Talking Interiors with Auto Kustoms

Reupholstering is replacing the interior upholstery material (like fabric or leather) on seats and panels. The hosts contrast it with deeper fabrication, where the seat gets cut and modified to add features, so the result won’t look like the original seat.

A bench seat is a single, wide seat that spans across the cabin instead of separate individual seats. In custom interior work, bench seats often get modified with new frames, different foam shapes, and added features like cup holders.

Cup holders are built-in storage features designed to secure drink containers while the vehicle is moving. In custom interiors, adding cup holders usually requires cutting/modifying the seat or console structure and then integrating trim so it looks factory.

“Body cues” are design details taken from the vehicle’s exterior—like shapes, lines, or styling themes—and echoed inside the cabin. Custom interior shops use them to make the interior look cohesive with the car’s original design language.

“Off the grill” refers to using the vehicle’s grille design as a visual source for interior styling. The grille’s shape and pattern can influence stitching, panel contours, or trim motifs so the cabin reflects the front-end design.

A “full on custom interior” means more than reupholstery—it typically involves redesigning and rebuilding multiple cabin elements (seats, panels, trim, and sometimes integrated features). The episode frames it as a scope-and-cost question because deeper fabrication work costs more than a simple cover replacement.

The Chevrolet Camaro is a classic American muscle car, and the “68 Camaro” refers to the 1968 model year. In interior-custom conversations, that year matters because the cabin layout, seat frames, and trim pieces are specific to that generation.

An interior kit is a packaged set of trim and upholstery pieces designed to update a vehicle’s cabin without doing a fully custom one-off build. In this segment, Auto Kustoms is describing a “kit-like” approach for square body interiors, including door panel and kick panel work.

Kick panels are the trim panels at the lower front area of the cabin near where your feet are (between the door and the dashboard). They’re often customized with upholstery or inserts because they’re visible and help define the interior’s look.

Door panels are the interior trim pieces mounted to the inside of each door, typically including the armrest, speaker openings (on some cars), and the surface you see and touch. Auto Kustoms is describing custom door panel work as part of their square body interior package.

A crew cab is a pickup-truck cab configuration with two full rows of seats and four full-size doors, offering more rear-seat space than extended-cab layouts. The hosts mention a “crew cab” example they built to show how the interior package can look cohesive across the whole truck.

The headliner is the interior fabric or panel on the roof of a vehicle. It often includes integrated trim and can be a major part of a full interior refresh because it’s visible and requires careful fitment.

In interiors, “trim” refers to the finished surfaces and decorative pieces—like panels, inserts, and coverings—that define the cabin’s look. When a shop says a truck has “all the trim,” it usually means more pieces are present to match in color and material.

“Door bottoms” are the lower interior sections of the door panel, often made of vinyl/leather or covered trim. Custom door bottoms let a shop replace or reupholster the most scuffed, high-wear area to match the rest of the interior.

Single stitch vs. double stitch refers to how many rows of stitching are used to form seams in upholstery. Double stitching typically increases visual emphasis and can improve durability by distributing load across more thread.

CNC stands for “computer numerical control,” meaning a machine uses computer instructions to cut or sew with high repeatability. In an upholstery context, it helps produce consistent patterns and stitching layouts.

Porsche is a German sports-car brand known for distinctive design language, including its crest-style logo. In this segment, the hosts reference using a Porsche logo motif as a repeating interior design element, which is a common customization approach for high-end interiors.

Interior upgrades are aftermarket modifications to improve or personalize a vehicle’s cabin—often including trim, upholstery, and custom branding details. In this segment, the hosts contrast doing classic-car interior work with doing similar upgrades on newer cars.

Lamborghini is an Italian supercar brand known for high-end, performance-focused vehicles. The hosts mention it as an example of the kind of exotic car customers might bring in for interior customization work.

Maserati is an Italian luxury/performance car brand. In this segment, it’s mentioned alongside Lamborghini as an example of an exotic vehicle they would handle for interior upgrades.

A convertible top is the roof mechanism that can fold down to open the cabin to the air. The hosts say they don’t do all convertible tops, but they do some—implying certain top types or jobs are more specialized or limited.

Ford Mustang is a long-running American pony car line known for strong aftermarket support, which is why interior and top-related custom work is common. In this context, the hosts are saying they do a lot of Mustang work, implying high demand for interior solutions.

Mazda Miata is a lightweight, enthusiast-focused roadster that’s often targeted for interior and top-related upgrades because many owners keep them for a long time. The hosts mention doing a lot of Miatas, suggesting these cars are frequent candidates for interior customization.

“Vets” is shorthand for Chevrolet Corvette, a performance sports car line with a strong enthusiast community. The hosts’ mention implies they frequently handle interior work on Corvettes as well.

Mercedes-Benz is a luxury car brand, and the hosts are asking whether they do work on Mercedes vehicles. They respond that it depends on which Mercedes model, implying some models are easier or more common for their shop.

BMW is a German luxury/performance brand, and the hosts are being asked whether they do interior work on BMWs. Their answer suggests they only take certain BMW models depending on what’s involved.

“Faux leathers” are upholstery materials made to look like leather but are not real animal hide. In car interiors, they’re often chosen because they can be cheaper, more consistent in color/texture, and easier to source in bulk.

Vinyl is a synthetic plastic material commonly used for interior trim and upholstery. It’s popular because it’s durable, relatively easy to clean, and can be produced in many textures and colors.

A “carpet kit” is a set of pre-cut carpet pieces (and often padding/fasteners) designed to replace or refit the interior carpeting. Kits help installers get a more accurate fit than using generic carpet rolls.

Bucket seats are individual, contoured seats that hold you in place more than a flat bench. They’re commonly used in custom interiors and performance builds because they improve support and feel during driving.

“Patina game” refers to the culture of keeping a vehicle’s existing worn, aged finish (patina) instead of restoring it to a brand-new look. In practice, it often goes along with doing interior upgrades or selective cosmetic work while leaving the exterior character intact.

Fuel injection is a modern engine system that delivers gasoline to the engine using electronically controlled injectors. Compared with older carburetors, it typically improves throttle response and makes tuning and drivability easier—one reason it’s treated as a desirable “upgrade” in custom builds.

In this context, “tools” refers to the workshop equipment used to build or modify car interiors. The episode is shifting from interior parts to the practical question of what kind of tools people rely on in their shop.

A “Regal” is the Buick Regal, and the “86” strongly suggests a 1986 model. In low-rider builds, the car’s body and interior are often customized for a show look—so the hosts are talking about a classic American platform being reworked for a modern low-rider style.

A low rider is a car culture style focused on customizing a vehicle’s stance and appearance—often with hydraulics or other suspension setups to get very low and to “bounce” or “float” the car. The conversation also ties low riders to specific interior and exterior visual themes that cycle in and out of fashion.

In low-rider circles, “West Coast” refers to a regional style associated with classic West Coast low-rider aesthetics—often including bold interior trim and showy details. Here, it’s used as shorthand for a particular look they’re debating: more extreme, show-focused customization versus keeping it drivable.

“Coffin pleats” are a distinctive upholstery pattern used in some low-rider interiors, typically featuring sharp, coffin-like pleating lines. The hosts mention them as part of an 80s/90s West Coast look, alongside other decorative interior elements.

“Mirror tiles” are decorative pieces—often small mirrored panels—used to create a flashy, reflective interior or trim look. In low-rider builds, they’re commonly paired with other bold upholstery and trim patterns to create a show-car aesthetic.

“Big flake” refers to a metallic paint style that uses large metallic flakes in the clearcoat to create strong sparkle and a dramatic look under light. It’s a common low-rider paint aesthetic, and the hosts connect it to candy colors and patterns.

“Candy” in custom paint usually means candy-color paint, which uses transparent or semi-transparent layers over a base (often metallic) to achieve deep, luminous color. The hosts mention it alongside “flake” and patterns as part of the classic low-rider show look.

Instead of replacing an entire interior, the shop focuses on repairing and restoring what’s already there. That approach is different from full reupholstery because it can involve localized fixes to damaged upholstery while preserving original structure and fitment.

Seat upholstery is the fabric or leather covering on a seat, including the stitched panels and sometimes the foam-backed layers. When it’s damaged, repair shops may cut out only the affected section and replace that panel to restore the original look and seams.

This describes a “panel replacement” repair method: the shop cuts the damaged upholstery section out and swaps in a new matching panel. It’s a common restoration technique because it can preserve surrounding original material, stitching alignment, and the seat’s overall shape.

Perforated leather (or perforated upholstery) has small holes to improve airflow and reduce heat buildup. Ordering “perforated” material matters because the hole pattern and texture need to match the original seat cover for a clean repair.

In seat upholstery, “boxing” and “bolster” refer to specific stitched areas of the seat cover. Boxing is typically the side panel/edge section, while the bolster is the thicker, contoured outer section—both are common places where repairs require careful panel matching and stitching.

An airbag is a safety device in the steering wheel, dashboard, or—on some cars—in the seats. When an airbag deploys, the system must be repaired so it can work correctly next time, which is why upholstery shops may replace the airbag module and then refit the seat cover.

Re-stitching is sewing a seat cover back together or adding new seams. For seats with integrated airbags, re-stitching can be unsafe because the airbag cover is engineered to tear/open in a specific way during deployment, so shops may refuse to re-stitch and instead use factory-style replacement parts.

That “slimy orange foam” sounds like degraded interior foam used behind trim or on the underside of coverings. Over time—especially with heat and age—the foam can break down and turn into a sticky residue, which then ruins the panel’s backing.

“Bubbling up” refers to heat damage where dashboard or leather-like interior surfaces swell and separate from their backing. The hosts attribute it to sun exposure, which is a common cause of interior-cover delamination and foam breakdown.

The Hummer H2 is a large, body-on-frame SUV known for its big interior and rugged styling. In this segment, Auto Kustoms is talking about doing a headliner install in a Hummer H2, which can be especially difficult because of the vehicle’s size and interior shape.

In convertible-top work, stapling is a common method for fastening the fabric/vinyl material to the underlying structure. The host’s point is that stapling into the window area is a delicate step—if the material is positioned wrong, it can tear or create fit problems.

“Sunriffs” is being used here to mean aftermarket sunroofs/sunroof installs. These are popular add-ons that replace or modify the factory roof panel to add a glass opening, but they can be prone to leaks if the sealing and drainage aren’t done correctly.

A sunroof is a roof opening—often with a glass panel—that can slide open or tilt for ventilation. In older or poorly installed aftermarket setups, the seals and drainage can fail, leading to water leaks and interior damage.

A “pop top” refers to a roof section that can be raised up—commonly seen on convertibles or camper-style vehicles. Because it adds moving joints and seals, it can be more vulnerable to leaks if the weatherstripping and drainage aren’t maintained.

The hosts are pointing out a common failure mode: water leaks from roof modifications like sunroofs/pop-tops. Leaks typically come from worn seals, incorrect installation, or clogged drainage paths, and they can accelerate rust and interior deterioration.

“Rusted” here is describing corrosion that’s worsened by chronic water intrusion from roof openings. When water repeatedly gets trapped around roof seams and drains, it can attack the metal structure and make the car much harder (and more expensive) to restore.

“Sliding rags” appears to be a colloquial reference to soft-top/convertible fabric roof systems or fabric roof covers that slide or fold. Soft tops rely on fabric and seals, so they can wear out and leak if the material or drainage isn’t kept in good condition.

The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup that’s often used as a base for custom “mini truck” builds. Here, the hosts suggest looking for a Ranger if you’re trying to recreate that 1980s/early-1990s style.

Headlight covers are aftermarket clear or tinted pieces placed over the headlights, often to change the look or provide a degree of protection. In custom scenes, they’re part of the “period-correct” styling details people try to replicate.

Double-blade wiper blades use two wiping elements instead of a single strip, which can help maintain contact across the windshield. They’re mentioned as another visual/period detail associated with older custom truck styling.