Custom Auto Interiors [Paperback]

Don Taylor (Author), Ron Mangus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

Expert trimmers Don Taylor and Ron Mangus share two lifetimes of auto upholstery experience and secrets in this fantastic book. More than 800 color photographs capture every detail you'll need to create your own exciting and award-winning custom interiors. Precise step-by-step instructions show you how to turn out completely professional custom interiors. This is an advanced-level book.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron Mangus started his career in 1969, and since then has become famous as the stitcher who creates fabulous interiors. His work has received numerous awards, including Most Beautiful Roadster and Best Interior Award. His interiors and how-to articles featuring his techniques have appeared in many street and hot rod magazines.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Fisher Books (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931128014
• ISBN-13: 978-1931128018
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I was impressed by the thorough information in the book., December 12, 1998

By 

Sam's Trim ([e-mail]) (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom Auto Interiors (Paperback)

I own a trim shop myself and do alot of custom interiors. I'm always searching for new ideas and techniques. This book has a world of knowledge for the beginner. I picked up some info myself and I've been doing this for many years. The supplier list in itself is very helpful. This is the best book on custom trim I've seen to date. There are a few vague places but it would be impossible to include every tiny detail. The book does make it sound easier than it actually is, but there is no substitute for experience. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in custom trim work. I wish it had been available when I started.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Three and a half stars, really..., March 3, 2007

By 

K. Mills (Jackson, WY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Custom Auto Interiors (Paperback)

I finally decided to do something about the half-disintegrated and shockingly smelly interior of my '52 Chevy pickup. Now, the smart thing would have been to hand it off to a professional and pick it up a few weeks later completely done. Unfortunately, the six grand or so it would have cost me is almost as much as the truck's worth. So, perhaps unwisely, I decided to do it myself. It's now 90% finished (see pic) and I have to admit that I owe a large portion of my success to this book. It's undoubtedly the best thing on the market.

Having said that, though, it's far from perfect. The photos are poor quality snapshots that make it hard to see three-dimensional shapes, there are strange omissions, and many of the brand recommendations are downright bizarre.

But instead of waxing rhapsodic about the book's problems, I'm going to use the rest of my review to try to give you the benefit of my hard-won experience. Keep in mind that my project was about as difficult as they get--I had to make everything custom, because my truck didn't have much of an interior when it was originally manufactured. Yours should be easier.

OMISSIONS
This book is obsessed with using chipboard to make complex shapes that can then be upholstered. All very lovely if the shape isn't too complex to wrap smoothly and if this is the look you're going for. In many cases, it's much easier to use fiberglass and body filler to create a paintable custom piece. This is standard practice for virtually everything relating to stereo enclosures (see mine in the photo.) The only reason I can think of that the technique isn't so much as mentioned is that the authors are currently writing a book about it. Check the web for pretty much all the info you need to make whatever you want.

There is no information provided on the tools you'll need, no instruction on sewing, omissions in the information on laying carpet, etc., which (probably intentionally) forces you to read Taylor's Automotive Upholstery Handbook.

WHAT YOU WANT TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
Sewing is hard. And even if, like me, you can con your mother into doing it, then you have seams to deal with and they are brutal to keep straight when you're gluing. Design your interior to keep sewing to a minimum.

I would rather stick my tongue in a hornet's nest than glue in a custom headliner. Nine yards of contact cement-covered material suspended over your head, trying to stick to everything, including your hair. And one mistake, you get to rip it all out. Granted, mine is ridiculously hard due to the acute angles in the back of the cab, but still you should still seriously consider having this done professionally.

BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS
There aren't many in this book, but almost none make sense based on my experience.

Glue is all important--the difference between an easy five-minute job and an endless disaster. The only advice given (actually in the Automotive Upholstery Handbook as I recall) is to buy the most expensive stuff you can find. This is just as stupid as it sounds. I tried Stick-it, Tac-it, and Duo-something, among others. All with horrible results. DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT ISN'T MADE BY 3M!!! Note the cheesy use of caps and multiple exclamation marks. I'm serious here.

Q-pads: This is a messy, expensive, and obsolete asphalt sound deadener. Use RAAM-Mat or go to sounddeadenershowdown if you want to really geek out on the subject.

Mellowhide: This is nice vinyl and I used it based on their recommendation, but it's hard to find and apparently it doesn't store well in non-climate controlled situations, prompting my supplier (the excellent Larry Dennis company) to quit carrying it. It's probably an off-gassing issue and I haven't had a problem with the installed interior, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't take the chance.

OTHER TIPS
Foam dulls razorblades incredibly fast and a dull blade can ruin hours' worth of work in the blink of an eye. Figure three feet of cutting in 1/4 foam before you have to throw the blade away.

I made the mistake of using glue in rattle cans. Buy a gallon of the stuff and spray it with a primer gun. It's far cheaper and will give you a more consistent coating with no globs that might telegraph through your material.

This is not a science, it's an art. Buy some cheap materials and play around before trying something that's actually going to go in your car. It's not complicated, but it can be kind of subtle.

That little 3" sander you see them using in the pictures is your best friend. It's called a polisher, though. Searching the Net for "3 inch sander" won't get you anywhere.

Good luck, and remember: Patience!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, July 17, 2005

By 

Denise (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Custom Auto Interiors (Paperback)

This book took a lot of the mystery out of building custom interiors for me (a beginner). It covers a broad range of things, from building seats and door panels to headliners. Check out the table of contents. The authors obviously work mostly on hot rods but you can apply this knowledge to building interiors for newer cars. It doesn't go into extreme detail, (it wouldn't really be feasible to do so!) but it delivers on it's promise. If you're into fiberglass interiors for the newer cars, you may want to try another book.