VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Upholstery - Interiors & Glass Hamilton Coach --OMG

After years of wanting, my 29 Imperial Landau, Hamilton Coach, kits came today; Seats, Kick Panels, Headliner, Top and Convertible. I may not eat for a month(s) but here they are and my I say Holy Cow!!!!
I could not even check the shipping list to see if it all came. Basically nothing has a number or name on it, and the instructions are difficult. The second word I read I knew I was in trouble.. “windlace”. My car had no interior so I had nothing to copy, I have no prior knowledge of upholstery language, and the instructions are limited providing only the barest guidance for an ignorant like me…OMG. Windlace, what the heck is a windlace (looked this up on Google) and which one of several is “the” windlace.
Steam now blown, and having read all the Hamilton Coach posts here in VCCA, does anyone have something the can send, or a good book to recommend, that will help me through this final frontier?

i share your hostile feelings toward the Hampton instructions and lack of labeling. i used their kit for my 31 cabriolet and thank god most of the original interior was still present. talk about manufactured confusion. if there are any 29 chevy 4 door sedans in your neck of the woods, studying it may help a good bit. i wouldn't trust the job to a neighborhood upholstry shop unless they've done a bunch of old chevys. good luck,mike

Thanks Mike. My wife and I will be doing this install. I do not have local 29s to look at so I am looking at all the pictures I can find on Yahoo and Google. Those pictures are not good for this detail work, so I am hoping some VCCAs have some helpful pictures.

i do not have a 29 but have installed several hampton interiors as you said the instructions are not exact an may refer to several differant years . first up do not cut anything as all the pieces are cut to fit may need a little trim be sure first the next is do not get carried away with stuffing seat parts as you may not have enough material to cover it on a couple i had to have a person to sit on the seat to get enough to grab on. one i requested they add a few inches of material and the reply was they make by a pattern and do not vary from it . once i thought i had caught them in a mistake but it trned out as my mistake . hope this helps

:( So Hampton coach STILL hasn't improved their instructions! I bought a complete interior kit 3 or 4 years ago from them (still not installed) and it was woefully short on instructions. I am one of the lucky ones though in that my car, a '38 2dr sedan, still had all it's original upholstery. My car has bucket seats and there were absolutely no instructions on covering them. After a couple of phone calls, they did send me some basic hand-drawn instructions. The burlap in my kit was about 10" narrower than the original and when I called them about that, they said that is what they use and they never had any complaints from customers about it. I bought all new burlap the right size at my wife's local fabric store. In any case, you have my sympathies on installing your kit. Just keep talking with other VCCA members who have your model car and I am sure they can help you through it. Good Luck!! Beamer

You should consider purchasing a reprint of a booklet entitled "Fisher Body Service Manual All Closed Body GM Cars 1926-1932"
which is available for $20.00 plus shipping from www.faxonautoliterature.com
I find it helpful for all GM interiors of that period.
The manual is actually a guide for fit and finish on the body structure in and around the wooden frame of the auto but it does go in to details that are helpful for interior headlining, door panels, seats (welt and windlass: actually that sounds like a law firm but it is just referring to the "rope-like" edge that finishes off seat covers, door trim and the like).
Your best bet ( which you already know) is to search out a "correct" 1929 near where you live...and take lots of photos and measurements.

I have one and like MikeyBoy said it is a valuable tool for working on the Fisher body cars of that era.

Took a look at that link (faxonautoliterature.com/) but couldn't make a connecton, are they still in business?
Denny G

Denny, Give them a call a 1-800-458-2734 or you could always snail mail them at:
Faxon Auto Literature
3901 Carter Ave.
Riverside, CA. 92501
Fax # 951-786-4166

Here is a good Link: www.faxonautolit.com

I got my Fisher body manual from Faxon, as well as other literature and have always found them reliable. Beamer

I purchaced a complete upholstry kit for my '41 5 pass. Special Deluxe Coupe from Hampton Coach. When I bought the car there was not a "stich" of upholstry in the car except the ragged front seat. I made a cover for the front seat to hold me over until I could upholster the car. A friend ( the one that helped me restore to car} and I installed the upholstry kit. I will agree that the instructions were not the best but we installed the kit without any difficulty and it fit and looks great.
Contact Gene Schneider. He has a wealth of information and may be able to helpe you especially with terms or desciptions.
Good luck JIM JAR41

When a vendor is that slow to adjust the very needed instructions for correct use/installations, the VCCA (may be) should ask the management at HC to be more accurate when selling the items.

They should not exploit the near monopoly of this field, but really try to help customers to the best result. The kits are not cheap and HC is (or should be) the expert in this matter.

Something for the technical committee to follow up?

:vcca:

I picked up the 1926-1931 version of the Fisher Body Manual on EBay for under $20 delivered. It has a wealth of info. including interior as mentioned.

Solan has a very good point about making a formal request for improved instructions for the interior kits. For $3000+ dollars you ought to at least get instructions if not installation tools.

I agree for the price a little more detail would be nice.

Previous post regarding "Hampton Coach" have dwelled on the positive and the negative and I think we can all agree they add a lot to our hobby. Lets not forget they are a " for profit " company and any additional expenses will just be passed along to the end user.A step by step instruction sheet that anyone can follow without any experience and get professional results just isn't possible. Someone with talent and experience will have a much easier time installing their product than someone without either.Some people just learn faster than others.Others of us realize its not to be and seek out those who have the expertise to do the job."Hampton Coach" is a supplier of materials and not talent. While I realize its frustrating to spend a lot of money for an interior and then worry about ruining it,imagine having to start from scratch!

I have had nothing but good results from LeBaron Bonney/Hampton Coach. I agree with m006840 100%.

Maybe we have a failure to communicate. I did not want to start a discussion about expertise. Rather I posted my opinion about instructions, to inform others. The idea above that VCCA get involved is a great suggestion. We all hit this wall individually, but as a group we may all have exactly the same problem. As I write, it dawns on me that some may not have experienced what troubled me. When I reported the instructions are poor, I meant things like this:

“Roof: A. Tack burlap in place in roof opening. B. Install rear header seal. C. Lay padding over burlap. D. Lay topping material over padding; align seams of top with recess in edge of metal roof cap. E. Tack sides, rear edge, then pull tight to front to tack.”

Regards ”˜instruction sheet that anyone can follow without any experience’ this is the whole enchilada. Nothing about finishing the front or side edges, where the seal should be placed … along the edge or lapped over the convertible edge, and as mentioned before the parts are not marked (what is the Rear Header Seal … it can be one of several possible items). At $5,000 plus, these instructions should be more customer friendly.

I think the interior itself is great; the instructions could and should reflect that quality.

I know this will not be a popular suggestion but will give it anyway. If all of us VCCA members would take good notes and pictures during the installation of HC interior kits and then write an "how to do it" article for the G&D it would not take too much time to have excellent installation instructions. What ya'll think? Let "George do it"?

Chipper-I have just reviewed my Fisher Body service manual and find some very helpful instructions regarding both installation and nomenclature for various body parts. I think it would be very helpful to anyone installing an interior or doing other body repairs to purchase a service manual. As Hampton Coach makes kits that are duplicates of the originals I think the original instructions would be beneficial. The VCCA library also has manuals and bulletins that would be helpful.I made copies while attending an Anniversay Meet. Perhaps with the information they contain and some collaboration between Hampton Coach and a knowlegeable VCCA member or committee the information could be included with the kit when purchased.They do offer(or did) Fisher Body service manuals covering 34-49.Perhaps we just need to convince them to offer the earlier years or include it with their kits.Also included in their catalog are upholstery books which also would be helpful. Hampton Coach aka Lebarron Bonney is a supplier also of tools and materials and many other restoration products for Chevies and that "other " brand.

My reason for commenting about VCCA involved is:
I have helped some few to get the interior from HC. Quality, cutting etc. is very good, but the major comments coming from the buyers after some work and installation are following:

As long as HC is selling to many amateurs, normally with no or little experience, they should give the buyers better/more detailed written instructions and/or

having a better/faster support service where the buyers could ask and get directly replies.

My 2 cents for today.

:vcca:

Even some of the professional upholstery people that have installed these kits have said the same thing as well......"Hampton Coach should supply quality instructions with their kits so that it would be easier for the home restorer to install the kits."

Years ago, before Hampton Coach was bought out by LeBarron-Bonny, the original owners of the company did have a better, and more detailed set of instructions.

I felt nearly the same way when my kit arrived in 1985. I went into shock... ended up getting a professional to install it.

You can read a little bit more about it here .

At the Anniversary Meet at Downingtown PA in '81 the former owners presented a seminar on their products. At that time I was looking for a kit for my '48 Cabriolet. They were working on that kit then. One owner of an Aero sedan had used their kit and had his car on display and it was very impressive. The owners assured me that the kit for my car would be correct. So I waited perhaps six months and asked for samples of the blue interior. First, the blue leather didn't have the "feel" of the original. It was much thinner. And the rear carpet wasn't like the original; it was not as thick and much softer. A club member who had taken an upholstery class helped my do the seat cushions and I did the rest of the front seat. The door panels were great and didn't require directions since they fit perfectly. And when I had the top done I had the professional do the top well and the rear side panels. The directions with the kit were almost no directions and if the car had a headliner to do, I would have had a professional do it. Now, the leather shows a lot of wear but the car has been driven over 25000 miles. Apparently, the original leather had more depth with the blue dye and the kit leather is just on the surface like paint. I had the car judged at Santa Rosa in '86 and I got a second place trophy, but restorations have become so professional that now the car wouldn't even place and I quit having it judged after '92 and going through the chairs to get the preservation award.

Providing fairly expensive upholstery kits and NOT proving some kind of instructions with it, is just poor business practice. The vast majority of these kits are going to owners that plan on installing the kits and have had no experience in doing so.

I can understand not having detailed, appication specific instructions, but there should at least be general instructions. Any good technical writer (and there are probably LOTS of unemployed ones now) could be hired for a couple of weeks to watch and document the general installation of these kits and wite up a set of general instructions.

Not rocket science, just good business, after all, past customers should be your best salesman, or so it would seem to me.......

Hey Bill, I don't see what your problem is. Looks like Tab A goes in Slot B, held in place by Widget C and a maybe a couple of tacks.
I did my HC interior about 6 or 7 years ago and I recall several phone calls and faxes back and forth with them. They tried to be helpful but it seems a lot was left to the installer to figure out. Most pieces (like the door panels) and easy to figure out, but just where the windlace and trim pieces go and exactly how they fit is a challenge. I did not dispose of the original interior so I did a lot of checking and comparing the new to the old to figure out a lot of it.
I picked up a new skill during this...learned how to blind stitch fabric. Just what I always wanted to know! :)