elcome to the final installment of our series documenting the restoration of a 1965 Impala Super Sport. We’ve used this car as an example throughout this series, hoping to show you a few inside tricks and techniques that you can apply to your own restoration effort. In this installment we’ll touch on a few final details, and then take a closer look at the car itself.

At the end of the last article, we had just finished installing the body onto the detailed chassis. The car is once again resembling a usable, drivable vehicle instead of a collection of parts. I’m going to focus on a few of the finishing touches necessary before showing (or driving) can begin.
Let’s start with the interior. First thing, let me recommend that you find yourself a competent trim shop for the majority of the interior work. Installing headliners and seat covers is best left to those who do it all day, everyday. Look around at other cars and ask the owners who did their work, and when you find someone you’re comfortable with, use them exclusively. Also, for areas such as seats, you need to perform all the detail work before you take the seats and new covers to the interior shop. Paint the seat frames and the runners underneath the seat first. Remember, the trim shop will only install the covers, and will not do any other work to the frames themselves.

Here’s a tip for you; have the runners cleaned and degreased at a local engine shop. By thoroughly degreasing the rollers, you can bead blast them without trapping abrasive. Also, have the trim shop install a new burlap layer between the seat springs and the foam. This is the layer that traps odors in an old car, and replacing the material will make your car smell like new inside.

Carpet is one area where you can perform the work yourself with professional results. The key with carpet is not to remove any material. The carpet is split, opened up, and then laid back into place after the seat is installed.

Remember, it’s the little things like door jamb switches, screw heads, knobs, etc., that really make a car stand out. Nobody says anything about all the small details when they’re right, but if they’re not, they become very obvious.

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