Pre-war (up to 1942) 1940 Lasalle upholstery

[Ben Medlock]

Getting close on this restoration for upholstery. I've seen a good many pics of different interiors on these cars but I do not see the same design I have. Can anyone confirm or deny that the upholstery design I have is original or not? Also, any recommendations for a good upholstery contact in the Carolina's area to take this project on?

BTW... the cloth looks tan in the pics but is actually a light grey.

Thanks

Ben
34764

[harry s]

I learned a long time ago never to say never but your upholstery is not original. It looks to be seat covers from maybe 50s. You should have a cowl tag that gives the original trim code along with paint code.   Harry

[wheikkila]

I used a gray with stripes from SMS. It looked fantastic. I had many complements on it.
Thanks Wayne

[39LaSalleDriver]

Pretty sure what you have is not the original upholstery based on the charts in the Authenticity Manual. Personally, I used Gray Bedford Cord from Bill Hirsch on my 39 LaSalle and I am quite pleased with it. Unfortunately, the cloth used for 39s is not available so I had to go with what I thought would work best.

Fortunately for you, Bedford Cord in tan or gray IS correct for 1940 models according to the Authenticity Manual so you definitely have options to get the proper cloth for your seats. You might want to cross check the charts there against what is on your cowl tag.

As to who to do your upholstery, I did my own, but Jenkins is located in either North or South Carolina...I forget which. Might want to reach out to them.

[Ben Medlock]

I started this post then headed out on vacation. Just getting back and catching up. Thanks for the responses and information. The upholstery I have is puzzling to me. Its just hard to believe that someone has changed out all of the interior upholstery in the past. As you can see in the pics, even the door panels are the same as the seats. Pulling back some of the old fabric I can not see where there are any holes other than where this fabric is stapled. I also see in the authenticity manual where ''special'' fabrics were an option. I wander if this was a special order??? Big picture, I guess it doesn't matter what happened in the past. I think the best thing to do is to go back with what a typical fabric would be. BTW... I checked on Jenkins and they are only about 2 hours from me so that was a great recommendation. Thanks

[Tom Boehm]

Hello Ben, your trim code 22 corresponds to "gray ribbed broadcloth". The trim code on your tag is 22   01 or D1. Does anyone out there know what the 01 means? The factory chart in the authenticity manual gives a number but no description for interior sidewalls and doors and headliner with the trim code 22. These mysteries have been discussed before on this forum. I guess the real answers do not matter because even if we knew all the facts, the exact fabric probably would not be available anymore. Hirsch used to have the best selection of prewar fabrics but I am not sure if  they still carry much anymore.

[harry s]

...another source would be a copy of the build sheet.    Harry

[39LaSalleDriver]

I started this post then headed out on vacation. Just getting back and catching up. Thanks for the responses and information. The upholstery I have is puzzling to me. Its just hard to believe that someone has changed out all of the interior upholstery in the past. As you can see in the pics, even the door panels are the same as the seats. Pulling back some of the old fabric I can not see where there are any holes other than where this fabric is stapled. I also see in the authenticity manual where ''special'' fabrics were an option. I wander if this was a special order??? Big picture, I guess it doesn't matter what happened in the past. I think the best thing to do is to go back with what a typical fabric would be. BTW... I checked on Jenkins and they are only about 2 hours from me so that was a great recommendation. Thanks

Hard for me to tell from photos, but if those are vinyl panels/inserts that would be my first clue that they are likely replacements. So far as I know (but could be wrong as I haven't really looked into it) vinyl wasn't commonly used in pre-war cars in this capacity. If they are leather I would say yes, they could be a special order type thing, but I don't think those seat covers and door panels would have been standard in any way.

[Ben Medlock]

I have the build sheet and it shows 22 for upholstery. Just have to assume someone for some reason changed out the original in the past sometime ago. So, based on the AM, looks like I'm going back with ''grey ribbed broadcloth'' for this project. I've reach out to a company named Original Auto Fabric out of OK. They are sending me what they say would be the period correct sample materials for the seats, headliner and carpet for this car. Is anyone familiar with this vendor or does anyone have any other trusted vendors I should reach out to?

Thanks,
Ben

[Tom Boehm]

According to your build sheet, your car has dual sidemount spare tires. Can you post a picture. That is a rare option. There is SMS Auto Fabrics in Oregon. They have a wide variety of upholstery fabrics but I would not call them "trusted". They have an unreliable reputation on several old car forums I read.

[Brad Ipsen CLC #737]

You stated the upholstery was stapled.  Was that just a slip of the tongue.  No staples in 40.  All was nailed.  If stapled it has been redone.  Not sure when staples were first used but I would guess before the 60's.

[Ben]

So... mystery solved. These are indeed seat covers. I pulled back the upholstery to find there was a layer underneath that is what I assume is the ribbed broadcloth.

[Ben]

A few pics for you Tom. Still a work in progress.... but getting there

[Tom Boehm]

Thank you for posting pictures. Dual side mounts are a rare option on 1940 Lasalles. They look neat but I hear they are a real PIA if you actually have to remove them to use the spare tire. I like the subtle zig zag in your original upholstery. Bill Hirsch still has prewar appropriate upholstery fabrics on his website but I don't know if it is still available. What condition is the original upholstery in under the covers? Did the covers preserve it? Do you still need new upholstery or is the original presentable? I also like the metallic gray body color.

[39LaSalleDriver]

Nice to see the original cloth underneath. The only original materials I had left were in the door panels and the arm rest in the back seat. At least I have samples for the historic record. They were shot, and had been covered some years ago with a nasty microsuede kit (also ruined by dirt and water damage over time) which I couldn't wait to replace.


With luck, perhaps yours will all be good enough to save, because your chances of finding that exact material is slim to none, and Slim left town a long time ago. About your only options to find anything remotely similar is SMS and Bill Hirsch, but as Tom mentioned SMS has a notorious reputation, and I would guess you have less than .00001% chance that they would have anything to match that cloth anyway. Bill Hirsch won't have an exact match either, but they are very easy to deal with and at least can supply you with something in the ballpark authenticity wise, and have it to you within days of ordering.

To put it all in context for you, I bought my 39 in the winter of 2017, and KNEW I was going to have to replace the upholstery. Early on, I ordered a sales brochure and fabric samples from LeBaron Bonney. LeBaron Bonney was THE premier place to get fabrics for our pre-war cars. At that point, they didn't have anything that matched the upholstery in my 39, or for 40s...other than Bedford Cord in various shades. My plan had been to eventually buy their interior kit when I was ready...but the fickle finger of fate intervened, and LeBaron Bonney filed for bankruptcy and permanently closed their doors. As a result, I was out of luck and would have to compromise on fabrics, and make my own kit which is what I did. Rumor has been that SMS bought all of the LeBaron Bonney inventory at auction. However, unless LB reproduced a version of your fabric some years ago and still had a bit left over that they just didn't put in their brochure/sample sheet, your chances are non-existent to find an exact match unless you wanted to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to have it custom woven. Likely you're going to have to compromise like I did and use something like Bedford Cord.

[Ben Medlock]

Unfortunately, the original upholstery is too far gone to recycle. Fortunately, there is plenty of it there to get a good look at what it originally looked like. I'll get up with Bill Hirsch to see what options he has. Hoping to find something as close to original as possible. Also to note, the back of the seat is a smooth fabric where the front and sides have the zig zag ribbed pattern. Regarding those spare tires....... getting them in the fenders and securing them down is pretty easy but I have yet to figure out how to install the covers without scratching paint. I'm sure there is a trick but have not yet figured it out. Still need to get the covers finished but hope to install in the coming months. A few more views of the seat upholstery attached.