Re: 55 400 headliner repair

Posted by HH56 On 2014/8/15 16:42:05

I have bought both presewn and from scratch but since a couple were some time ago, not much price comparison can be offered.

I bought one of Kanters presewn in the 70s for a 56 Patrician. Price was OK and fit was good. I put it in myself and did manage to get one small wrinkle near rear window I never fully was able to get out. Aside from working alone & trying to hold it in position when pulling wrinkles out, it went in without too much drama. The fabric was cotton and quite a bit different in texture and feel from original.

In the early 80s on the 56 Carib HT, the upholster made that from scratch and installed it. The original vinyl has a perforated pattern and he was able to find a Mercedes vinyl which was very close. Price was a bit higher than a presewn would have been but since there were no presewns we could find that were anywhere close in pattern, not much option..

I recently bought another of Kanters presewns for the 47 Custom. Hasn't been installed yet and haven't decided who will do it -- me or the upholster when he does the seats. The material is decent quality but is not exactly the same as Packard used. It looks to be well made though. On the 47 Custom, original was wool but Kanters is a cotton material. A close look and feel but noticeable difference when you compare side by side. Price was about half the cost of the real presewn wool item from Hirsch. Around $500 because of the special long bow pattern on Customs. Kanters regular cross bow patterns are about $100 less. I bought Kanters because I wanted an "inexpensive" item I wouldn't feel guilty having made holes in if a project doesn't work out.