1975 Chevy Laguna - Comfort Zone

No matter how nice your engine, your paint, your rolling stock, or your drivetrain, your project car just isn't going to get props with a trashed interior and dry-rotted weatherstripping. Even if you don't care what others think, a trashy interior is neither comfortable, nor does it give you the sense of pride you want in your hot rod. Case in point: Our Laguna's interior had all the allure of the inside of a garbage dumpster when we got it. The list of health department violations encompassed (but was not limited to) completely worn-out carpet, hammered sill plates, incorrect and unsafe seats, split upholstery, and an undetermined sticky, smelly goo that covered all the touchpoints such as the steering wheel and gearshift knob.

The decision to take on an old project, especially one that isn't super popular, isn't an easy one. You may like a '75 Laguna as much as a '69 Chevelle, but finding key parts for an interior restoration can be a daunting task. Fortunately, we found out that Original Parts Group (OPG) and SoffSeal makes goodies for our oddball Laguna-stuff like weatherstripping, carpet, and upholstery kits. We also discovered a place called Dixie Monte Carlo Depot that makes a lot of stuff for Lagunas, including a very nice vinyl dash cap for $75. (This cool piece, PN DB00187, attaches to any torn or split dash pad with RTV, and can make your dash look brand new. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of parking our Laguna in the Mojave Desert with the windows rolled up on a 119-degree day, and the cap got too wavy from the heat. Unless you see temperatures like we do, you'll probably be OK with this solution.) Another cool product we liked even more after it was installed was a pair of Procar Rally 1000 seats. These have a classic muscle car look with the support of modern seats-they're the best of both worlds, and at about $330 apiece, aren't that expensive either.

The Laguna no longer feels, looks, or smells like the inside of a 13-year-old's room, which is saying a lot. The vast improvement inside the cockpit makes our junky dashboard and instrument panel stand out all the more, so we'll need to come back to that in a few months with an improvement there. Right now, we're scoping out the services of Just Dashes. We've seen some of their work in some of the cars we've featured, and it's impressive. Before that, however, we're going to swap our loose torque converter for something tighter, and head back to the chassis dyno for next month's story. If all goes well there, we could be ready for a drag test soon after that!