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Retro FitFitting A Carpet And Upholstery Kit Into A 57 Chevy From the February, 2009 issue of Chevy High Performance By Douglas R. Glad Photography by Gray Baskerville
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 This is a classic pre-assembled...  This is a classic pre-assembled door panel kit available from Ciadella (right); the pattern is from the two-door hardtop Bel-Air, even though the car was originally a 210 model. The Ciadella kits include: front panels, rear quarters, kick panels, and material for the arm rests, and are available in stock or custom colors.  The door panels include: chrome...  The door panels include: chrome trim, nails for installation, and even precut holes for door cranks and handles.  The included nails must be...  The included nails must be installed on the door panels prior to installation.  After installing the door...  After installing the door panels, Nick stapled the windlace to the door post.  The rear panel can also be...  The rear panel can also be installed after the stapling is complete. The windlace runs from the rocker panel, over the door, along the roof line, and down behind the front quarter-panel.  To complete the doors, the...  To complete the doors, the window frame garnish molding must be reinstalled with a screw gun.  This is the factory piece...  This is the factory piece that was painted black with a spraygun and reinstalled. If the stainless interior door trim is beyond repair, Ciadella also offers replacement pieces.  The seats were next. The upholstery...  The seats were next. The upholstery kit comes in a sheet of presewn fabric. The original 57 front seat was toast, so a new Glide unit replaced it. The rear seat frame was saved and the fabric stretching began.  The insulation pad was installed...  The insulation pad was installed first and fastened with hog rings to the seat frame.  The next step was coating...  The next step was coating the insulation pad with 3M spray glue and fitting the foam rubber pad on top.  After the insulation and foam...  After the insulation and foam pad were in place, Nick stretched the new seat fabric over the entire frame.  The cover is pulled down and...  The cover is pulled down and hog ringed under the frame to hide the seams.  The seat is test fitted to...  The seat is test fitted to make sure the edges of the fabric cannot be seen. Then it was time to cut the carpet.  The carpet is available in...  The carpet is available in a rainbow of colors and arrives as a precut, ready-to-install kit.  The carpet is cut long at...  The carpet is cut long at the rocker panels and requires something akin to sheep shears to trim it to the appropriate length.  The carpet is then glued down...  The carpet is then glued down and smoothed into place before the seats are installed.  The interior was topped off...  The interior was topped off with a LeCarra steering wheel and an ididit steering column. This gave the car the right combination of old-school meets new look that gets the nice car hoots from the drive-in crowd. Lately, the CHP crew has been hauling Chevys out of the weeds and finding mouse- and rat-infested interiors that would be of more interest to an exterminator than a Chevy guy. With the help of Ciadella Enterprises and interior guy extraordinaire Nick Perich of California Street Rods, this Chevy went from a $3,500 rats nest to a plush-pile playpen. And, there is way more to this 57 Chevy than just its interior. The entire car was built by the crew at California Street Rods (CSR) in just six weeks to get owner Jim Savas behind the wheel of a bitchin hot rod before the May 98 Hot Rod Power Tour. Armed with personal mechanics, 4-Wheel & Off-Road Editor Cole Quinnell and Terry McGean from Hot Rod, Jim cruised the tour without incidenta credit to the skills of the guys at CSR. The boys at Hot Rod wrote the complete anthology of the car (Rookies Reacher, Oct., Nov., and Dec. 98) and described the newborn cream puff as a show driver, somewhere between a daily beater and a 100-point show car. CHP was treated to the hows and whys of the interior rebuild and were here to share the story with you.
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California Street Rods (CSR)
Huntington Beach
CA
92647
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Classic Chevy International
www.classicchevy.com
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Ciadella Enterprises
Tempe
AZ
85282
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’Glide Engineering
Rancho Cuccamonga
CA
91730
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