'32 BB original seat material

[Seabees]

Howdy boys, would you know what the original '32 BB seat covers were made of, and where I might find a picture or two? Thanks guys, always an adventure posting on here!

[rotorwrench]

The most common fabric was the black cobra grain faux leather for commercials & trucks. It most likely would have been the faux leather that was used for many years. This was a cloth covered with pyroxylin coating that resembles vinyl material. Colors may have started changing in 1932 but I don't have any info on it.

[DavidG]

Actually the pyroxylin cloth used was very dark brown with a fairly modest grain. It was also used on '32-'33 standard roadsters and '32-'34 standard phaetons. I'll post a photo tomorrow.

[highbeams]

I have a '33 3w with the original weathered rumble seat, fabric top area, mohair interior with rusty header tacks. if photos are desired. Thank you -

[DavidG]

Here's a photo of an accurate reproduction of the original '32-'34 standard open car, commercial vehicle, and big truck upholstery fabric. This is vinyl while the original was pyroxylin artificial leather.

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by DavidG

Here's a photo of an accurate reproduction of the original '32-'34 standard open car, commercial vehicle, and big truck upholstery fabric. This is vinyl while the original was pyroxylin artificial leather.

[Flathead Fever]

That photo of the reproduction material looks correct. I have a '34 BB that was a Lake Arrowhead CA fire truck hose tender, back when it was a volunteer fire department, so it was hardly driven. The speedo says 4600 miles and that could be correct for a fire truck that never left that mountain. The mileage doesn't really matter after it in sat a field. The guy I bought it from got it in the early 1970s. The guy before him had let It sit outside with the hood off and water went down the carb, so the engine is now a paper weight. I pulled the heads, and the block is toast, what a shame. Some of the glass was shot out. The typical truck in a field stuff. At least they were good aim and only hit the glass. Real nice sheet metal except for some rust in the bottom rear corners of the cab. The doors are nice, grille is perfect, fenders straight. I think that is original red paint on back inside of the cab. If it is that means they painted, it with the wood in place. The outside was repainted at least once.

There is a little bit of the original fabric left on the seat back but it's in sad-sad-shape. Kind of like the fabric version of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments. It is a very dark brown. If you were to just glance at it you would think it was black. Where the sun wasn't on it, it still has some gloss to it. It doesn't look like a grainy leather pattern, maybe like a coarse sand pattern. I'd say that fabric above is as close as you are going to get.

Converting this fire truck to an original Ford stake bed. I found an original factory short stake bed and went ahead and bought. I need the long wheelbase bed or pieces to lenthen the one I have. I need some more original stakes and the side-gate hardware if anybody has spares.