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So during the long winter I have been thinking about the upholstery in my car. I know the striped broadcloth is supposed to not be available except through SMS at a substantial price and delivery period. By the way in case you don't know my car is a '51 200.

Not remembering what I was hiding under the striped sheet I had covered my seat with many years ago, my original thought was to patch a rip or two, clean the fabric and reuse the original material on new foam and burlap.

Today being a nice day, I thought I would go and remove the hog rings from the green vinyl seat covers and then remove the original broadcloth. My plan fell apart after removing the sheet and seeing the extent of the damage. It's a real shame that the rest of the seat is in fine condition except for this area (pics below). It is not just a rip, but material is also missing from the "hole". My seat back appears to be in good shape from what I can see under the seat cover and my rear seat is like it was never sat on.

I have some questions for those who have been here before. Should I patch this area with a similar material (maybe a swatch from someones roached car) which would not look great, but preserve the original material or just bite the bullet and reupholster? I know it's my car and my decision but I would really like others input on it.

If I reupholster, I would not buy the SMS fabric. Too expensive for my project. Has anyone used the upholstery kits provided by Kanter or seen them on cars? The generic pic they show is not convincing. Maybe if I saw it installed it would look better?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

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Ultimately I think we'd all agree replacement is the answer but -----

As to Kanter's seat covers, I have the same question. I had considered them but, like you, was not satisfied with the generic information. Some other companies also seem to sell a similar "custom made" covering for other cars -- or at least they use the same outlines and descriptions. I'd be interested as well in what others have to say. I did buy one of Kanter's headliners. It is an excellent color match to what I had but the fabric was cotton and a totally different feel to my original wool. It also cost less than half as much as the proper one would have so no complaints here.

If another aftermarket slip on cover has been ruled out and seat repair is the plan, other questions might be: If the fabric is removed, could it be successfully reinstalled back in the same spot with any repair method or is it too deteriorated and would fall apart. If reinstallation could be done then is the fabric actually missing or is it there but just spread far apart by the padding.

Too bad it's in such a noticeable spot but if it is just spread or only a minimal amount is missing, you might be able to make a serviceable repair. I would carefully remove the material and using some iron on mending patch material get the fabric back into decent alignment as much as possible. Once aligned, tack it with the iron on from underneath. If there is a missing piece then use the close match material to fill that area and iron that in as well.

If you could do that getting a decent alignment, then sew a strong reinforcing panel under the entire area and several inches around and reattach to the seat. It might work for a pinch until a real replacement could be done.

keep hunting on ebay for a period NOS or NORS set fitted for a series of cars including yours. This will keep it period original , looking great, while not destroying your original!

Have you checked at a auto trim supply in your area for a close match. My 57 chevy original material was $85 a yard I matched it close at the auto trim shop here in OKC at $8.99 yd. Keep checking around someone has a close match. My cars are drivers not show cars. No trailer queens at my house. lol

You might also check LeBaron-Bonney for fabrics, they have several striped wools and you might find something suitable and less expensive than SMS. Regarding Kanter's seat covers, I have a friend who installed a set on his 50 Eight; I thought they looked "period" and fitted well - I'm sure he'd be willing to share his thoughts and if you want his name and phone# send me a PM.

If you only need enough cloth for one seat I don't see 1-2 yds @ $85 per a cost factor vs doing the whole interior over with cheaper fabric, $20-40, to match.
Hirsch also has stripes.
I'm estimating all my interior material will be $3-4K not counting installation labor. But it'll look classy...

I just looked in my LeBaron-Bonney catalog, at the time of printing they did state they had some OEM-pattern Packard striped wool broadcloths. I have a friend that sourced from them for his 42 Clipper, it was a great match and though not the weight of the corresponding Hirsch product, it was more than adequate and probably much less expensive. Why not request some samples? Nothing to loose but a phone call or a stamp and envelope.

Thanks for all your thoughts guys. Gave me a few options I did not think about. If I find a match or pretty close, maybe I could take the top panel of the seat bottom off and sew in a new section. I guess the consensus is a flawed but mostly original upholstery is better than a generic or lesser fabric upholstery even if new materials are used. I wasn't sure if the extra effort to save the old material would be worth it but I guess it is. Finding period correct seat covers is another great idea if they can be had. I actually prefer the green vinyl type covers that were on it but damaged. Appear to be dealer installed.

I guess my next step will be an attempt to remove the old material without damaging it further. If I wreck it there will be less options.