After I got the Triumph I took her to a British car repair shop for new brakes, some front end work, and general safety and reliability freshening up. Next it was time to make her prettier. The carpet was all there but tired, and the seats left a lot to be desired.
So I took her "down to the metal" as the saying goes...
Those black rubber circles on each side cover holes for the jack lifting points. You can actually jack this car up from inside! Could come in handy on a rainy day.
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| That's concrete visible through the hole |
Found a great upholsterer named Ernie Romero, and located a nice big leather hide on line.
The skin had a big hole right in the middle, but Ernie carefully laid out all the parts and was able to get everything he needed, in spite of the hole. When the car came from the factory, only the parts touching your body were leather; the tops, backs, sides, and bases were all matching vinyl. None of that for Lizzy! She's all leather.
The results were everything I could have wished for.
Carpet kits for this car can cost up to $500, so I went to my friendly neighborhood Lowes (an hour away, but that's life in the sticks) and picked up a 6'x8' piece of carpet that the clerk marked down to $13 for some reason. I used the old pieces for patterns, sewed some edgebanding where needed, and voila!
Homemade, but... 13 bucks.
And this came in the mail today
Needless to say, I'm a happy guy...
