Restoring is not a cheap hobby and not one for the faint of heart or working for minimum wage. Have you tried SMS out of Portland, Oregon for seat material?
I can tell you from experience that while the proper seat upholstery will be expensive, you would really be much more satisfied if you saved your pennies and just did the job the way that you really want to do it. Delayed gratification is tough but the rewards are huge and really, you owe it to yourself to have the car the way that you want it. I would sugest that if the car is a decent old car and not a rust bucket, then go the extra mile - take a year or two longer to do the car and be happy and proud of your accomplishment. I have not seen a lot of upholstery shop work that could even begin t compare to a nice stock interior - especially when it comes to seats and door panels. They just always look like what they are - upholsteryy shop attempts to duplicate what the factory did. I have seen the work that SMS puts out and it is pretty much exactly as original right down to the heat stamped designs in the panels and seats to the "chrome" mylar piping and embossing. Do it right - do it once and do it so that you know that you did your absolute best. I have had seats redone at upholstery shops and while I am not a perfectionist, I have never really been happy with the results. Sorry, but sewn in patterns just don't look as good as the heat staped ones from the factory. These words are just the opinion of an old guy who has been around cars for a long, long time. I hope that they mean something to you.
66 LTD Seats 
Linear Mode
