VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Forum Questions 1939 Business coupe upholstery

Can anyone tell me the correct way to finish the fuel tank cover/package platform in my '39 Master 85 business coupe. Was it upholstered in vinyl with the hold down screws going through the vinyl and the screw heads exposed? Was it not upholstered at all and just covered with a rubber mat? Was it both upholstered AND covered with a rubber mat?
I am also in need of the driver side metal strip that retains the windlace and kick panel on the front door opening.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Ralph

Going from memory, any 39 coupes I've seen were finished the same way the 38 coupes were: The fuel tank cover was simply plywood with a cheap quick coat of watery black paint that soaked in like stain. The package tray inside the interior was a flexible fiberboard panel (almost a thick cardboard) wrapped in vinyl (matching the kick panels) and simply set in place. Possibly had an adhesive holding it to the plywood package shelf itself originally. No visible screws on package shelf. Screws were painted over on fuel cover panel.

If you're referring to the fuel tank cover inside the trunk area, it too was finished with the cheap black stain finish on all wood surfaces. There was no rubber mat or upholstery back there.

The 1939 Engineering Manual states that the rear compartment of the Master 85 business cupe is identical withthat of the MasterDeluxe business coupe.
The description of the Master Deluxe busines coupe... The walls of the space behind the front seat are trimmed with a durable imitation leather colored a brown shade that harmonizes with the upholstery. A brown rubber mat covers the floor, which is raised up to the level of the floor in the rear compartment (trunk). The floor in the business coupe is raised raised because the fuel tank is mounted in the middle of the car.
The picture in the manual shows the compartment with a mat.

That sounds pretty lush lol...The ones I've seen must have been stripped down over the years so sorry to mislead. I'd forgot about the side panels having vinyl back there. So was the vertical plywood face behind the seat also covered in vinyl in 39? It seems vague as described in the manual...

The rear compartment of the 1939 business coupe is much larger than the 1938 model and tends to look more like the 1940-1948 models. The rear andside panels are lined with the leatherette material and the brown matt is listed in the parts book also. The coupe body was the major change in 1939 making a shorter rear deak and larger interior space for the 4 passenger model seats.
Fom what I can determine the back of the front seat was all mohair.

I replaced the interior in my '39 Master Business Coupe with a Hampton Coach interior. That has been a number of years ago but I believe that the rear side panels came with the interior along with door panels, seat covers and headliner. I am very pleased with the quality and fit of these items and the relative ease of installation. I think that the floor/gastank area behind seat was uncovered wood with the screw heads exposed. I did cut a piece of rubber matting to lay in this area. I think I got the new replacement floor mat from Chev's of the 40s to go in the area in front. That is also very nice.