When you drive a car with a shoddy interior, it can't be ignored. Dirty engine bay? Simple, don't pop the hood. Dented quarter-panel and faded paint? That can't really be seen from the driver's seat. However, a thrashed interior surrounds you in ugly every time you go for a spin. The new car smell is decades gone, and instead your olfactory senses are assaulted with a musty stench that has built up over the decades, especially in a neglected interior like ours.
When we bought g/28, it had the interior of a 30-year-old, $2,300 ride. Shredded upholstery, a warped dash and dirt on top of grime were everywhere you looked. It was sad. Now that the engine bay looks respectable, it's time to relieve the cockpit of its Third World status and freshen it up.
Luckily, many of the parts are available as reproductions. Because the Camaro is a child of the mid-'70s, there's plastic everywhere you look, and it requires different techniques to refinish. Fortunately, we were helped by Dupli-Color, a company with coatings specifically made to refresh plastic, and Year One makes ordering new parts as easy as flipping through a catalog or surfing online.
Of interest is that we spent a total of $3,213.97 on the interior, and that's with us doing virtually all of the work and getting most of the parts from Year One. (We did spend $70 to have our seats re-upholstered, a relatively small amount.) To put it into proper perspective, this is the equivalent outlay of a decent paint job. On a less desirable car like ours, we'd at least break even on those dollars if we sold it, especially given our car's initial ratty condition. On a more desirable car like a '69 Camaro, you can count on getting double the value you put into it-plus you won't be embarrassed to show off your pride and joy. We itemized all our parts with the exception of normal consumables like shop rags and lacquer thinner.
When we bought g/28, the interior...
When we bought g/28, the interior looked like a family of drunken badgers had lived in it. Almost every part was cosmetically worn out. Later on, we added some black sport seats from Summit, but for the most part it was still a mess.
The dash pad was warped and...
The dash pad was warped and covered in 30 years of muck. The factory gauge cluster featured idiot lights and didn't have a tach. It was well past time to give the interior some much needed attention. Even the nice Flaming River steering wheel we added couldn't help much.
The first step was to remove...
The first step was to remove the old parts. We kept track of all the screws, fasteners, clips, and retainers. Small plastic bags work great; we were able to jot down on the bag where those parts came from. Even though we had some new hardware, we knew we would need a few extra parts.
We're not going to bore you...
We're not going to bore you with the gory details of pulling out the old interior. Just take your time when you are removing parts so that you don't break something you'll need later. Remember that plastic parts get brittle over time and are hard to replace if broken. If you're lazy, you can get this same result by parking your car in a bad neighborhood overnight.
We started on the rear package...
We started on the rear package shelf. The part comes solid for those who don't want speakers. If you want holes, then it's easy enough to cut some to fit your application. Under the shelf we first laid down some replacement jute padding to help quiet down the interior. It also makes the package shelf fit better.
Next was the new factory-style...
Next was the new factory-style sound deadener, which fits together like a puzzle. It has perforated sections that you remove to accommodate various mounting points on the floor. The paper-backed asphalt underlayment is not sticky and is held in place by the carpet.
After letting the molded carpet...
After letting the molded carpet sit in the sun for a while, we installed it in the car. It comes backed with jute and we needed to cut holes in it for the shifter, seat belt bolts, seat brackets, and such.
Replacing the seat covers...
Replacing the seat covers is one of those things that looks easy, but is sometimes tough. We ran the back seats over to Westminster Auto Upholstery in Anaheim, CA, for a quick re-wrap in the new vinyl covers from Year One. After pulling off the torn original coverings, the foam was found to be in great shape. Here the new Firethorn red cover is slipped over the OEM cushion.
New hog-rings are installed...
New hog-rings are installed using a pair of hog-ring pliers made especially for this work. The clips are installed every few inches around the edge of the seat. Make sure the cover doesn't slip off the side and that it remains centered and free of wrinkles. This can be done at home, but for the minimal cost, it may be worth it to let an expert like Westminster handle it.
This same procedure is then...
This same procedure is then performed on the seat back, but on a larger scale. The most important part is to get the material properly centered on the foam and kept it there throughout the process. The Year One vinyl covers fit well and were easy to install. Our '76 Camaro has aftermarket front seats, so that saved us some hassle.
With the rear seats recovered,...
With the rear seats recovered, it's time to put them back in g/28. Before snapping them in place, make sure you have the seat belts bolted in.