1964 Studebaker Daytona Restoration
Interior
Restoring your car interior can be very expensive and will cost anywhere from $2 - $3k+ based
on what is required and the the level you wish to restore it to.
Average cost of material and to get a bench seat or dual buckets can be $1000 or more each and when
you include carpet, headliner, windlace and door panels it can be a big part of your restoration.
The 64 Daytona's Interior wasn't all that bad but was still needed an upholstery upgrade, carpet
and windlace to make it presentable.
Upholstery - I selected to go with a good quality set of custom seat covers which cost $405 CAD
by the time they arrived. Most off the self seat covers are low quality and do not fit. I purchased a
set of thick brown saddle blanket covers from Daniel's Auto Fashions - www.daniels-auto-fashions.com
They are made by Ruff Tuff www.rufftuff.com which produce custom seat covers using high quality materials
Bench Seat repairs - The front seat was torn and I patched it up as best I could but the rear seat was in
very good condition except for a stain.
Rear bench seat had a rear stain that didn't come out with soap & water
I got the stain out by using the Duplicolor fabric paint which closely matched the original colour
Rear seat stain gone by using Duplicolor Fabric Paint (Desert sand)
Custom set of Ruff-Tuff Seat covers which fit like a glove
Task - Install new Carpet/door sills/Seatbelts
I was able to get OEM custom made Carpet from CARID for a very reasonable price of $150
plus shipping & tax. You can begin to install the underpad and you can use glue spray to secure to the floor.
Once the underpad is secure you can lay out the carpet and flatten where necessary to give
it a tight fit. Next install the door sill plates ensuring the carpet is nice and flat.
Next locate and punch holes in the carpet for the seat belt bolts if necessary. Remove the rubber plugs
and bolt in the new anchors (2 per seatbelt). Then using the cotter pin install the seatbelt to the anchor
Task - Install the front & rear seats
Last thing to do is reinstall the front and rear seats. Front bunch seat takes 4 x bolts whiles the top part of
the rear bench seat needs to be hooked up at the top with 2 screws/flat washer are used to secure
the top portion at the bottom. The bottom portion of the rear bench seas snaps into place
Task - Install new Windlace -
Replacing 57 yr old windlace is a no-brainer and you can get it normally for around
$2.25 per foot US at Studebaker International but I was able to get it for under $2.00 per sq foot US (old price)
from www.perfectfit.com which sells a 15 yards package which is more than enough to do all four doors.
Most replacement windlace requires you to sew a 1 inch strip of strapping to allow you to install it properly.
First remove the old windlace which usual comes off in pieces. Take measurements and allow for abit extra which
can be cut off once installed. Using a thin screwdriver install new windlace using the clips on the car. Ensure that
is secure and then cut to allow the end to be tucked under the carpet.
1964 Daytona Restoration