Cliff Notes at end of thread for those that don't feel like reading everything

my interior needs some TLC... well.. the vynal seats definately do. the rest is fine.. but could use an upgrade. i know it's a truck- but still... i'd like to have a more comfortable interior. so anyways...

my drivers seat has a weird little wrinkled crease in it that looks like it's on the verge of cracking open. the arm rest has already cracked open (the material, not the lid itself).

i've been thinking lately what all to do to make the upgrade a nice one.

so far i figure i'll be doing the 60/40 mod, and adding an explorer center console. my next door neighbor is a great sewer and said she'd gladly help me learn how to sew and help me recover my seats.. so that'll be taken care of.

i'm figuring the same pattern layout on the seats.. but with leather and suede inserts, like SVT has. with that i'd like to do something to the center console to tie it together.. maybe just build up the lid/armwrest with a nice thick, comfortable padding, and rewrap it in matching leather.

i've already got the glove box and passengerside airbag wrapped in black velvet.. it feels great and looks awesome when vacummed, but i want to switch to suede. same goes for parts of my sub box.. but that's a whole nother story. more than likely, i'll be rebuilding another one for the fun of it.

with the glove box, passengers side air bag, center console lid/armrest, sub box.. what else could i possibly wrap in leather (or suede)? off the top of my head, i guess the headliner and visors are a possibility.. plus the door panel pieces.. does anyone else have any other pieces that would look nice or feel better wrapped in either suede or leather??

now for the hard part... color. i know many people will instantly say "black... it's a black truck, go with all black, it'll look good." while i do agree that all black is nice... i feel it's "ehh.. yawn." too many people do it.. and i dunno.. my entire damn truck is black- black and grey.. plus more black... i'd like the inside to feel warm and comfortable.. which is why im thinking of maybe some sort of light tan.

not the tan they use in our rangers.. or in any ford.. or chevy.. more like a light, light tanish cream. im getting bored of the black and grey.. and figure going all black won't do anything for me.. which is why im looking at the opposite end of the spectrum for some light.

i figure with a light color like that.. and maybe some wood dash trim, plus the leather and suede, it would look nice.

so anyway. to add to the list... i'd also like to get an OHC put in, along with the auto dimming mirror.. plus get my Explorer EATC installed... i have the headunit itself here in my bedroom.. i just need the rest of the pieces, lol. is there anything else anyone can think of that would be a nice feature on the luxary side???


Cliff Notes

-planning on upgrading interior.
- going to do 60/40 mod, and have seats rewrapped in leather/suede
- explorer center console, OHC +autodim mirror, and EATC to be added.
- wrap random panels, headliner, etc. in leather/suede to match seats
- possible color change... all black or something else.. help me decide.
- add anything you can think of!


alright guys, that's it for now. i dont expect to start this for a while.. probably in the fall sometime maybe.

to answer any possible questions that might come up.. i'm fairly clean (don't track mud in the truck), and never off road. i never store anything in the truck. i have a cd book, and that's it really. i do not plan on doing a carputer. i'd love to do one, but want to stay away from one for now, same goes for any indash screens (navy, ps2, etc..). i want to basically leave the radio bezel, and center console alone, so i can sell the truck and not have to take it apart if for some reason the truck needs to leave one day.

 

I dont know if youve seen mine yet or not i have posted it way to much, but here it is again. I did both armrests on the door panels, door handles, airbag, glovebox, panel under steering wheel, center console handle, ABS cubby, speakers, and the small vents on the bottom of the door panel.

 

Sharp as always mudranger96

I'm probably going to paint some of my interior parts, but flat black. The reason? Cheap to repair, no glare, easy to clean, and I like the look of flat black for some reason. Eh, call me simple, but I like the softer look of it.

 

looks good mudranger. you've just reminded me to add the other panel on the dash under the steering wheel. i didnt think about the fuse box cover either.. that would be a good one to do too.

EDIT: i wonder if the steering wheel could be rewrapped somehow.....

 

suede

 

LED door lock mod.

ACC power on mod

Explorer Cluster

i would look into choosing 2 base colors for you interior and using those throughout the truck.

 

I was thinking about it but there is just to many curves and angles on it and it would probably be hard to wrap.

 

as of right now.. the color combo would be either black and grey.. or light tan and black

 

yeah i probably wouldn't have the patience to do it myself.. i just started to look around online for anything, but haven't come up with too much. maybe the steering wheel will stay as-is, lol.

 

I've actually sat in a couple 99/01 cobras with the leather with suede insert seats, the suede wears terribly IMO. I'd use it where you wont have to worry about it getting any wear, like headliner (that would look nice), door panel inserts up top. Then i'd wrap the console lid (the explorer console since you're doin that mod) in leather, as suede would get dirty/worn like the fabric lids on the 60/40 consoles.. Sounds like an awesome project!

 

Get the peltier cooling/heating seats out of a lincoln.

 

CARPUTER!!! DO IT! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

Ok sorry I'm done.

I think the suede would be a bad idea too because it will get worn so easily and will get dirty too. Put it in places where it won't get touched often. I think a cream/peanut butter color would look awesome with black accents too.

 

ahh PEER PRESSURE, lol. honestly... i would.. but i know i'd never use it. same goes for any navigation sys. or dvd player, etc.. i'd have it put in... think it was cool for a while.. then it would get old, lol. so that's one thing im telling myself "no" to.. my wallet will thank me when it's older, lol.

i figured seat inserts would be alright, since it's done in other cars.. but, if what you guys are saying is true.. i guess i'll stay away from that. i'll keep it for the headliner only.. and stick with all leather on the seats and center console, etc., for durability.
yeah thats basically what i'd like to have. for some reason, i think cadillac has the lighter "cream" color i'm invisioning.. but you're probably thinking the same general color scheme, so.. yeah! good to hear someone say they think it would look good!

 

You can buy some "everyday suede" kinda stuff, not sure if that's the correct name, but you can also look into Alcantara.

 

i say go with black and grey. but me personally i like dark int.'s