorry about that....this is the new top panel cut with the sewing marks and fluting lines ready for stitching.

All the side panels layed out and marked on the new cover...always a good idea to do this to make sure you have got all the panels and using the least amount of material.

As you can see the tuck and roll all stitched in with the contrast piping fitted.

People often ask how this is done.....its a very simple process which I will cover in a how to do section of my blog soon.

There all done.............sorry about the jump and not showing the sewing to the top panel..I got carried away and forgot...............still I hope you like and watch out for more updates........ta ta for now.

Colin.

RE-TRIM OF 50-67 TYPE 4 SEATS

2010-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hello to you all, here are some photos and some info on the work I am doing on a Type 4. This is a project Shawn at 50-67, this re trim was to try and reuse as much as the original material as possible.....with a re design of the top panels and change of colour to show of what was done. I hope you like and keep watching, if you need any advice or just want some info please feel free to ring or email me.
thanks Colin
This is one of a pair of front seats that as you can see are well worn, but what we are trying to do is keep all the original piping and sides.
This is the seat striped down as you can see it is in a very poor state, still I try to produce miracles.........!!
This is the new top panels cut and sewed together, as you can see some tuck and roll detailing was put into the center panel for these seats.

This is with the two sides sewn in place, as you can see
its coming together.

There all sewn and ready to re stitched to the old piping and sides.

With the frame cleaned down and some paint put on to tidy the seat up.......looking as good as new, re using the original back padding with a new seat pad to be fitted.

A jump ahead sorry .....did not have the camera that day, but looking good with the back on .

All done.......the new panels with the old piping, sides and outside back done.

As you can see all done, its very hard to re fix old with new as tensions with new and old fabrics do not always go together........note a small amount of gather in the old back panel.....this was there from new.......

Well i hope you liked the pics and info, see you all soon.

Colin.

MIKES POPTOP IN MORE DETAIL...........

2010-02-11T11:49:00.001-08:00

Hello to all of you ...this is an update on Mikes pop top canvas fitting, these are some of the steps taken during the cutting, sewing and fitting process....theres a lot more than I can show (like cups of tea), but I hope you like and if you need any help please feel free to ring me, thanks again for you time and enjoy....Colin.

Laying out the old pop top fabric as patterns for the new one to be cut from, great care and attention at this stage check and double check.

All cut and ready to sew........with the canvas such an expensive fabric great care to detail when cutting and sewing....one mistake and all wasted and start again.

Just a close up of the markings that I use"x" marks the panels matching and the line to line up by.........

Well this is the pop top ready for the new canvas to go on........a good scrub and looking new inside, the top has a fresh layer of paint.

Putting the canvas in place ready for fitting, the rivets used are extra long to allow for the aluminum strip which is the main tension spreader and keeps all in place.

There all fixed, all that needs to be done is trimming the excess canvas of and sealing to stop any water leaking in,.

In place for the first time.......a few more hours of adjusting and trimming to get it looking right. The lower part of the canvas is fitted in the same way as shown previously, fitted inside are the tension bars to hold the canvas to its shape.

A different angle.........showing of the new paint and the pop top...... shes going to look great when finished, Keep looking out for more updates on this job as still many more hours work before she is complete.

1962 CANTERBURY CONVERSION SPLITIY

2010-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

Hello and a happy new year to you all..... hope you all over Christmas and ready to break your new year resolutions.... well lets get going on this years projects...below is the second of Mike's split screens..its a 1962 very unusual early Canterbury conversion.....below are some pics and info on head lining's and window surrounds. Following on from that is some photos of the pop top removed from the van ready to be striped down.....there's a lot more to follow on this van so keep looking and please pass my blog onto every one you know....
thanks Colin.

These are some pics of Mike's head lining and rear window surround cloth going in......
this job is very time consuming as there were no fixing hooks to finish to.....had to glue down and will be finished with curtain track to hide the joins...hope you like.

This is from the rear looking forward......as you can see a lot of gluing and re adjustment going on.....

looks like snow in the pics....it was out side the workshop...IN CORNWALL....but this was some dust settling from the bodywork going on....o what fun.....

A mean looking photo...paint on and ready to go...with the lining.

This is the top layed out on my tresals.....with windows and curtains all still in place.
The top open slightly so i can get a feel for how to tackle this job.
A closer look at the lower edge, this showing a plain green strip which hides the lower frame when closed...will be a neat job when done....
All of....the canvas removed ready for the body shop to strip back further ready for some paint...

keep looking for more updates...by by for now....Colin

BAY WINDOW DEVON POPTOP............

2009-12-22T03:14:00.001-08:00

Hi again here are some pics of a pop top that I fitted for a customer, this was pre brought by them...........I usually custom make my own pop tops but this was already with the van when they got it, so why waste it...........also showing fitting a ribbed roof lining cloth to the inside. This cleans up the inner roof but also helps reduce condensation and noise, also helps insulate.

This shows a close up of the inner top.............what a mess, but we can do magic.

The glue goes on, this is done in stages to allow for the glue to set and make sure of no mistakes.
The glue used is a high temperature impact adhesive.

A wide shot showing all the rods, eyelets and fixing points you have to cut round........!!!!! head pain.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa all done, taken a whole day to get this inner lining alone right but I rather take my time and get it right.

This shows the pop top in place and fitted for the first time, needs more adjustments to get it right.

All done, this is a free folding top and care needs to be taken when closing the top down as damage can easily be done.

Hope you liked and keep looking I'll up date you as more projects come in..........

HAPPY CHRISTMAS'S to you all.

Colin

full width rock and roll bed

2009-12-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hi to you all, these are some pictures of Jeffs full wdth rock and roll bed re-trimed in black leather, i hope you like what you see.

This shows the foams all cut to shape and fitted to frame to make sure all is OK ..........

Next we shape the foams and mark out the design for the leather. once happy with this I cut the leather....

The leather all cut and ready to be sewn, each panel is marked and sewn to each other to make the cover complete...... like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

All done as if by magic...........much care and time is needed to get the end result that makes the look I was looking for.

There all done, lining up lovely....just needs a clean down and then ready to be put into the van.

In the van and working great, another bed ready to be christened......

the third cushion folding away, very neat.

job done thanks every one.

Looking good well I'm of for a good drink and hope to show you some more pics and info on further projects soon.

Colin.

YELLOW & WHITE BAY WINDOW HEAD LINING..............

2009-11-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

Hi to you all, this is a few pics I've taken of a cab roof lining that I've just finished it shows the van striped down and ready for the lining to go in.
I hope you find them interesting and if you need any info on cost or help on how to install your own lining please contact me.
thanks Colin.

the bus after some paint looking WOW.

See how the bus is getting there

the cab area ready for the lining , I first have to clean the area then insulate with sound proofing before the head lining goes into place.

the new cab lining all cut, sewn with the tension rods fitted.

And in it goes.........well after a few hours or work and a few cups of tea................

this was a bit more tricky as it had to be done with the front window in place.

hope you enjoyed see you all soon .

Colin

1962 SPLIT SCREEN MIDDLE BENCH SEAT

2009-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

These are some photos showing the process of striping down Mikes bench seat, then cleaning the frame, painting, cutting the cover and the process to the finished item. I hope you like the photos and I'm now onto the next project keep a look out for the next blog.

Very worn bench seat just waiting to be brought back life.

The wonder's of gafa tape.........

The strip down begins withe the removal of the back covering and padding

All the coverings removed along with the padding's and the Frame all painted looking great.

New seat padding in place with a layer of over wadding to help give the new cover a helping hand on.

The seat on with a lot of gentle adjustment looks like the rest of the van now.

All done and in place, ready for the fittings to fix the seat down.

This is the final picture showing thebench seat in the van. I think the final look of the van looks great hope you like.

thanks Colin

1962 SPLIT SCREEN ROCK AND ROLL BED

2009-11-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

A sequence of photos showing Mike's rear seat being fabricated. I have used double density foam on this one so it is comfy but still firm enough to support without feeling the boards

double density foam and custom made covers

trial fitting

Job done

more updates soon as we finish Mikes middle seat

FIRST BLOG OF TRIMING WORK.

2009-11-03T06:31:00.001-08:00

Hello and welcome to my new Blog. Please check back regularly to see detailed pictures from my new TrimShop at 50-67 VW Specialists in Truro Cornwall.

Below are a few pictures from the interior of Mike's Delux Splitscreen

Thi is a picture of the front seats trimed and fited in mikes van , the two tone leather cloth looking very nice in the van.

The back of the front seat ready to be fited into the van.

this shows some parts of the triming ready th be sewn to make up .