[454ChevelleMalibu]

Hello,
I'm considering using a vinyl product from 'Spradling'. It's their Whisper vinyl (WHI-2125) to upholster my 1932 Ford roadster. This being a topless and windowless car, I'm concerned about the elements. Can you tell me if this would be suitable product? I compared it to their Marine grade Floridian (FLR-16) and to be honest I don't really see a particular spec that says the Floridian would be better than the Whisper. They seem to both be mold , anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. They both seem to be UV rated about the same. It's a hot rod right, so it wont intentionally be out on bad weather days, but I live in Michigan so I'm afraid getting wet unexpectedly is inevitable. Also with no top, lots of sun light will be heading my way.

Here is the link to thier website (I hope)
http://www.spradlingvinyl.com/patter...isper&status=#

Content: Vinyl / Urethane Topcoat
Backing: 100% Polyester Hi-Loft2

Finishes and Treatments:
Napa Finish
Superior Abrasion
CFFA 1a, ASTM D-4157
(100,000 cycles, Wyzenbeek #8 cotton duck)
Cold Crack -20˚F
Mildew Resistant
Sulfide Stain Resistant (all colors)
UV Stabilized Pigments
(1000 hours, Xenon: AATCC M 16 E / NTC 1479)

Width: 54 in.

Flame Retardancy*:
BIFMA X5.7 Section 5 - Class A
BIFMA X5.7 Section 4 - Class I
California Technical Bulletin 117 Section E
FMVSS 302
IMO A.652 (16) Annex I 8.2 & 8.3
NFPA 260 - Class I
UFAC - Class I

Thanks,
Jim

[DanTwoLakes]

Spradling is a good company, and Whisper is a very good, high quality vinyl. This vinyl has a 4 component urethane topcoat, has UV stabilizers, and is mildew resistant. It's recommended for marine, auto, and RV use. It should work very well for your roadster. WHI 2125 is Cinnamon, which won't attract the sunlight as much as the darker colors like Black, Nightshade, Navy, Loden dark green, or Bordeaux. Besides that, it is soft and easy to work with. Whisper has a higher cold crack rating, -20 compared to -10 for Floridian.

Floridian marine vinyl has been around a long time, and would also work well, but I would choose Whisper over Floridian.

BTW, a fabric given the Wyzenbeek abrasion test is considered heavy duty if it can handle 30,000 double rubs of 8 oz. cotton duck before showing wear. Whisper passed at 100,000 double rubs.

[boatbob2]

Hi,you amaze me with your knowledge,you always have a answer for ANY upholstery question,you DEFINATELY are the authority on upholstery...

[DanTwoLakes]

Thanks Bob, but all I did was look at the specs for both Floridian and Whisper on my samples. I can't remember all of this stuff, it's just easier for me to look it up when I have the fabric right in front of me. Plus, I have used both of them and like the Whisper better.

[John long]

Dan, what do you think of the Ultra leather. I used it on my 36 Roadster and really loved the way it worked and the feel of it. It is pricey. I wonder how it is going to wear. My car definitely is a driver and gets used a lot for a street rod.

[DanTwoLakes]

I like Ultraleather as far as how easy it is to work with, but I've heard a lot of complaints that it wears out too quickly. I'm not sure these complaints have any foundation, 'cuz some people are impossible to please. My own car will have leather seats, but the rest will be matching Ultraleather. I'm too cheap to use leather for everything, and I was lucky enough to find leather that matches exactly.

[John long]

Thanks for the reply Dan. It will be interesting to see. I have had a Thompson Mini Walker for 15 years. It has a limited ability to pass many layers of heavy vinyl under the foot so the ultra leather was the perfect answer. I wanted, and did, use 1/2" sew foam on the whole seat which was still challenging. I really like the feel of the Ultra Leather though.

When I bought the machine there were no servo motors for commercial machines. As a matter of fact, I found out about the new ones from one of your posts. Hoping to upgrade to commercial machine with a servo. Found out real quick, it is hard for a novice to control a clutch machine without lots of practice.

[454ChevelleMalibu]

Dan, thanks for the feedback. The sales folks at Spradling shot me a short answer of ...

Our recommendation would be the Floridian product rather than Whisper, as Floridian has full marine spec�s better suited to withstand the UV exposure in an open environment.

I took this to be the same sort of uninformed response the sales group where I work would provide. Not that they're bad or anything, but some times you need to actually get through to tech support or the engineering group to find the real answer.

So I looked at the specs on their website again for the Whisper & the Floridian and they both look very similar to me. I think I'm going with the Whisper anyhow. It has a much nicer feel to it. The Floridian just seems too plasticky.

What do you think, go with the actual specs and someone who I trust (Dan) and has used the product or from the sales staff at Spradling?

Thanks,
Jim

[DanTwoLakes]

I think they would be right if you were doing a boat, but you're not. I think you should put in the one you like, they're both going to work fine, but you're right, the Floridian is real plastic looking and feeling, and the Whisper looks and feels more like leather. IMHO the Whisper will be much better on a car seat.

[454ChevelleMalibu]

Dan, I agree. The Whisper is much nicer and that's the route I'm going to take. Thanks again for your time.