With the glue on my arm rest frame having dried over night the next step is to cover the frame with cardboard. This is the same material I used to make the trim panel templates and it will span the gap between the outer edge of the top piece and the bottom of the base. The cardboard is cut two inches larger overall than the base plate then glued and stapled in place. I’ll apply three layers of cardboard for extra strength.

Here are some details that aren’t so obvious. When attaching the top plate to the base plate I positioned the top plate ¼-inch below the top edge. That allows for the qu art er inch thick foam padding I’ll be adding to the top. I also stacked and glued two pieces of scrap half-inch plywood under the top. That will add support to the top as well as provide a very secure place to screw the arm rest to the trim panel. 

To cover the han d h old I cut an oval shaped piece of cardboard and glue it into place on the arm rest. The arm rest is now ready for foam.

The best foam padding to use when constructing automotive trim panels is 1/8 and ¼-inch thick closed cell foam. Both thicknesses’ come in fifty four-inch wide rolls up to thirty yards long. Knowing how much to buy depends upon the size of the car being trimmed out an d h ow complicated your design will be. For example, I’ll use ¼-inch thick foam on the door, qu art er panel trim panels, and roof so I’ll need about six yards. I’ll use 1/8-inch thick foam padding to make the accent pieces such as the red bands on the side panels and the center piece for the roof panel so I won’t need quite so much of this material. I’ll order three yards.

If there is anything to know about gluing closed cell foam padding to the base panels and vinyl covering it is that the surface of the foam must be sanded to break the film on the surface. If this film isn’t broken it can easily separate from the padding beneath and ruin all of your hard work. I use 80-grit sand paper to roughen up the foam surface and break the film.

I begin by spraying both the foam piece and the arm rest with 3M # 8090 Super Trim Adhesive Yellow. The important thing here is to allow the adhesive to dry to the touch before covering the arm rest. Once the adhesive dries the arm rest is then covered in foam.

Tip. Wrinkles in the foam can be removed by gently pulling on the wrinkle to smooth it. Any wrinkles that won’t pull out can be sanded smooth. You’ll notice in the pic that I’ve sanded the foam inside the han d h old to remove the rough edges.

Project car provided by:

Larry Lyles, owner

LPL Body Works

Amarillo , TX 79109

www.lplbodyworks.com