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

This subject has been discussed at length and I believe the concensus is Hampton makes an excellent product but fails to make it easy for a Do-it-yourselfer. They have at various times installed kits in their shop and have had some excellent upholsters working for them.Perhaps one of the reasons for the limited instructions is associated with $$$$$$. Developing and maintaining instructions for all of their kits would be cost prohibitive and we would all then be discussing the higher cost of their kits. I have said it before and it deserves repeating-upholstery is a trade that requires talent and training. Sherwin-Williams sells artist paints but I don't expect them to instruct me to become Rembrandt.Paint by number- maybe??

This is a somewhat faulty analogy. Sherwin-Williams sells paint. Hampton Coach sells ready-to-install kits, not just the mohair material. Any other kit I buy has instructions. Hampton Coach did not offer one whit of information on how to sew the hardbacks on my '38 bucket seats. I called them a couple of times and they eventually sent me some basic hand-drawn instructions and a curved needle. I still didn't know what to use for thread as the original was almost like twine. I finally found something close at JoAnn Fabrics. It seems to me that a $3,000.00 kit (at the time) would have contained the proper thread. After all, it contained tacks, hog rings, hog ring pliers, and everything else needed to install it. In any case, despite its shortcomings and extremely limited instructions, I pretty much got the whole shebang in the kit; not just a few yards of mohair. Ergo, I did expect fairly comprehensive instructions for a DIY'er. On the other hand, when I buy a gallon of paint, that is all I expect to get. Beamer

I have to agree with Steve 100% My best friend Bill Reid is a semi-retired interior guy, he served an apprenticeship for five years. He has done some of the best restored cars in the country. I have watched him do several of them and even a few of mine. The labor was cheaper than the price of the kit. It is a trade that takes years to master, and a very special touch.
John

Hi Beamer,
You may have missed the "ARTIST" paint part as it was not house paint that I referred to. Point being it takes talent and training to become an expert. No amount of printed instruction is going to do that, only experience. The fact that Hampton produces a kit is an advantage for the professional and amateur alike. Without them we would have to start from scratch.

After reading all these posts I will be doing upholstery myself which is all there and will keep very detailed instructions for the next person doing 30 4dr sedan-I bought a very expensive top for a BMW which came with none-no instructions -said it should take 5 hrs.-took 2 wks but came out nice due to a lot of thought and attention

When I was restoring my 31 coupe I read this very thread and thought that Hampton kits were not the way to go. I talked to a local upholstrey guy and he came by my house, he looked at the car and gave me a list of how much mohair fabric to order and also the felt for the headliner. I did order every thing from Hampton, then had my local guy install it. The car cost a little more than the kit to have it installed but there was no fuse about instructions. The guy that did the job has about fifty years in the trade.

I just got my kit from Labaron bonney. I hope they send better instructions than Hampton Coach.I dont see anybody talking about them

The interior of my car is HC and I like the quality. I did NOT have the work done however. But after 10+ years the upholstery and quality looks great.

I did purchase and install a HC "card board" Trunk kit for my 41 coupe, {which does NOT come w/any instructions}.

After a few attempts at installing the kit I called HC. On the day I called HC this was the reply;
"Sorry Mike. We do not know how the Back panel attaches to the Side panels. We also do not know how the side and back panel's look or come together once they are installed. And we do not know the top from the bottom of your back panel."

So, with the help of Cal Bison’s photo’s and other VCCA members it was installed.

I guess the motto is, “They are not all what they claim to be.” Or, "No one knows it all." {Except Gene}

Now with a continual marketing mindset maybe HC presents VCCA with an opportunity. Maybe HC would allow a hot link to VCCA on their web site. And a by line, "If HC can't help you, join VCCA. We probably can."

Enjoy the ride,
Michael41

"I just got my kit from Labaron Bonney. I hope they send better instructions than Hampton Coach. I don't see anybody talking about them"

They are the same company. Greetings from NH.

Here is a little tidbit that I came across when I looked at the HC web site. LeBarron Bonney owns Hampton Coach. If you go to HC web site and look at history at the bottom that is were I found this information. Seems like they have changed hands so many times that the owners are just in it for the money.

Hampton Coach was established in 1977 by Stanwood Brown, a prominent Hampton NH businessman and antique car hobbyist who had previously owned and operated an auto supply company and motorcycle dealership. Mr. Brown had purchased a vintage Chevrolet and was interested in restoring it to its original condition. While there were numerous body shops in the area that were capable of handling the exterior work on Mr. Browns Chevy, he had difficulty locating a source for duplicating its original interior.

Mr. Brown's search eventually led him to the "LeBaron Bonney" in Amesbury Massachusetts, a company that was well known in the antique car circles for interior kits for Ford 1928-1954 cars and trucks as well as its stock of hard to find automobile upholstery materials and interior trim products. While LeBaron Bonney did have an extensive offering of interior kits for Fords, it was unable to help Mr. Brown with his Chevrolet. However, during his visits to LeBaron Bonney, Mr. Brown developed a friendship with Lee Atherton, the co-owner and founder of LeBaron Bonney , who encouraged Mr. Brown to establish a similar enterprise that would cater to antique Chevrolets and other general Motors vehicles.



With help and guidance from Mr. Atherton, Mr. Brown quickly embarked on the new venture which he named "Hampton Coach".

He began his operation in the town of Hampton, NH after taking some space in the historic Greenman Building...which would be their home until 1994 . He then recruited a team of craftspeople, including a patternmaker, an upholsterer and a stitcher, all from local footwear manufacturers.

Mr. Brown then set out to create patterns of original interiors of more than 100 different models of Chevrolets manufactured between 1928-1940. (Hampton Coach currently has patterns for over 400 models between 1916-1954). As you can expect this was no small undertaking as each set of patterns required an original vehicle in reasonable condition. The second part of the problem was to locate original type materials including trims , upholstery material , carpets and top material for each model developed. This second problem was partially solved with Hampton Coach's ability to purchase many of these materials in small quantities from LeBaron Bonney Co, who over the years had developed extensive sources and inventories of these materials.

Thru local contacts and a national advertising campaign Hampton Coach continued to add new models to their ever growing list.

The campaign was a tremendous success and in a relatively short time Hampton Coach possessed the most comprehensive collection of antique Chevrolet interior patterns in the world.

Thru direct mail to antique Chevrolet owners, magazine advertising, and attending antique auto shows. ..Mr Brown began to aggressively market Hampton Coach products and services. While "In Shop" installation was limited due to geographic distance of many customers, the company's reproduction interior kit sales proved to be a winner as hundreds of its kits were being purchased throughout the US , Canada and Europe. ...similar to the success enjoyed by the Ford counterpart company "LeBaron Bonney".

As its business flourished the company continued to expand its collection of interior patterns to include Chevrolets manufactured between 1916-1954.

In 1984 Mr. Brown decided to sell Hampton Coach and devote his time to selling antique cars and parts. He sold Hampton Coach to a local investor a Mr. William Vickers.

Thru a series of operational changes, which Mr. Vickers instituted , Hampton Coach continued to grow and expand its model offerings. In 1987 Mr. Vickers decided to move on to other areas of personal and professional interest and sold Hampton Coach to Mr. and Mrs. James A. Roll. Under their guidance Hampton Coach continued to grow, expanding their market worldwide and adding an extensive line of Buick kits (70) and certain models of Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac and LaSalle vehicles. Total kit offerings now stood at over 400 models. With its growing reputation for quality work , attention to detail and originality at reasonable prices...Hampton Coach's sales and orders reached all time highs.






In January of 1995 after extensive negotiations, Hampton Coach was sold to the "LeBaron Bonney" and moved "lock stock and barrel" including all its employees, to LeBaron Bonney's 50,000 sq ft plant 15 miles to the south in Amesbury, Massachusetts. The Rolls had decided to move on to other pursuits. LeBaron Bonney had been exploring various avenues of expanding its business and the purchase of Hampton Coach seemed a natural.



As a "division of LeBaron Bonney", "Hampton Coach" operates in the same facility as LeBaron Bonney and the two companies share their combined 61 years experience and expertise that both companies have accumulated.

Thank God for VCCA