Auto Interior Restoration Bay Area - Headliner for a 1991 BMW 5 Series - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

New headliner and revamped interior on this 1991 5 Series BMW

Third Generation (1989-1996): The E34

The third-generation 5 Series, designated E34 within BMW, was truly an all-new vehicle. The1989 5 rode on a longer 108.7-inch wheelbase, had an all-new structure with an all-new suspension, was significantly roomier than before and was a leap forward in sophistication, refinement, performance and overall comfort. As good as the E12 and E28 5 Series cars were, it was the E34 that propelled the line to the forefront of critics' minds. This is the machine that people took seriously as a contender for the title "World's Best Car."

 

 

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source: http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/5-series/history.html

 

 

Auto Interior Restoration Bay Area - Headliner for a 1998 Jaguar XJ - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Headliner on a 1998 Jaguar XJ.

 

 

 



The 1998 Jaguar XJ8 was a four-door luxury sedan. Power was from a dual-overhead-cam eight-cylinder engine that offered 290 horsepower. The engine found in the XJR was a supercharged version that had 370 horsepower. Both engines had a displacement size of 243 cubic-inches and an electronic sequential port fuel injection system. The XJ-Series had an improved suspension to handle the powerful V8 and the engine was mated to a five-speed automatic.

source: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1050/Jaguar-XJ-Sedan.aspx
by Daniel Vaughan

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Auto Interior Restoration Bay Area - Back to Original Interior on a 1956 Chevy Pick Up - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

We are doing the interior on this 1956 Chevy Pick up.  This is being restored back to its Original condition such as rubberized mats.

 

Introduced in March of 1955, Chevrolet's new 'Task Force' series of trucks was quite a departure from their existing line of pickups. Smooth, rounded sheet-metal replaced the old pontoon-style fenders, and large, wrap-around windshield glass offered better visibility and gave a more contemporary look. And for the first time, an eight-cylinder motor was available under the hood.

 

 

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Auto Interior Restoration Bay Area - Water and Wind Leaks - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

If left untreated water leaks can cost thousands of dollars in repairs. What could cost relatively little now, can grow into many problems that can have a much higher cost later. A water leak can lead to rust and corrosion to floor boards, electrical components and door mechanisms. Left untreated water leaks can also lead to many common health related issues related to mold and mildew. 

Wind & water leaks are generally the result of cracked or poorly installed weather stripping, body seals, misaligned glass, convertible top frames and sunroof lids.  Our team of experts will locate the source of the leak and eliminate it for good.  This service may include reattaching or replacement of your weather stripping or body seals.

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Auto Interior Restoration Bay Area - Another International Travelall - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Interior Restoration of an International Travelall

Once upon a time, if you wanted a big, sturdy four-door “wagon” (the term “SUV” hadn’t yet been invented), there was really only one choice: head to your local International dealer. Until Chevrolet finally got wise, and slowly started adding rear doors, one in 1967, the other in 1973, the Travelall pretty much had that market all to itself. And in those times, the word “Travelall” was as iconic and familiar as “Suburban” is today. It was an institution of higher function, and a very highly regarded one.

In 1961, International took a very bold step forward: a completely new chassis featuring a torsion bar independent front suspension, with the front wheels set further forward, both allowing a significant lowering of the body. Well, now that was going against the trend in more recent decades. But at the time, many folks were still a bit averse to the “truckiness” of utility wagons and pickups. IH’s trucks now sat very low indeed, and made them so much more palatable during the lower, longer, wider era. And available automatic transmission, and power steering and brakes meant Mommy was much more likely to share Daddy’s dream of a Travelall.

Between sitting so low, and all that glass, visibility was superb. In fact, I’m surprised it sits as low as it does, given that this one is a 4×4. This was also a significant departure from the Big Three 4x4s: they rode sky high, and on punishingly hard springs. Their market then were serious off road work applications, like utilities and loggers and such. Of course, the International could handle that too, but it didn’t require a big penalty to have four wheel drive with one.

source: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1965-international-travelall-the-suburban-of-its-day/
by Paul Niedermeyer


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Auto Interior Restoration International Travelall - Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Interior and Headliner for an International Travelall

IH announced the first Travelall in late 1952, but production did not begin until 1953, making this an example of the first Travelall model. There had been earlier woody wagons and panel truck conversions, but these were done by outside body companies, not IH. The first Travelalls were 2 door models, with a third door added with the 1955 A-Line and a fourth in the 1961 C-Line.

The Travelall model was discontinued by IH in May, 1975.

source: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z17214/International-Harvester-R-110-Travelall.aspx

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Auto Interior Restoration Lincoln-Zephyr - Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Lincoln-Zephyr Project - Interior and Headliner Replacement

On November 2, 1935, the Lincoln Motor Company unveiled a new model, the Lincoln-Zephyr. For Lincoln, which had sold barely 1,400 cars for 1935, the Zephyr was a fresh breeze in the Depression-weary automobile doldrums.

The new car had been developed from designer John Tjaara’s innovative Sterkenburg concept studies of the late 1920s. Smooth and streamlined, the Sterkenburg had a low frontal aspect and was designed for a rear-mounted engine. Edsel Ford became interested in Tjaarda’s work, and Briggs, one of Ford’s body suppliers, built a mockup that appeared at the 1934 Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago, Illinois.

For the production version to be manufactured by Ford, the engine was moved to the front, but the advanced bridge-truss integral frame was retained. Since it was to carry the Lincoln name, a V-12 was called for, but instead of the big engine from the Model K, a twelve based on the Ford V-8 was developed. Initially sold as a four-door sedan or a two-door “coupe-sedan,” the Lincoln-Zephyr offered a “Zephyr-smooth ride with all the passengers cradled between the axles.” A division-window Town Limousine was added in April 1936, and for the model year, nearly 15,000 Zephyrs were sold, while deliveries of big Lincolns hovered around the 1,500 mark.

A particularly sleek and handsome three-window coupe debuted for 1937, and the following year, designer E.T. “Bob” Gregorie gave the car a new nose. The 1938 Lincoln-Zephyr was modestly restyled, with twin grilles placed in the forward end of the “catwalk” section of the fenders. Not merely a styling gimmick, this change markedly improved engine cooling. The vee-shaped nose was softened, and the headlamps were made flush with the fender contours. In addition to the sedan, coupe, and coupe-sedan, as Ford called the two-door, six-passenger model, two new open styles appeared: a convertible coupe and a convertible sedan.

The new open models notwithstanding, many people consider the sleek three-passenger coupe to be the most attractive Lincoln-Zephyr. The 1938 coupe is harder to find than the 1937 since production dropped by half to 2,600.

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Dash Repair Ferrari 355 Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

The Ferrari 355 was built from 1994 through 1999. It was the successor to the 348, and was replaced by the 360. The mid-engined 3.5l V-8 produced 375hp (55hp increase from the 3.4l 348), and incorporated new 5-valve per cylinder heads. Although the 355 is not considered to be one of Ferrari’s Super Cars, it was still capable of 0-60mph runs in about 4.6s, with a top speed of 183mph!

We are doing work on the dash where there has been leather shrinkage above the vents. This will need to be replaced

 

 

 

 

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Sunroof Repair Bay Area - Volkswagen Bus Sunroof - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

The VW Bus has become more and more popular. As these wonderful vehicles are being resurrected the new owners are challenged with the every leaking sunroof. We are just starting a project on this car and will keep you posted. 

In the meantime enjoy some nostalgia.

Most boomers identify the "Age of Aquarius" with long, flowing hair and skirts; bulbous lettering; brilliantly colored flowers and peace signs; bold "Make love, not war" signs; and grooving, cruising and toking anti-establishment gatherings.
 
Having served as home to every one of these period emblems and events, the VW bus captures the era’s let-it-all-hang-out, what-you-see-is-what-you-get essence like no other vehicle can.
 
It also represents a cool anti-tech quality at a time when no one but engineers and highly trained mechanics can fathom what lurks beneath the hood of a car. Today, the vintage buses are cherished as much for their uncomplicated innards, frequent breakdowns and the unquiet chug of their motors as their bold paint jobs.

The VW bus punches boomer nostalgia buttons hard, but it seems that the obsessive love we have for it has also spread to the next generation. A new documentary, Circle the Wagen, captures the ongoing fixation through an adult kid named Dave and an entire subculture of like-minded aficionados.
 
Clubs and societies centered on the affection VW bus owners have for their rides as well as their repair and spare-part needs are rampant; this film gets to the heart of the quirky community of devotees.
 
Another recent documentary, The Bus, speaks to the vehicle’s anthropomorphic qualities and the close bonds owners forge with their rides. They even give names to their VWs.

“They have a little face — a little nose and eyes, a smile bumper, kind of an innate character that’s almost human,” an avid owner points out in the movie trailer. But he’s quick to add that failure is also one of the VW bus' human-like characteristics.

THE BUS MOVIE - Official Trailer from Firewater Film Company on Vimeo.

Writer Brendan Busse describes the vehicle as a spiritual touchstone. “I have to say that the stubborn inefficiencies and minor mechanical failures of that simple machine delivered more moments of insight and soul searching than I can here recount," he says. "In a VW bus you learn a lot of patience; you learn about the relativity of time; you learn to sit still and enjoy the ride.”

source: http://www.nextavenue.org/blog/vw-bus-rolls-sunset
by Donna Sapolin

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Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Orthopedic auto seat sculpturing - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Do you experience lower back pain while driving? Our team of experts can re-sculpt your car seat to fit your back and significantly reduce your lower back pain while driving.

Research shows that it is a lot easier to get comfortable in your seat when the car is stationary, a bit like sitting in a normal chair. But once you start driving the body will be subject to various forces like accelerations and decelerations, lateral movements from side to side and whole body vibrations. When we sit on a chair our feet, when on the floor, are used to support and stabilize the lower body. While driving our abdominal muscles can not provide enough stability to our upper body and arms when turning the wheel. This will result in a significant increase of torsional stresses in the lower back, which in return will significantly increase the risk of low back pain.

Our team of experts can re-sculpt your car seat to fit your back and significantly reduce your lower back pain while driving. 

A number of researches have investigated the relationship between driving and Back Pain, which uncovered some interesting results. One finding is a comparison of drivers in the USA and in Sweden found that 50% of people questioned in both countries reported low back pain.

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Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Auto Carpet installation and replacement - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Our team of experts can replace your old carpet and padding with new carpet and padding, molded to fit your car like the factory original. We will  match the factory color, go a shade lighter or darker, or even change the color completely to give your interior a whole new look!

If you have an odor problem, we have biological odor eliminating products we can apply before installing new carpet to insure the odors will not return. Matching floor mats are also available, factory original or custom embroidered with your vehicle's logo or personalized with custom lettering.

Maybe your carpet has a small tear, stain or burn?  In most cases, these can be repaired at a fraction of the cost of a new carpet set.

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Auto Upholstery Bay Area - Porsche Cabriolet Covertible Top and Glass Window installation - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

Here is a project we are just completing converting the plastic window to glass plus putting on a new top

With the exception of a few disparate models scattered over the decades, Porsche has built its fame and fortune on a single rear-engine sports car, the 911. From rather humble beginnings, the Porsche 911 has gone on to be one of the most influential and most recognizable vehicles in the world. Today's version of the car provides stunning levels of performance without sacrificing much in terms of day-to-day usability, and many Porsche purists still consider the 911 the only "real" Porsche.

source: http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/911/

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Auto Upholstery Bay Area - How to clean your cars headliner - Cooks Upholstery Redwood City 650-364.0923

With Spring cleaning right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about cleaning the interior of your car after the long Winter. One of the areas most people don’t even think to clean is their car’s headliner. Often times cars will go years without getting it cleaned, and that’s a shame given how easy it is to keep up. Whether you’ve got light stains or just a plain old dull headliner, follow these simple steps to brightening up your interior headliner.

All you’ll need to clean your car’s headliner is a microfiber towel, interior cleaning product, and possibly some detailing stix. Most interior cleaning products are made to tackle organic messes (food, dirt, etc.), so if your headliner has greasy or oily spots, using an interior degreaser is a better way to go. Knowing the source of the mess is the best way to clean the surface properly. A key thing to remember when cleaning your headliner is to be gentle. In most cars, because nobody is sitting or stepping on the headliner, it will be made of a softer and easily damaged upholstery. No matter, as long as you stay away from using brushes and vacuums on the sensitive surface you’ll be fine. Next comes the fun…

Spray your cleaner or degreaser on the microfiber towel, then gently dab and wipe the headliner clean. Don’t forget to get sun visors, around lights and sensors (be careful not to allow moisture to come in contact with sensors), and any kind of storage system your car may provide. After cleaning, be sure you’ve not over-saturated any particular area – if it looks like you have, just continue to dab the area with the dry side of your microfiber towel and you’ll be good to go!

source: http://www.drbeasleys.com/blog/2012/02/10/cleaning-your-cars-headliner/

by James Detmer

 

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