Napier Auto Upholstery was recently featured in Specialty Fabrics Review for an interior they built for a 1948 Ford they affectionately call the “Ford Pop.”
The vehicle came to the shop in Napier, New Zealand, completely bare — so they had to design the entire cabin from scratch, Bobbi-jo Wilkie, Napier’s workshop manager, told the magazine.
“You have to think about the final look to start with and work backwards,” Wilkien said.
They worked with their client to choose a tan color palette for the interior, which both complements and contrasts the bright orange exterior. From there, they designed everything from the seats to the headliner, making sure every inch of the cabin is wrapped in premium vinyl (except the carpet, which is a brown box weave).
Like every project, this one came with its own unique set of challenges. “The seats that the client desired were Mongoose racing seats, an upgrade from the vehicle’s original basic models. To create a comfortable thigh position for driving, though, Napier needed to craft extra-big bottom bolsters, since the seat frames bolted directly to the vehicle’s flat floor and the seat frame itself wouldn’t have created an angle for people’s legs like in a passenger car,” the magazine explained. “Other challenges included having armrests and speakers in set places that had to be designed around on the doors, and the tight confines of the vehicle itself presented difficulties in general.”
But Napier Auto Upholstery met the challenge and their hard work paid off. Not only was the custom ’48 Ford featured in Hot Rod New Zealand magazine, but it won an award from Advanced Textiles Association New Zealand.
To see more photos of the project, click here. And don’t forget to follow Napier Auto Upholstery on Instagram.
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