DEFENDER - Upholstery

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Upholstery

The upholstery of the defender relates to the upholstered panels which were installed into the rear of the vehicle to cover over the soundproofng. The intention was to create sturdy panels with a soft feel.
The first step was to make the mdf panels fit into the back and be held in place. The area to be covered was replicated on a carboard template and traced onto the mdf. This was then cut out and tweaked to fit, for example the seatbelt mounter on the side of the panel had to be accomodated by boring a hole through the wood. The panel is designed to run from the very back edge of the inside of the loadbay right up to the back edge of the driver and passenger doors.
The mounting points for these panels are two long strips of wood. These are screwed in place to create a secure batten the whole length of the loadbay.

The upper batten was secured in place via 90degree angle brackets secured onto the bolts that hold the roof and the side panels together. The lower batten was lined up with the hollow rail that runs along the upper edge of the contour of the bodywork. This hollow rail has a series of holes punched through it along its length. The lower batten was simply lined up and screws were driven through it, through the holes in the rail and into smaller pieces of mdf which were slotted inside the rail.

The result was a 12mm mdf panel that was held in place very securely. Even at this stage it looked miles better than the black soundproofing.

But we're not finished yet.
The next step was to upholster the panel. Before anything could be stuck in place the edge of the panel was bullnosed off with the router. This provides a smoother edge where the foam meets the wood.
The upholsterers foam was then trimmed to match the shape of the panel. This is 12mm foam and is stuck in place using spray-on upholsterers contact adhesive.

Finally it was ready to have the icy blue/grey alcantara attached. The procedure for this is very similar to attaching the foam. The difference with this is that you must leave extra material on all sides so that it can be pulled taught and stapled to the back of the mdf. The key to this is removing any creases and to not end up with ripples on the finished surface.

With this complete the only remaining job is to fit it in place. This is done using scews with small domed head caps to finish off the appearance.

When fitted in place the panels add a real level of luxury and comfort to what was a totally utilitarian wagon. The extra material and foam also provide more sound insulation.