Interior & Upholstery project questions & progress updates

[boonies]

I am planning to replace the interior this winter (hardly even summer yet, I know) and starting to gather parts for the project and have some questions.

Wood is already in transit from @bela22, and I can’t wait to see it. He had a full set ready to go, and I wanted to have the set on hand so the project would not be delayed by shipping and restoration timing.

My Upholstery questions (after reading many prior strings)

The headliner sample from SMS Auto Fabrics arrived and it looks to be close to original. This source was noted from a post from one of the Members. The original has a small tear between driver and passenger front seats. While doing the interior, this would seem to make sense.

Carpet: Sample obtained from Klaus Hermann Mayer (KHM) look to be good quality and I am debating between the original style German loops (see picture) and the thicker velour (no sample shown). While not original, …interested in the collective thoughts.

Leather: The leather seats in my 1972 are tan pigskin and they are toasted…perhaps literally. They are original and worn through in spots. I have a quote from a local upholstery shop that does a lot of work with, and recommends GAHH, and have seen the samples at the shop. I am also waiting for leather samples from Klaus Hermann Mayer (KHM), they sent the carpet samples but forgot to send leather samples.

Has anyone compared GAHH and KHM leather quality & fit? GAHH at about $4,400k for front and rear seats (includes the back of the front seat and rear side arm rests for leather only. KHM does not list e9 prices online, but looking at similar vehicles they appear to be more price competitive than GAHH. There is an adage that you get what you pay for, but look for any thoughts on relative quality.

Beyond the upholstery questions, what else should be done while the windows, dash and door panels are out?

 

[Thomas76]

Carpet- German loop all the way.
Leather- I used world upholstery and was pleased with results, probably less quality than your other options but much less money.
Before pieces start going back in the car I'd take care of any bare metal then apply some aftermarket sound deadening like dynomat.
I'd also tidy up wiring harness stuff, I replaced all the original wrap with cloth tape to protect and organize (I found damaged wires in the process, so very happy I did). Check all your lights in the back, much easier to troubleshoot when it's exposed.

 

[boonies]

Before pieces start going back in the car I'd take care of any bare metal then apply some aftermarket sound deadening like dynomat.
I'd also tidy up wiring harness stuff, I replaced all the original wrap with cloth tape to protect and organize (I found damaged wires in the process, so very happy I did). Check all your lights in the back, much easier to troubleshoot when it's exposed.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I did plan on Dynamat and for the floors and possibly the roof and door skins. I also picked up some coroplast OEM style (if not OEM) tape for the harness.

 

[paul]

Well I went a little different than standard........for carpet I used German Square weave from KHM colour Bouncle Oatmeal....simply because I have the same in my Pagoda roof Benz. Leather I went top shelf German Napa. I thought the original E9 colours were a little stale.......just my thoughts.
Regarding soundproofing I had the whole area floor inside and out Rhino Painted including trunk and inside of roof then dynamated the whole lot except trunk. I doubled up on the firewall with dynamat..........I hear absolutely no road noise at all in the car and no engine heat whatsoever.

 

[boonies]

Well I went a little different than standard........for carpet I used German Square weave from KHM colour Bouncle Oatmeal....simply because I have the same in my Pagoda roof Benz. Leather I went top shelf German Napa. I thought the original E9 colours were a little stale.......just my thoughts.
Regarding soundproofing I had the whole area floor inside and out Rhino Painted including trunk and inside of roof then dynamated the whole lot except trunk. I doubled up on the firewall with dynamat..........I hear absolutely no road noise at all in the car and no engine heat whatsoever.

Thanks Paul, the idea of Rhino and Dynamat is interesting. Did you use the thinner Dynamat after the Rhino?

Carpet and door panel look great!

 

[paul]

Thanks Paul, the idea of Rhino and Dynamat is interesting. Did you use the thinner Dynamat after the Rhino?

Carpet and door panel look great!

I guess the thickness would be about 2.5 to 3 mm. I used acoustic dynamat on the roof (it has a slightly different pattern for deflecting sound) see pic 1 ....also the supplier said it had better adhesion properties as I was worried the heat from the roof may make fall down onto my headlining. I had some left over so I doubled up on the exhaust and firewall area as you can see in pic 2.

 

[boonies]

This week I received two sets of samples from KHM, headliner and seats. Pictures of both are attached full size for those that are interested.

None of the leather seat kit samples are an exact fit for the original 1972 pigskin which, from reading the forum was unique to that year, so the lack of an exact match is to be expected. It really now comes down to the fit of the kits and preference for leather color & texture.

I remain interested in your input regarding the quality of KHM leather & fit of their kits compared to GAHH if you have any point of reference.

Headliner samples

Seat leather samples:

 

[boonies]

I just received the restored wood from @bela22, amazing! I am really looking forward to getting this all pulled together over the winter. I have posted in the WTB parts section that I am looking for pigskin as an alternative to a complete interior, but either way the results will be greatly improved by the new lumber!

 

[CSteve]

Bela is amazing. Your wood looks stock/original to me. Can't wait to see it installed.

 

[boonies]

Continuing to make some progress on gathering parts for the interior refresh. Recently picked up an expansion valve for the disconnected AC system as I am planning to bring that back to life after the interior is done. Other AC parts gathered as well, but all under the hood.

I visited an upholstery shop recommended by @CSteve on Saturday, clearly a very experienced shop and I am looking forward to getting his estimate. He explained that he has done interiors on several coupes over the years, so the referral was great. I also have an estimates from two other local shops with good reviews. Likely it will come down to price and convenience.

Meanwhile I have settled on leather and carpet options and got a quote from KHM to use as a point of comparison with the local shop quotes that I have or soon will. Posted below for others to use as a point of reference are the prices and shipping costs to the US from Germany. If anyone has had experience with KHM leather quality please share. I have already heard from forum members that they are happy with carpet

 

[JFENG]

KHM quote looks attractive!

 

[rsporsche]

i like the 39c leather - a lot. no where close to the original color ... but that is pretty. might look best with the 422b carpet. i gave away my carpet samples when i went to black interior. with most / all of those leathers will be different from the door / side panels. you will have to recolor them ... comparing to SEM color coat and selecting a close color will be important.

i haven't seen the leather fit from KHM, but i have seen a GAHH set, fit and quality of leather was quite good. i remember not finding the right tan leather color to match my door panels. i have the KHM black / charcoal loop carpet and its a very good, without being great fit. better carpet than the world upholstery that i took out. GAHH also makes carpet, but they do NOT make a trunk panel. all 3 of the manufacturers carpet materials are slightly different color ways. so you might be able to get a KHM or world uph trunk piece. a few years ago, i bought a trunk piece from world ... since then, they have raised their prices to be more in line with GAHH

 

[boonies]

While I am waiting for another quote from an upholster that @CSteve shared I thought I should poll the experts on what to do while I am in there...

There being removal of the seats, carpets, door panels and dash to replace the wood. Here is what I am planning so far, look forward to your comments.

Door panels come out for wood replacement

• planning to lubricate all latches and window gears in the door
• clean out the bottom of the doors and address anything I find down there with POR-15 or similar
• Add some sound deadening (spray or adhesive TBD) to the inside of the door.

Carpet out:

• Clean any rust spots on the floor
• re-wrap any wires under the carpet (I have new coroplast tape)
• add sound deadening & sound isolation to the floor pan
• add some heat insulation to the firewall and driveshaft tunnel

Dash Out:

• Planning to pull the windshield, it is pitted and I know what a difference a fresh windshield makes.
  • I have seen videos of people polishing the glass, but has anyone tried it? If so, results?
• Pulling the gauges apart to clean the glass on both sides
• Odometer does not work, found a link here on adjustment and will look at that
• Clock...is it worth sending this out for repair or refresh?
• Pull center console out and replace AC expansion valve for a system replacement in 2021
• add heat shield product to the firewall

So, I know I am missing some (or many) things, looking forward to your comments. I have read, many strings about the AC systems, is there anything else to be done while the dash and center console are apart?

• Is there a heater core that should be cleaned or replaced?
• what about the AC evaporator?
• Fan blower motor & fan cages?

Lance

 

[Thomas76]

Fun stuff to think about isn't it? Pretty healthy list already but here's a couple things to consider.
-Replace your instrument light bulbs while you have that out, also doesn't hurt to power things up through the harness to make sure stuff works
-clock probably comes down to personal choice, the early ones like mine are pretty fun to take apart and understand how they work. Sending them out for repair quickly exceeds cost of replacing with quartz movement.
-yes there is a heater core. Suggest taking it to a radiator specialist to have pressure tested at least. I don't think new ones are available, I chose to re-core while it was out for a couple hundred bones.
-if you're considering upgrading the power window motors it's easy to add the extra wiring before you rewrap harnesses

 

[boonies]

Fun stuff to think about isn't it? Pretty healthy list already but here's a couple things to consider.
-Replace your instrument light bulbs while you have that out, also doesn't hurt to power things up through the harness to make sure stuff works
-clock probably comes down to personal choice, the early ones like mine are pretty fun to take apart and understand how they work. Sending them out for repair quickly exceeds cost of replacing with quartz movement.
-yes there is a heater core. Suggest taking it to a radiator specialist to have pressure tested at least. I don't think new ones are available, I chose to re-core while it was out for a couple hundred bones.
-if you're considering upgrading the power window motors it's easy to add the extra wiring before you rewrap harnesses

It is interesting, I pulled the trigger on the sound deadening products tonight as Secondskin had a 20% discount that ends today.

Changing bulbs makes good sense and re-core of the heater core also might be good given the age and difficulty of access.

I will have to do some research to understand the wiring needed for window motors. Although I wasn’t planning on changing them now since they all work surprisingly well (at the moment), but preparing now while things are pulled apart makes sense.

 

[JFENG]

Lance, great thread. I still can’t believe the KHM quote of 2400 euro for all four seats.
What did you think of the leather quality from the samples they sent?

 

[Olderdriver]

Well I went a little different than standard........for carpet I used German Square weave from KHM colour Bouncle Oatmeal....simply because I have the same in my Pagoda roof Benz. Leather I went top shelf German Napa. I thought the original E9 colours were a little stale.......just my thoughts.
Regarding soundproofing I had the whole area floor inside and out Rhino Painted including trunk and inside of roof then dynamated the whole lot except trunk. I doubled up on the firewall with dynamat..........I hear absolutely no road noise at all in the car and no engine heat whatsoever.

View attachment 96779View attachment 96781

Hi Paul, can you elaborate further on the leather - it looks beautiful! There are many different levels and types - what was yours and who was the vendor?
Thanks.

 

[Honolulu]

Boonies, if you are doing the work yourself...

Window channels in the doors, and the greased runner at the bottom of the window, should be cleaned and re-lubed. Dry lube only on the vertical felt channels, but spray silicone lube may also work. Closely inspect the window regulator and see that the small cranking gear (for lack of a better name) has not worn the mechanism so that the big sector gear is making poor contact with it. Poor contact will result in a window regulator that makes a clunk-clunk-clunk sound, suggesting failure coming soon. DAMHIK; it is also an issue with manual 2002 window regulators. The regulator can be modified to address this but one way to do so requires some welding.
Window regulator motors can be opened and the armatures cleaned; old grease on the motor, spindle and transmission removed and re-lubed.
If you can remove the clock, you can likely open it up and get it working yourself. The fusible link may have parted; use low-temp solder (hard to get) or with luck a touch of the soldering iron will fuse the existing solder on points back together again. Worked for me; there are illustrated DIYs online. It's nice to have the clock working, but most newer sound units tell the time more reliably and accurately.
Although 3-watt instrument cluster bulbs can be replaced with 4-watt bulbs (BTDT), there's one bulb that should probably stay at 3 watts. Just like me to forget which one.
Opening the speedo and clock requires bending or folding back the crimped chrome trim on each. Be very careful with this, it needs lots of patience.
If you want freely operating door latches, best to expect to remove them, soak in solvent, remove all the old lube and grunge, then re-lube and reinstall. Make sure the spring on the door latch mechanism stays where it belongs.
If you want less heat through the floor, insulate the underbody using the shield from a later model to keep exhaust heat off the floor. Sorry, forget the later model or P/N but have seen it on this forum within the last year or so. Someone will turn it up if you ask, and then you'll have a this-century BMW part on the car. Kewl.
Another thought about cabin heat: it's my understanding that hot coolant is always circulating through the heater core, though air is not. Depending on your requirement for working interior heater (in Honolulu it is a negative) you could reroute coolant hoses to keep the heater core dry and cool. I haven't done this myself but find that I rarely drive the CS, so there's a balance to be negotiated with self.
Firewall insulation - make sure what is supposed to be on the engine side is still present. It may be easier to emplace than crawling under the dash.

OTOH, if you're paying someone else to do all this...

 

[boonies]

Lance, great thread. I still can’t believe the KHM quote of 2400 euro for all four seats.
What did you think of the leather quality from the samples they sent?

It is a good quote and the leather looks fine (small samples of course), but the real test is the fit of the kits.

Although I have made several requests for feedback on the fit of KHM seat kits, none of the members from Europe have commented yet. Early on I did hear from @Gary Knox about a carpet set that he bought and found the quality to be very high.

Anyone with KHM seat kit experience I would like to hear from you about the fit & finish of their products!

 

[boonies]

• Window channels in the doors, and the greased runner at the bottom of the window, should be cleaned and re-lubed.
• Window regulator motors can be opened and the armatures cleaned; old grease on the motor, spindle and transmission removed and re-lubed.
• clock, you can likely open it up and get it working yourself. T
• Bulb check and replace...A
• Opening the speedo and clock requires bending or folding back the crimped chrome trim on each. Be very careful with this, it needs lots of patience.
• If you want freely operating door latches, best to expect to remove them, soak in solvent, remove all the old lube and grunge, then re-lube
• If you want less heat through the floor, insulate the underbody using the shield from a later model to keep exhaust heat off the floor.
• Another thought about cabin heat: it's my understanding that hot coolant is always circulating through the heater core, though air is not. Depending on your requirement for working interior heater (in Honolulu it is a negative) you could reroute coolant hoses to keep the heater core dry and cool. I haven't done this myself but find that I rarely drive the CS, so there's a balance to be negotiated with self.
• Firewall insulation - make sure what is supposed to be on the engine side is still present. It may be easier to emplace than crawling under the dash.

All great stuff, and it makes perfect sense while I am in there!

I am planning to do most of the work myself (not the upholstery), but time is the issue and want to make sure the coupe is back on the road for driving season next year (after our thaw).

I have read several threads about adding diverter valves for the heating system and since that will be inside the engine bay I will likely put that off until later in 2021, but it is a good call.

The firewall (engine bay side) sound / heat padding is in poor shape, and I also read here about the installation of the heat shield you mention and agree that would be a nice add. Also probably post interior installation.