Jump to content
Escort Cabriolet Club

Welshlad's 12 Week Project


welshlad
 Share

Recommended Posts

Thread resurrection time!

 

I have to hold my hands up here and claim full responsibility for Tony's "12 Week Project" somehow dragging on for over 18 months! There's a lot of completely bespoke work going into his cabin and, in my defence, it's taken me a lot of time (and cost me a lot of money) to get to a level of finish that I'm happy with. I'm actually taking his full interior down to him this coming Wednesday so his months and months of incredibly patient waiting will finally be at an end!

 

So, as a bit of an update, let's take a look at his rear quarter panels and speaker pods, shall we?

 

SAM_3938_zpsdxfhlgbv.jpg

 

SAM_3939_zpslssprspa.jpg

 

SAM_3940_zpskk83yywk.jpg

 

SAM_3941_zpstqbzwktv.jpg

 

SAM_3942_zpstjtjhp1a.jpg

 

SAM_3943_zpsby975ia1.jpg

 

SAM_3944_zpsoubkaiff.jpg

 

SAM_3945_zpszjqa4rjh.jpg

 

Everything about these panels is unique! The pods are made up of 5 separate pieces of leather and, even though you might think they're the less complex shape, the quarters use 6 pieces per panel. These things are SERIOUSLY labour-intensive and there's honestly no quick way to do them. To give you an example (and I timed all of these); the design of the speaker pods took just shy of 8 hours, making each cover (from cutting the leather to the final stitch) was 3 hours (so 6 hours for the pair) and prepping the panels, fitting the covers and finishing them took 4 hours for each one.

 

So for the pair of rear pods alone, that's 22 working hours from start to finish. That's a lot of work!!

 

I think that they look pretty snazzy though, and they should certainly elevate his interior above "a simple seat retrim."

 

Any thoughts from anyone else...?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 124
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Amazing detail,I don't think to many people would take that on. One or to I have spoken to won't even touch door cards.

 

These panels are quite the chore, to be honest. Mainly because they're such peculiar angles.

 

In hindsight, I kinda wish I hadn't taken these on - the job certainly wouldn't have taken as long or cost me as much had it just been the seats! But it's good to stretch yourself from time to time and I think everything's turned out very well indeed. I can understand why a lot of trimmers won't touch them though... I'll certainly be charging a lot more in future should any other Escort owners fancy a fully bespoke cabin!

 

Driver's doorcard is now complete so I'll stick some pictures up once its twin is completed. :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You live and learn,the good thing is that you have achieved a piece of quality work and have that on your cv for the future.

 

Very true. Hopefully Tony will be over the moon when he FINALLY gets his retrimmed interior back on Wednesday morning!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Time for the final piece of this particular puzzle: the doorcards!

 

SAM_3946_zpsnhndyasq.jpg

 

SAM_3947_zpsj2uvc8xz.jpg

 

SAM_3948_zpsyj4alzkz.jpg

 

SAM_3949_zpsufq8tid2.jpg

 

SAM_3950_zpsouaxtl38.jpg

 

SAM_3951_zpswxzdkmqo.jpg

 

SAM_3952_zpsfooxutrb.jpg

 

SAM_3953_zpskdbbwcro.jpg

 

SAM_3954_zps7or86geh.jpg

 

Tony's doorcards had some pretty substantial damage and repairs to the armrest sections and that has, unfortunately, affected the smoothness of the finish in a couple of places :sad: That said, these do look very nice indeed still and hopefully the red leather section (replacing the original fabric insert) should help to draw the eye to it and away from the armrest below.

 

I've deliberately kept the design of the doorcards fairly simple, mainly due to that red leather insert. I thought that too many topstitched seams might spoil things. The light still catches all the contours and angles of the doorcard anyway, so it doesn't look like a flat expanse of black leather.

 

That's me done then. I actually have another set of seats and panels that I'm finishing at the moment - these are to be much more OEM than Tony's are - so I'll bung some pictures of those up in due course for anyone here that doesn't follow me on Facebook. :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your work shows you care about what your doing rather than the money ( like me) excellent work although the colour scheme is a personal thing and not what I would have, it still is a top job well done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your work shows you care about what your doing rather than the money ( like me) excellent work although the colour scheme is a personal thing and not what I would have, it still is a top job well done.

 

Don't get me wrong; this is how I make a living, so the money is important. But the job has to be right as well because, at the end of the day, I'm only ever as good as my last piece of work.

 

I know for future reference now how difficult these parts are to trim so I will price accordingly. :smile:

 

Everything was delivered in person to Tony yesterday and he seemed very happy with the results, especially after such an inordinately long wait! It was good to finally meet him (and his family) and I think we can probably expect some fitted pictures in the very near future.

 

Now I have another Cabriolet to finish, if you'll excuse me.... :biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Well not much happened since I received my seats, the day I had them back I was picking up keys for a house we bought :smile: so it was a awesome day for me, our twin (identical) baby girls are 10mnths old next sat :smile: and the weather is getting nice so time to get my car from the garage it is in two counties away and bring it here to our spacious garden and get some work done, it prob sadly won't still be on the road till next year :sad: but the wait is def worth it, can't wait to see people slow down and eye it up as they drive up/down the busy A497 in front of our house

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

east kent trim, anyone bought a interior carpet off them for their cab? just wondering what they like as if i dnt like the one ive done myself i might buy one

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hopefully i dnt have to find outm and im happy with the carpet im going to stick down, but if it doesnt look decent enough to go with my interior ill have to buy one as the original carpets are grey anyway and the are always scruffy from use

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just pulled out most of my interior and un shrink wrapped it to let it breathe a little lol. i was worried about it being to tight especially around the seats but it all looks just as good as when mondo dropped it off :smile: ill add some photos once if sorted out some photo hosting

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WIN_20180201_12_56_01_Pro.jpg

WIN_20180201_12_56_04_Pro.jpg

WIN_20180201_12_56_14_Pro.jpg

WIN_20180201_12_56_17_Pro.jpg

really easy to use, on the embed code just use bbcode fully linked :smile: easier than photo bucket



Edited by welshlad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

time to chop out the front panel, it was a bit crispy but mot passable on the slampanel when i first bought it, but its now gotten worse and to top it off i bent it whilst pulling it out of my old garden :sad: at least my battery tray looks ok only surface rust.

 

front bumper has completely gone but i was always getting rid for the correct 90 spec one anyway

 

 

bust the black cap/ignition switch when i took peddle box off :sad: im sure i have a old one and a new one tho somewere

 

and i broke a brown earth wire off from somewere, anyone knows were its from???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Just ordered my paint, front panel, headlights and a new hood (one i previously bought was damaged in house moves) and im going to order some new rubbers later for the windows.

 

as for the paint ive gone for Ford Colarado Red to match my wifes Focus ST on the drive :smile:

 

Cant wait to get it back on the road after all this time lol - was debating whether to change the engine but im going to keep the engine standard i think as its not worth spending more on it unless it was to go the oposite way and go fully standard with the original grey paint that it once was etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

still behind it should of been on the road 3 weeks ago, nevermind years ago when i started the thread lol. one thing after another, weather/ilness/time etc :sad: i might paint my girls pull along cart the same colour and put ford badges on it and obv club stickers what ya all think lol its been modified too so no horrible plastic wheels 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i know ive been saying it for a very long time (lol) but very soon! 

plus  need to get them (well front seats)  out of the play room as theres slobber n stuff on them haha luckily itll all wipe off 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...