Seat Upholstery Later Model Grand Wagoneers

[MysticRob]

So I'm getting close to needing a new upholstery kit for both front buckets and the rear bench done for my 88, and I'm looking for options that won't break the bank.

I'd like to keep the seats "kinda mostly" stock as far as patterns and fitment, though I can do without the expensive corduroy cloth inserts and the carpeting on the bottoms and backs of everything.

My local, and highly rated, shop wants $3000 for CLOTH material cut and sewn to the same stock-ish patterns. I'd be looking at $4500 for leather cut and sewn the same way. I'm partial to leather but that cost... oof.

I know Katzkin would sell the entire kit for roughly $1000 on BJ's but I'm partial to something better looking and of higher quality.

Can anyone recommend a shop they've used to get either original, or close to original type patterns done and what they charged you? Examples and contact info would be most appreciated!

[MysticRob]

Well, with the dearth of online options, and lack of informative threads and responses here I may just go with the Katzkin option and have a shop sew some added stitching or horizontal/vertical details into them.

I honestly didn't expect many, if any, responses here since original upholstery is such an expensive and uncommonly purchased item, and I doubt many posters have the cash necessary to duplicate the awesome (but very expensive!) restoration efforts of Norbert or the guys at Wagon Master. I've contacted both of those potential resources and am waiting for responses though.

I'll update this thread if I find an original-looking later model upholstery source that doesn't break the bank!

I ordered Katzkin color samples from BJ's along with a new rear view mirror (I'm missing that) to see what matches best just in case.

[SOLSAKS]

just saw this thread

while I should have been working,....dang you rob.

3, to 4 to 5 grand is a lot

not long ago I saw a super looking entire interior from a wag for sale on flea bay.

a good choice for very durable material is Marine grade vinyl, it is like leather, ( I could be wrong I thought they called it marine grade )

I have a swatch card from BRY-TECH DISTRIBUTORS- the most beautiful high quality vinyl I have ever seen,....

call 800-329-7283 Jacksonville, Florida for a sample book, THE ALLANTE COLLECTION is what you want. my book is 2014.


also,....there is a wagoner on eBay now for 58,000 in Florida.

they had the entire seats done with no corduroy inserts

it is either high quality "doeskin" vinyl or leather

whoever did it was great at sewing.

who knows you may be able to contact the dealer and find out who did it.

there are a lot of Spanish/Latin Americans ( not sure if that is right wording ) folks in Florida who have great skills in auto work especially upholstery

bet a shop like that did them

take a look

I will try to find a link

the wag is charcoal I think
with digital woodgrain decals, I can spot that crap a mile away....
with the pinkish wood trim that is awful,...but a nice wag. photos below
these are not all the shots, but you can tell it is nice work.

[MysticRob]

Ah, this one here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Jeep-Wagoneer/265000485222?hash=item3db3428166:g:GsgAAOSw-59f8W3B

That does look good, and I like the extra stitching to break up the slabs of rectangles the Katzkin stuff has.

Custom door panels on that look pretty good too.

[SOLSAKS]

I know we are talking about upholstery

but I often think:

I can't be the only one who

sees that god awful digital pattern in that woodgrain ?

and the trim,.... FAIL.

I think wagon master has finally got some good looking wood trim.

never have seen thiei digitally reproduced woodgrain vinyl in person,....
sometimes they show photos of OEM vinyl on a wagoneer in their ads to sell the woodgrain decals

then what you get is repro.

but they do show some photos with their kits actually installed in the auctions
I have seen on flea bay.

you can tell by the incorrect way they did the larger sections of woodgrain

pattern in the middle if the decal,....the elongated lobes that join, and repeat..

to me,....3M DINOC marine teak is the only superb woodgrain vinyl right now, but the grain pattern is not like original.

dave

[MysticRob]

I was wondering what you meant by 'digital pattern' but then I looked closer and discovered the woodgrain pattern on those panels gets repeated from front to rear, and on from left to right side on that GW!

That is pretty ridiculous. Dammit, thanks, Dave, now I'm going to always be looking for repeating patterns in the woodgrain. LOL

I may still redo my interior door panel tops with your recommended stuff, since the color match kinda sucks on what I got from TGW.

[letank]

yes, Florida has some very talented people for upholstery refurbishing, no website. A common part on some vintage is the sunvisor that completed falls apart from the inside, the foam turns to powder like our headliner. Also the vinyl degrades and you need a complete overhaul. The sunvisors are rarely swapable.


In Southern California people travel to TJ for upholstery and anything else...

[Tripwire]

d@mn those are gorgeous seats

[SJTD]

$3-$4.5k In Boise? That would seem high in So. Cal. Did you shop around or are they the only show in town.

I'd get a few quotes and go back. A job like this they'll always throw out a big number and hope you'll bite. Are you in a hurry? Might help if they can use it to fill in between other jobs.

[SOLSAKS]

SJTD

right on high balling prices.

.....and as I am sure you all know

sometimes, with all kinds of work,...esp automotive

they hit you with a price that they hope scares the crap out of you,....never to return,.....

and if you accept,......... GRAVY BOAT.

LETANK
didn't cheech and Chong go down to TJ on an herb van ?
Simon and Simon had to go to TJ on a case in the power wagon,....
and Lamont went to TJ with Julio,....fred said, "go ahead",... " have fun in tamale land "
all this happened this week in my TV world.

MYSTICROB
the patterns also repeat in the NOS or OEM marine teak
but, it is done correctly
and usually the repros show where the designer, joined those areas
and some kits, (wagon master?) does not have some of the grain patterns or elements that the original had,
looks like they scanned it, then stretched the image
so you get a continuous wavy pattern and none of the oblong, elongated football shaped areas of grain like OEM.....
bottom line
there is NO beating the original stuff
but it is a crap shoot, because even if it has been in the A/C,....the adhesive has shelf a life.
but the NOS peace I used on my wag door did well.....


dave in NC

[MysticRob]

$3-$4.5k In Boise? That would seem high in So. Cal. Did you shop around or are they the only show in town.

I'd get a few quotes and go back. A job like this they'll always throw out a big number and hope you'll bite. Are you in a hurry? Might help if they can use it to fill in between other jobs.

I've only just started to look, but it doesn't sound "wildly" expensive based on what I'm hearing now. The CCP virus has done a number on leather suppliers, and I'm hearing about supply and demand issues raising costs for the entire cowhide now. Might just be an excuse, but if the raw materials have gone up, so will the final price.

As I said though, I've just started looking and asking around the country so I can afford to wait a while. She's a garage queen at this point while I continue to restore her.

[SJTD]

You is scaring me. I've just about got my Lexus seats mounted and about ready to have all the seats and panels done. There's two shops in Lompoc where I used to live during the week and one or two in Bishop where we spend some time. Both smallish towns compared to here. I'll compare prices and pics of completed work to here.

I'm not worried about stock appearance. I like the job cu4whln had done a while back and been saving pics of other jobs.

I'll be able to drop everything off to have it done and I'm not in a hurry.

My wife likes fabric like our '98 Dodge has. It's still in near perfect shape after 20 years and 200k. My biggest worry is how to know what to specify for that kid of life. Never seen a redo that holds up like that.

[Waggymcgee]

Can you get away with just doing the inserts? Back, sides and bottom skirt stay the same they just do the front and seat. I got a ball park quote for about $1000 for that. If it’s really over $3k, I guess I’ll just comb junk yards til something better than mine surfaces. Not that Spokane has a lot of choices.

[MysticRob]

Can you get away with just doing the inserts? Back, sides and bottom skirt stay the same they just do the front and seat. I got a ball park quote for about $1000 for that. If it’s really over $3k, I guess I’ll just comb junk yards til something better than mine surfaces. Not that Spokane has a lot of choices.

My seat covers are just totally ate up. Neither the cloth nor the carpet is in good enough shape to reuse, so I'll just bide my time and figure something out here or elsewhere. I know I can buy the carpet and cloth separately but it's big money just for that material, let alone the labor.

I have some more feelers out and will just wait a while to get enough info to not feel like I'm being taken advantage of anywhere.

[Waggymcgee]

My seat covers are just totally ate up. Neither the cloth nor the carpet is in good enough shape to reuse, so I'll just bide my time and figure something out here or elsewhere. I know I can buy the carpet and cloth separately but it's big money just for that material, let alone the labor.

I have some more feelers out and will just wait a while to get enough info to not feel like I'm being taken advantage of anywhere.

Your annoying luck with salvage yards etc might continue too! Although, probably super small chance of decent seats surfacing.