i know the look of the interior is totally up to the person restoring the vehicle, but does anybody have an opinion as to what they think the best substitute for leather is??? I want it to look and feel like leather, but i need it to resist those color marks it gets from your pants and clothes, be easily manipulative, and not too expensive. I was looking on the internet and found some stuff called naugahyde, and its supposed to be easy to work with, and it seems pretty cheap, but i wouldnt know because ive never done custom interior before. I really like the look of the Sparco racing seats, man those look awesome, but they would take a big chunk out of your wallet. The one i was lookin at cost $800. If anybody would know of a seat thats cheaper and has a killer look to it, id appreciate a heads up. Im installin a 5-point racing harness along with that so i want one that has the eyes in the headrest cut out. Also would anybody know a good way and really good material to custom build consoles and dashes???

Go out on the internet and search for "ultra leather" which is a trade name for man made vinyl that looks like leather. There are numerous companies producing this type of product. Most of them will send you small swatches for the asking. It looks like leather, wears better than leather, available in many colors and grains and is very supple for upholstery work.
Many corporate jets use ultra leather in their upholstery rather than real leather. It is a man made vinyl and the soft feel is the result of the fabric backing that is applied.
Naugahyde is kind of the same thing in that it is man made, but there is no comparison, except in price. Naugahyde will look like cheap metal flake vinyl found in old soda fountains compared to an ultra leather material. Naugahyde is what interiors used to be covered in so if the old timey look is your goal, it may still work for you. But, naugahyde is thick with a very fake looking grain in comparison to an ultra leather type product.
Go to any car show and look at the interiors...what you think is leather will probably be an ultra leather type product. The only way you'll know is if the owner admits it or you cannot detect the beautiful aroma of a leather interior.
Go to a well stocked automotive upholstery supply house and ask for ultra leather type products. There'll be so many choices, you won't be able to decide.
Go to the best upholstery shop in your area and ask what they're using...again, you'll be amazed at the product availability. They should have binders with swatches of different ultra leather type products to chose from.
Check out these images of my car. I used an ultra leather type product called ILLUSION in putty color. I'm thinking about using some pieces of real leather under the seats just to add to the illusion.
http://myweb.cableone.net/rottie3054/interiorrt.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/rottie3054/Image019.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/rottie3054/Image015.jpg

Started puting my interior back in. Used ultra for the headliner and trunk, leather for the rest. Leather didn't cost any more than the ultra. The only thing that smells better than leather is....... Hard to tell the difference between the two unless you get up real close. You can feel the difference.

Try this link for your console.

http://www.termpro.com/cgi-bin/ubb/...c&f=32&t=000571

that exactly what i was going to do except stretch a leather type substance over the fiberglass.

Utra leather is beautiful for wrapping this a 4 way it stretches really forms nice when applied on the bias (45% angle to the roll edge). I looks and feels like leather and you can wrap large panels. I still use leather when requested but it looks so well I feel it is the best thing to wrap with since shaved leather. When using leather to wrap panels it is critical that you have the thinest hide possible, and heat it up good before and as you wrap. I have a hot box with heat lamps in it just for wrapping, I also have a skive table that vacuums the hide down and then a rotary blade that cuts the leather down into a very thin 1mm section. This allows for forming and stretch as the hide thickness of production hides vary in the hide itself. I wouldnt use NAUGA on a bet. The stuff is too thick and the backing has no give. If you are not going with Ultra Leather which again is the best looking Vinyl out there in my opinion and not using leather that is shaved. Find a vinyl with a 4 way stretch. Most have a 2 way that is the width of the roll find one that is length and width for wrapping any compound curve. Remember the glue you use is critical. Get some 3M vinyl top and trim adhesive and follow the instuctions. Do not use the crappy 3M 76 77 or 90. If you use anything other than top and trim start counting because the first hot day it will come off.

Attached Thumbnails