The Coupe Gets A New Suit - End of Chapter

by Dick Zakrzewski

Well, the transformation is complete. Scott completed the upholstery project in a mere three months. I no longer have to show my baby with the doors and trunk closed and the windows rolled up. Karen Z also appreciates seats that are bolted to the floor, seat belts and her cup holder. The following is a recap of project's final stages.

After making sketches, Scott built cardboard mock-ups of complex panels and patterns including the waterfall console. See Photo #1. This was our last chance to tweak the design before giving Scott the thumbs up.

Photo #1

The most complex part to build was the unique waterfall console. The face of the console was fashioned from a combination of plastic and fiberboard. See Photo #2. Because of their complex turns and radii, the sides were constructed from moldable plastic sheet. The plastic was shaped by hand after heating it with a hair dryer. The plastic panels wrap under the dash to conceal a low hanging air conditioning unit. See Photos #3 and #4.

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4

On the subject of concealing stuff, Scott also did a great job of concealing the battery, wiper motor and trunk lift. The battery is in a compartment between the trunk and the car interior (Photo #5), the trunk lift mechanism is behind the side panel of the trunk (Photo #6) and the wiper motor is behind a clean looking header (Photo #7).

Photo #5

Photo #6

Photo #7

Another challenge was Scott's (and my) desire to have "no" exposed fasteners. To this end, Scott made use of "push-in" plastic fasteners. This not only avoided the presence of screw heads, but visible bumps in panels. Note the absence of screws in all the photos.

The project included adding defrosters. Sounds easy, but there were no defroster ducts commercially available for '32s, so he fabricated them from sheet metal. The unique design allowed him to direct air into a very tight area. See Photo #8. The defroster duct worked so well Scott plans to offer a composite version for sale in the near future.

Photo #8

I'm particularly pleased with the way Scott matched panel designs in the trunk and doors with side/top interior panels. Lines appear to flow endlessly around the interior of the car. See Photos #9, #10 and #11. So much attention was given to the details that it seems as though I see something new about the design every time I get into the car.

Photo #9

Photo #10

Photo #11

In the end, its interesting to look back at the original sketches and see how closely they matched the final product. As an example, Sketch #1 was our vision of the trunk and Photo #12 is the real thing.

Sketch #1

Photo #12

A big tip of the hat to Scott Conley and his right hand gal Pat Bailey for an outstanding job. See Photo #13 and #14.

Photo #13

Photo #14

This closes a chapter in the history of our street rod, but not the book. Karen and I now plan to see the country. Our plans include the driving to lots of street rod events and even driving the length of Route 66. When you see us, we hope you'll stop to say howdy...I'll be more than happy to show off the new interior.

Dick Z