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"On The Inside"
The interior is still under construction, the following has been completed.
Dash:
The factory dash is covered in black tweed from Select Products. The adhesive used is the same type that an upholstery shop would use and applied via a spray gun. The dash was removed and cleaned with Acetone, all plastic items were removed and cleaned with good old soap and water. The speedometer was disassembled, cleaned and the factory blue backing was painted with Krylon gloss white. The needles were painted red and the gray cover was painted with Krylon semi flat black. The Krylon semi flat was also used for all the trim pieces. Metal grills were fabricated to cover up the defroster vents. I'm not using dash speakers, so the factory speaker areas gave me a location for an auxiliary fuse block and several relays for audio and alarm applications. No less than 25 feet of wire was cut out from behind the dash. Most of the wire came from several accessory installations over the years. New wire for stereo and alarm were run into the factory harness.
While the dash was out of the truck I cut out an area of the air box that is located behind the factory radio. The cut out was needed to allow an aftermarket head unit to fit flush with the dash. S10 "dash kits" have the head unit sticking out about an inch from the dash, I don't care for that look. The cut out was filled with abs plastic and epoxy. I fabricated a mounting plate for the HU from a flat piece of abs. The abs was cut to fit the factory opening in the radio surround and epoxy holds it in place.
Headliner:
The factory headliner backing is used. I removed the factory material and cut out a flame pattern from 1/4" closed cell foam and glued them to the bare board. The flames begin at the front (windshield) area of the headliner and flow about 2/3 of the way back. The headliner and flames were then covered in black tweed and installed using the factory clips. The "A" pillar covers were also given the tweed treatment. The sun visors were tossed in the trash.
Center Console:
The basic form for the console was build by my good friend Luke at Sound Approach in Newport News, Va. The basic requirements for the console were to hold the power window, door lock switches, and two switches for the door solenoids. I also needed a cup holder, arm rest, a place to store a few CD's, and a stealth cover for the subwoofer. The console was built from 1/2" MDF, 1/8" bendable plywood, and Bondo. The console was test fitted no less than 25 times, several hours were spent getting the shifter cut out just right. After the console was finally right I covered the top in purple tweed. Side panels were fabricated from very thin wood paneling and wrapped in black tweed. An electric Brad Nailer was used to attach the side panels. The tips of the Brad Nails were "painted" with a black felt tip marker. The shifter boot was stitched up by Mrs. Vaughn at Shadetree Upholstery, thanks again Mrs. V. The console is bolted to the floor using radio back straps. The cup holder was made from a 3" subwoofer port tube.
The Seats:
The seats are from a 90's Honda Prelude. The seats will be covered in a combination of black and purple tweed, but no time soon $$$.
The Doors:
From start to finish, I spent about two months on the door panels. After deciding on a design for the panels, I installed power windows, power door locks and door opening solenoids. I wanted the panels to be flat with no handles, switches, or speakers visible. I also wanted the panels to be mounted using the factory tabs. I removed a very large portion of the factory panel, basically leaving only the outermost edges. The flat area of the panels were filled with 1/4" masonite and bondo. I drove around with the incomplete panels for a few days to make sure I would be happy with the design. After reaching the "this is it" stage the real work began, sanding, shaping, bondo, bondo, bondo, sanding. Once complete, both panels were covered with black tweed and a mild purple tweed graphic.
Carpet:
I don't have any, YET! I plan to use molded (black) carpet that covers the entire floor area. Since all of the interior will be removed prior to body work and paint, I don't see any need in getting new carpet dirty while working on the truck. The carpet will probably be one of the last things I install.