“Duct tape daddies” is a joke for people who cover up interior issues with quick fixes. The hosts are basically saying some cars get patched to keep driving, while others get fully upgraded interiors.
Term
gaffer state
Gaffer tape is a strong tape used in theater and film. Here it’s mentioned as a handy option for quick, temporary interior fixes or holding things in place.
Seat covers are covers you put over your car seats to protect them or make them look better. The host is using a budget example to contrast with custom interior upgrades.
A custom interior means the inside of the car is redone with your chosen materials and style, not just repaired to look stock. The host is saying it’s a bigger project than buying replacement parts.
Replacement parts are the pieces you buy to fix or refresh the inside of the car. The idea is that some cars have easier-to-find parts, so the project can be simpler than a fully custom build.
Term
OE
OE (original equipment) parts are the same type of components the car manufacturer used when the vehicle was built. The host contrasts OE replacements with custom interior work, implying that popular cars may have readily available OEM-style parts.
Race seats are seats made to keep you more secure when the car is turning hard. The host is saying some people upgrade their interior with race seats instead of keeping the original ones.
The BMW M3 is a sporty BMW that enthusiasts usually buy for driving feel. Here, it’s brought up because the shop did interior work on one, showing how interiors can be part of building a “complete” car.
Term
tears
This sounds like the host is talking about the final finishing step of an interior job. The main idea is that the last details are what really make the car feel “done.”
A Dodge Charger is a famous American muscle car. “71” means the 1971 model year, and it has a particular body style that looks different from other Charger years.
A hot rod is a car built or modified for driving enjoyment, often with an emphasis on making an older car faster or more fun than stock. The speaker describes buying the 1972 Sebring as something they might fix up as a hot rod before moving on to the Charger.
The distributor is part of the ignition system that helps the engine spark at the right moments. If it’s working (or reused), it can be one of the things that lets an older car start and run again.
Part
manual pump
A manual pump refers to a hand-operated fuel pump used to prime or supply fuel to the engine. In older cars (or cars with fuel delivery issues), a manual pump can help get fuel to the carburetor/injection system so the engine will start.
“Bucket” seats are individual, contoured seats designed to hold you in place better than a bench seat. The speaker mentions duct tape on the two front bucket seats, which highlights interior restoration work on a classic Charger.
Restoring a car means bringing it back toward its original condition (or a desired standard) by repairing worn parts and refreshing the interior and mechanical systems. The speaker describes a slow restoration process after getting the Charger running and adding seat covers.
Brand
PJ trim shop
“PJ trim shop” sounds like the name of the business doing the interior and trim work. It helps set the context that they’re talking about customizing the inside of cars.
Here, “interiors” means the inside of the car—like the seats and the trim pieces. It’s not just cleaning; it’s custom work that has to fit and look right.
A 1969 Camaro is a classic muscle car from Chevrolet. Since lots of people restore them, the interior is often upgraded or redone to match the original look—or to personalize it.
A 1932 Ford is a famous old car that people love to hot-rod and restore. When you customize one, the inside—like the seats and trim—usually gets redone too.
A sleeper car is a car that doesn’t look fast, but is. In this conversation, they’re also talking about keeping the interior subtle so it still feels “factory,” even though it’s been customized.
Vinyl is a man-made material used for car seats and panels. They’re saying they used vinyl (or a vinyl-based approach) to make it look like real leather, especially in how it reflects light.
The dash is the dashboard area in front of you. People customize it with different materials or finishes to change the look without changing the whole car.
The console is the center area of the car where controls and storage are. They’re talking about customizing the console trim so it looks custom but still matches the original layout.
Door handles are the controls on the doors. They’re saying you can change where they sit or what they look like to subtly update the interior style.
Term
diamond tech
“Diamond tech” refers to a diamond-pattern upholstery style—typically seen in seat inserts or panels—where stitching forms repeating diamond shapes. The speaker is pointing out that certain pattern styles from the 1960s are desirable for restorations because they look authentic to the era.
The B-pillar is the post in the middle of the car between the front and back doors. Interior shops often have to remove or rework trim pieces that are attached to it.
Sandblasting is an abrasive cleaning process that uses high-pressure media to strip old material from a surface. In upholstery/interior restoration, it can be used on metal components like seat springs, but the host notes that sometimes the parts are too far gone after stripping.
Seat springs are the metal parts under the seat cushion that help support you. If they’re broken or rusted through, the seat won’t feel right even if the fabric looks good.
Aftermarket options are parts made by other companies instead of the original maker. They’re often used when the factory parts aren’t available or can’t be reused.
A build sheet is a factory document showing how the car was ordered and built. Restorers use it to figure out what the original interior should have looked like.
Burlap is a rough fabric that used to be used inside car seats. It helped hold the padding in place and, in some older cars, it can still be there after many decades.
Pleather means fake leather made from synthetic materials. It can look similar, but the discussion suggests real leather is usually the better choice for a high-end interior.
Term
suede
Suede is a soft, fuzzy type of leather. In this conversation, it’s mentioned as a possible secondary material used with leather for a more upscale look.
Houndstooth is a recognizable patterned fabric—usually a black-and-white or dark-and-light check look. The hosts mention it as one of the interior materials you might see in cars.
Genuine leather means it’s made from real animal hide, not a synthetic material. People like it because it feels more “authentic,” and it can age in a nice way.
“Ultra leather” is a man-made leather-like material meant to be tough and light. It won’t smell like real leather, but it can be easier to use in cars where weight matters.
A fiberglass car has a body made from fiberglass instead of metal. That can change how parts are attached, and it can affect how easy the interior materials are to fit.
The Jeep Wrangler is a type of SUV made for off-road driving. The podcast mention sounds like they were talking about an older Jeep (a 1941 Willys) that had a special performance setup, including a blower on the engine. They’re describing what the car was and what made it stand out.
A “blower” is basically a forced-air device that helps the engine breathe better. In this case, it’s mounted so you can see it sticking out under the hood, which is why it stands out at shows.
“Big block” usually means a larger, stronger V8 engine. People use the term when they’re building a powerful car, especially for show and drag-style setups.
Brand
Mercedes beige
They’re describing a specific beige color they used, referencing Mercedes-Benz. It’s basically a way of saying what shade it was.
They’re talking about a racing-style seatbelt system. Instead of one belt across your body, it uses straps that sit over your shoulders to hold you in place more firmly.
Concept
reformed it and shaped it so it matched the rear seats
They’re describing custom work to make the front seats look like they belong with the rear seats. It’s about matching the shape and materials so the whole interior looks like one designed set.
Door cards are the panels you see on the inside of the doors. People customize them with different materials and designs to make the cabin look nicer and more coordinated.
Sub frames are extra metal supports that help mount seats securely to the car. They’re especially important when you install racing seats so everything sits in the right place and feels solid.
Floor pans are the metal panels that make up the car’s floor. If you move them, you’re changing the shape of the cabin so seats and carpeting can be fitted the way you want.
The Dodge Challenger is a muscle car, meaning it’s designed to be fast and powerful. People often talk about it in terms of horsepower because some versions can make very high power. The podcast reference sounds like they’re discussing big-number performance levels.
An armrest is the padded part you rest your arm on, usually on the inside of the door. When people customize interiors, armrests are one of the parts they often remake so everything looks and feels right.
Concept
rapid technology
They’re talking about newer, faster ways to make parts. Instead of carving wood by hand, you can use modern tools to build the shape quicker and more accurately.
A rasp file is a rough hand tool used to shape material by scraping off small amounts. They’re basically saying older methods took longer and were more hands-on than newer tech.
The headliner is the material on the inside ceiling of the car. When upholsterers remove it to do repairs, they sometimes find things that were hidden above it.
Term
Sunbizer
They likely mean the sun visor—the flap that you pull down to block the sun. It’s part of the roof area, so it often has to come off or be moved when you’re working on the headliner.
The Chrysler 300 is a big American sedan. The “fishbowl dash” is a dashboard design that looks really distinctive, so it stands out when you’re talking about interior repairs and custom work.
Here, “wiring” means the electrical connections for things like lights, audio, or the radio. The speaker is saying they try not to add too much because it can get complicated.
Concept
planning ahead
“Planning ahead” means talking to the interior shop early instead of waiting until the car is already apart. It helps the job go smoother and avoids having to redo things later.
“Heat cycles” means running the car through warm-up and cool-down a few times after work is done. It helps make sure things set correctly and stay in place.
Bracketry is the metal hardware that connects the seat to the car. Good brackets help the seat stay firmly attached and handle crash forces instead of pulling out.
A professional mount means the seat is installed the right way with proper mounting parts. That’s important because seats have to stay attached during sudden stops or accidents.
Anodized parts are metal pieces that have been treated to make them tougher and more resistant to wear. It can also let the part come in different colors, which is useful for custom interior trim.
The Ford Mustang is a very common car people customize. That means there are lots of seat and interior options available, so interior shops can build something that looks original or something more personal.
“Original equipment replacement” means replacing parts with ones meant to match the factory setup. So the interior ends up looking and feeling closer to how it came from the factory.
The Toyota Camry is a regular everyday car that’s meant for comfortable driving and reliability. In the podcast, it sounds like they were talking about seats or interior parts from a Camry. They may have been using it as an example of what could fit or work in another project.
“Mid-back” describes a seat with a backrest that comes up to the middle of your back—more supportive than a low-back, but not as tall as some racing-style seats. They’re using it to talk about different seat options for a custom interior.
A “milk crate” is a household container, not a real car seat. The comment is basically a joke about an improvised, not-ideal seating setup.
LIVE
It is two guys garage podcast he's Kevin bird. I am Willie B. And today we're talking interiors, man
It's awesome interiors mean everything. We've jumped in so many cars and I'll be honest man
I got a few cars that the interior is just money and spend a lot of money to get that interior in there
And I got a few other cars that are duct tape daddies, bro
They're just like that. Let's hang it up. You know dial it in with a little duct tape
Gaffer state whatever you can find had Mexican blankets had Walmart seat covers
We get it sometimes you just got to cover it up, you know, and there's a there's room for both, right?
You and I were both patina fans or duct tape fans white Walmart seat covers because means you can just get out there and have fun
You don't got to worry about anything, right? We're not show-offs
But we do have rides that are to the nines, right?
The outside is full on custom right your white body my white body
You know once you put all that effort into the outside already stop you roll right on the inside
So then you get a custom interior and it's a whole different process, right?
Because you can just go get replacement parts for your for your ride
Hopefully depending on the ride, right? If it's a popular one you can get just same old OE, right?
Maybe upgrade the seats or something cool for race seats, but
Yeah, when you go custom, it's a completely different different adventure. So we're gonna walk through we've got
Pat Russell PJ from PJ's trim shop. These guys rocked out my BMW M3 several years back
Downtown job, man, but we got PJ here to kind of help. Anyway, it hasn't been through the process
Yeah, man, I gotta tell you dude
So tears typically one of the last things you do
But it's the thing that really is the icing on the cake if you will
But man as a as a guy that I remember back in the day
That's that was the thing that made my car complete my first 70 Dodge Charger
Which is over in my shop right over here, man?
I wanted this car all through high school never could afford one
I got a 71 Dodge Charger different body style, right? I always wanted that classic
Gen 2 body style like you see on the generally
That was pretty notorious one, but I wanted a 70 and man
I can never afford one and I'm on my way when I landed here in Denver
I got out of hot riding for a couple years. I was moving around trying to get radio and pursue that career
Well, then I got an apartment out of here
I lived in that apartment for a year and the second I knew I was buying a house
I got my house put Ernest money down on it and I knew I was gonna get a car because the house had a garage
My apartment didn't so man
I'm driving to a rental equipment place and I see the corner of a 70 Dodge Charger
I roll up and at the time I bought a
$600 72 seabring just to drive around and beat around in maybe fix up as a hot rod
I knocked on this guy's door
I said I'll give you that seabring and 300 bucks for that 70 Dodge Charger
He says wait, you'll give me a running car and
Money for that old Dodge Charger in the back and I said yes, sir
He's like you got your you got yourself a deal son
He's like shook my hand came back the next day with some tools take it on it for 34 hours
Had old distributor put new fuel in it got the old manual pump re-hosed
I fired that thing up drove it home and that thing man
I used probably five rows of duct tape on that that front seat those two front buckets
But I was pushing a 1970 Dodge Charger three different colors and man nothing made me happier
I got some seat covers on what I did
I went through the slow process of restoring that car
But the thing that really made it all complete
I got a paint job stroke or engine all that stuff when I got that interior man
When I got that interior, I was like it took the car to such a new and awesome level
I just couldn't believe I was the owner of the car. It made me more proud than
Anything well second to the graduating or almost graduating college. I really didn't do that, but high school was a challenge. There's that
So Pat, when did you know interiors were your thing? I didn't actually
Know I was gonna get into interiors. I wrenched on cars just like you guys did in high school. I was going to
I was working a co-op at a dealership at the time and I was gonna go to a tech school and
You know learn how to build race motors. I wanted to join a race team. That was kind of the goal
Early on and we all had that dream man. We all had that yeah, Kevin had that dream. I had that dream
I'm still trying to dream that yeah, man
So I did a lot of I did a lot of motors, you know early on and I just I moved here to Michigan
I graduated high school in Newport, Rhode Island. I moved here to Michigan and I had
Well, I was doing some work for a guy on the side. He was working out of his garage
and I was kind of doing some side work for him doing mechanical stuff and
He's like, hey, I got a buddy looking for somebody who needs to do some material work
So they asked me do you know anything about that? And I said well, I know how to take him in and out
So hey, he's like, all right. We'll start y'all. So I worked for a shop
for oh probably eight or nine years and they kind of were we're kind enough to let me do my own thing and
I kind of just progressed. That's awesome. All right, Pat
Hold that thought because it's one thing to work at a shop work for the man
It's another thing to venture out and do what you're doing now with some of these crazy builds cars and what people are imagining
So we're gonna dive into that brain of yours. I mean, I'm guessing lead-based paint and the crib y'all
But we'll find out in just a minute. It's the two guys garage podcast. He's Kevin Berg. I'm Willie B
We'll see you guys after the break
It is two guys garage podcast. He's Kevin bird. I am Willie B. We have a boy Pat check out his PJ trim shop
Man, it's guys been doing it for a long time when we left off before you're telling us how he got this job
And it's always that gig right? Hey, I got a buddy needs this
Well, I could probably teach myself what I don't know, but here's what I do know and you dive in both hands
And then 89 years later
What happens is sparks this I don't know this
thirst for something your own or
What made you pivot from working for the man to do something different PJ?
well, I I started doing
interiors and
I just I like doing it a lot better than the oil increase on them orders
I gotta be honest with you and I was you know the smell of leather and the creativity
That sort of thing just kind of got me hooked and you know working on cool cars. I mean, you know
70 Chevelle's and 69 Camaro's and you know 32 Ford's just you know
I've worked on I don't even know how many cars we worked on we've worked on quite a few of them some very notable cars
You know in in the past
as Kevin can attest to
the
Yeah, the
The biggest thing for me was just the creativity and and you know now
Years later. I mean the thing I enjoy the most is when the customer comes to pick up his car
I know we're so locked in with and can't wait
For it to be posted on Facebook or for you know the progress pictures or the what-have-you and you know
That's all good and well, but for me
Seeing the customer come pick up their vehicle and and the expression on their face when they see what's been done
That is is the reward for me
we figured there's there's hardly a a
Massive change in a project for when a car goes in and out of the paint booth, right?
even with all the blocking and sanding primer and stuff it just ah
Do you still that pop of color boom?
Motivation right
Enthusiasm for the many stages left to put it all together
Well, then you have right that rolling chassis you're gonna roll it into the interior and it just looks like on the inside
You know, so you have that same kind of drastic change from when you rolled into a shop like PJ's
To when you show up and all of a sudden you're like
Wow, I had it in my head, but now that I see it. It's even better
Well, yeah, man, and he mentioned something really cool and unique that the smell of leather
Especially when it's fine Corinthian leather. I don't know if you heard about that PJ. It's the good stuff
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man
Yeah, yeah
But but let's let's talk about so you you're working on what mainly muscle cars cuz man interior in the 60s was wild dude
It was like a burlap sack some straw
Maybe, you know a big spring a big blanket a little bit of arch in it wore out
Yeah, man
I mean it was it was as bad as it got back in the in the 50s and 60s
Is that where you started is that is that how you knew that I know there's there's much to be improved on well
You're talking on the factory muscle cars
Yeah, a lot of the factory must cars the charger. Yeah, so things like that. So I think
You know, there is ways to improve, you know, even a even the factory interior
I mean you can go from the the vinyl that was you know in it originally and have a similar pattern
You know in a muscle car like that and have it done in leather
And I got to be honest with you a lot of people who aren't really in the industry don't even know I had people that shows we did a
72 Chevelle years back and we did it was a sleeper car and we did it all in full leather
And I had people coming up to me and ask you asking
How did you get the vinyl to dull down like that?
And I said it's leather if they're like no way
They didn't even know but it was a trick little thing that we did that, you know made the whole thing leather and
You know, it's still retained. It's you know heritage from the era, you know
And that's the kind of thing, you know that you can do with with with customization
Are there other areas like that for somebody that wants to be subtle but give it a little bit of extra, right?
Right, whether it's dash or there are other areas like that that that are common
That I don't know you can upgrade in some fashion and it still kind of has that same feel
I mean there there's different materials you can use
You know to change the colors. There's subtle things that you can do like you could have, you know upgraded
Gages put in
custom
plates for the consoles where it doesn't look like
Factory but it's still the factory console and you have maybe some custom window switches in there or you relocate door handles
You know things of that nature
So there's there's there's some minor things that you can do to still retain some of the stock, you know
implements and and but still get a custom custom look
So we're talking about, you know, some of the seats to the cool ways the patterns
I think are cool from the 60 old hounds to stuff
Some of the cool patterns they had back in the day the diamond tech stuff
What about what seems to be some of the harder stuff in some of these old muscle cars or things that we like to restore?
Things like door panels some of the plastic and stuff around
Some of the you know the B pillars inside. How do you find?
Or fix or repair? What are you doing those situations? You just make new modings new plastic?
What do you do in those cases? Well, really? I like to use
Anything that came with the car originally the original equipment parts are just
They fit they work if they have something that's there and it's it's it's easily
You know restoreable. Let's let's use it. I'm all for the original part
Yeah, you said easily restoreable, but what if it I've had some stuff that's come in that's like
We want to restore this and I've had guys bring me stuff that when we sandblast the seat springs. There's nothing left
You know that is not easily restoreable at that point. Let's look at some aftermarket options unless there's
You know a donor car or something that we can pick up, but yeah, I've seen some stuff that's
questionably
To restore I don't know, you know how to restore some of that stuff
It's just so far gone that you just can't do anything with it
Yeah, man
What are some of the materials that people would be surprised that that car manufacturers used?
For upholstery and interior and like seriously some in the 40s the 50s the 60s
It was like a burlap sack and some of the Mopars
It was cool if you can go title
They had the the build sheet in the backseat of some of those old Mopars under the spring
Which is kind of unique to Mopar if you if you had you know an old Mopar you look under the backseat
chances are you can find that original build seat if it's not been molested, but
What are some other things that people would be surprised as far as the materials used in that era? Oh
You know back in the 70s
Lot of materials that were used. I mean they they used
Cotton, you know as padding in the seats as filler when they had gaps in foam
there was a lot of
Burlap used to keep the foam from falling through the springs
You know and a lot of that you know the mice used to get into some of that stuff and cause some unpleasant smells and some of the
Project. Yeah, I remember the burlap stuff was crazy to see it was like what we used to put corn in on the farm
I was like, what is this?
It was wild. I will say it's very durable material. So it's you know that stuff
I've seen cars come up that are 50 years old
Still have the original burlap in it and it's and it's still there. It's holding up
So there's something to be said about that. Well, what do you recommend right for somebody?
It's right doing a top job from a material standpoint like people may have misconceptions on
Durability or anything else right types of leather
pleather
You name it. What are some of the materials that you would let's say avoid if you can on a really, you know
High-end car and what would you want to step into? Well on a high-end car? I would say I would avoid any vinyls
You know just you're building a high-end car
Leather is really the only option on something like that. Maybe a little Elk and terrorists with some suede in there
but
depending on the vehicle
But I would say most of it is going to be leather for high-end because there's no
There's no substitute for leather. It never goes out of style. It's been around since before
Father time it's
It's gonna be around. It's always in style. It never goes out
You don't have the eras when you look at some of the materials that are out there
Hounds tooth you were saying is one of them
There was an arrow when hounds tooth, you know was was a viable option and all of those
Materials become dated but one material never becomes dated and that's leather place at your top one
Any of the synthetics kind of close or do you go all the way genuine?
I usually go all the way genuine now if there's a weight issue or if there's you know
like say if you have a weight issue like an aircraft or a
Say a race car and you want a luxurious feel you could use something like ultra leather
It's a very durable very lightweight alternative to leather
You don't get the smell like you do with leather, but it's a that's the trade-off for the lightweight
You had to have one like moment right where you pivoted one moment one paradigm
Shift that you're like alright, you know what I can either a do this or be there's there's something here that I could
Could take my passion what I want to pursue and my way to make a career and really take that step into doing it on
My own well, what was that moment for you?
What when was that what year was it was and what was the first car that you you tackled after that as pivot
Well, it was
It was back in 2002
and in
2003 I had a shop approached me with a 41 willies project and
It was it was a car that was going to go to Detroit, Autorama
it was going to tour a lot of shows and
So I was really excited. This is my first car. This is a very nice car. I was really excited the customer
Didn't give me any limitations. He just kind of let me do my thing and
That was my first
Leather full leather interior in a street ride. It was a fiberglass car
And it was very nicely done when it came in so it was not very hard to
To work with this the gaps were were nice
this car was
The car that kind of made it for me and when this car won so many awards over the course of all these shows
The owner would always call me up and say hey, we just won best of interior here
We just won best of show people's choice awards. It was just it was amazing. I was ecstatic and that car
Took the best display at Detroit, Autorama the first year we showed it and
That car was just
It was the start for me and I just the owner was so happy and he invited us out to a lot of these shows
It was just an amazing experience and you know the customers are
They're just awesome. They're car guys. They're awesome. What what kind of car was it again? It was a 41 Willys
Did have a big blower out the hood? It did have a big blower
Big big block with a blower out of the hood all chromed out had flames down and it was it was
It was a Mercedes beige on the bottom of the blue on top and it was the cars in California now. It's
But that was that was the car for me where it can't even fire up without
Hey, well, we got we got because well, we got take a break when we come back
I got a question for you. What's the weirdest thing you've ever came across when you're tearing these interiors apart
Get ready to do a an interior job. Somebody's had to leave something that made you question them
Or what's the weirdest thing someone asked you to put in it like a fish tank a record player a waterfall
That's not PJ's training. That's PJ's pimp my ride
All right, and this is two guys garage podcast. He's Kevin bird. I'm Willie B. We're back after a break
It is two guys garage podcast he is Kevin bird
I am Willie B. Man, we have a buddy PJ on PJ's trim shop now
He's been doing interior for a long time man, and let's be honest when it comes to throwing your butt to seat
You really do look for both performance and comfort especially like Kevin. I like to drive Kevin
You said he did that that righteous interior on your BMW, which is just amazing
That had to be a pretty wild build for you to see for sure PJ
Why had you heard about PJ what he's what he done?
Have you seen some of his cars? What made you so interested on your Seema build? Yeah, great word of mouth
I know he did some work on Murray paths one or more vehicles, and that's all I need man
You know as soon as you go and you talk to me look around
Doesn't take long to get a warm comfy feeling that yeah, it's gonna take care of you and do it right and I tell you what I mean
So I'm on mine, right? What's my theme? I'm in a real, you know performance-based kind of car
But you know it's still got a vintage feel to it. So I wanted to hang on to that but
Really just kind of clean it up. So I have two
More race type seats, you know with the belt
Loops right over your shoulders harnesses. Yeah, yeah, but you know to to stick one in that car. It just doesn't match
So PJ actually took kind of a relatively inexpensive seat
Stripped it all down
Reformed it and shaped it so it matched the rear seats
Right and so now the rear seats upgraded as well with just the material with the stitching all that stuff
But the front seats now have a look that looks like it's supposed to be in that car
But it's got you know the race harness and everything in it. It just looked awesome, you know, and then I went with some
Yeah, like the door cards, right
Not to get all crazy, but just add some pop and flair
Right, so Murray had done some design work on the door cards and man with a little
Kind of rendering over the pot. Boom. They come out looking spot-on. So
Really great way for me, right?
You know custom carpet because I've moved the floor pans around right putting in sub frames and all that stuff
So man, it all looks like it probably should have come out way from the factory
But better than any of the factory stuff by far
So that was my approach, right and I'm sure PJ you get lots of different
Design themes, right? Oh, absolutely. You probably have some really tacky ones on one end and really
Maybe classic on the other and a whole spectrum in between
Is there any trends that you've been seeing over the years that you you like or don't like or seem to
Kind of stand the test of time. I
I've tried to match
The interior based on
the vehicle, you know how the vehicle the stance of the vehicle the
It could be
The the paint on it, you know the attitude of the vehicle to me. I want to match
Whatever
Theme is going on with that vehicle
I don't want to take away from and and some people come in with their own ideas
And I try and incorporate what I can but I also try and steer them away from something that may
Detract from the theme that's going on, you know, and and and as a
Example, I would say, you know, you get somebody who comes in with a, you know, a twin turbo
700 horsepower
800 horsepower say Dodge Challenger
800 0 what thousand horsepower anyway, go ahead
Sorry, sorry
But yeah, you know as far as you know as far as something like that
I don't want to see street ride stuff in a car like that. I want to see something that's aggressive
I want to see something that, you know, colors that reflect that aggressiveness that this car means business, right?
and and I try to pick, you know
materials and
You know designs and and even hardware to try and you know accomplish that and no matter what the vehicle is if it's a
You know a bone stock vehicle, we can do exactly bone stock. There's there's there's no issue with that at all
We can do concourse restorations. We can do, you know
Anything on the interior that you want to have done we have can you make it an interior out of leather?
But make it look like it's duct tape. That's different. That's different. I mean
Leather so you get that smell Willie and I think we can just put a few strips of duct tape over it
No, I'm not really a fan
So do you do you prefer to have more freedom or creativity like somebody gives you the car and let you kind of do your thing with it
Or do you do you prefer to have like everything spelled out, you know a rendering drawings?
Whatever it is that that kind of gives you like a complete roadmap. What's your preference? It it depends on the customer
Some customers have a hard time visualizing things and in that case
We may need a rendering for them and then I have a lot of customers that just bring stuff to me and they just say I've seen your stuff
just do what you think and
No, I love doing if I can just do it all myself
I would much rather being you know, I'd like to be involved early on in the process in the build process. I think
I think that's something that gets overlooked a lot a lot of interior shops
You know get called upon at the end of the project, but I think
For the betterment of the vehicle. I think that they should be involved in the process early on in the build
They may offer ideas your interior shop can offer you ideas, you know the builders that they may not have thought of
And I think that's a you know, that's something that I I would like to see
Change in the future. There's certain shops that will do that
But a lot of people forget about the interior guy until the end of that. That's very it's a very good point
Yeah, it is true
Have you incorporated some of this new technology like 3d printing?
Are you looking at some of that as a way to to to move forward because you hear about some of these people starting to
You incorporate that in the interior and scanning and stuff like that
How do you feel about that technology? I think it's great. I mean you can
You know if you can build an armrest for a door panel
Using rapid technology instead of standing there with a rasp file carving some wood up
I mean, that's a hey more power to you man. That's that's that's awesome
Hey with every build every tear out everything you got new technology, but you're also tearing out a lot of that old technology
Have you found anything weird in a car? Have you heard about anything being?
You know found in a car that's really weird something to stuck out in your mind like
You know a voodoo doll
I don't know
Well, I would say probably the probably the most
Probably the biggest thing that I found was a nine millimeter under the rear seat. That's pretty common thing to find
Yeah
Somebody forget that it's there along with a big stash of weed, right?
Right and and that's also, you know when you're doing a headliner in a Camaro
You wouldn't think you pull out on Sunbizer and there's a giant one-pound bag of weed up there, but
Perks of the job, right?
No dead bodies though, no no dead bodies dead animals mice
Other than mice. Yes
Yeah mice is probably the biggest thing in the old 70s and 60s. Yeah, not not unsurprising though
What about standout builds that you know
When you when you think about the interior is just extraordinarily wild or different like to me what comes to mind
Let's see. I'll top my head
Chrysler 300 the fishbowl dash, you know, it looks like it I get a fishbowl
Crazy cool interior. We have things like that man. Do you how do you repair and fix some of those?
Wild gauges and some of the interior pieces that you want to keep working and functioning
Do you get into that as well? I don't get into doing any of the gauges or the electrical
I try and stay as minimal electrical. I'll do some things, you know, maybe wiring up some courtesy lights or some amplifiers
You know things like that radios
But I try not to get into I try not to get into doing too much wiring if I can help it
Now I'll do some restorations on the dash. I do have shops at other shops that I work with
If something needs to be done a customer doesn't know where to go
I know a lot of people in the industry that
You know, we can we can get stuff done for him if need be
We you mentioned earlier about you know getting with your interior guy long before you need the interior guy, right?
So you can start at least communicating a little bit kind of planning ahead
What what sort of prep do you recommend for somebody like and what condition do you like to have the car?
What what is all there? What's been? How about I got I got the number one prep for interior number one prep
I know it. I know it number one thing you could do to make sure the interior is perfect save your money
This is gonna cost a little bit interior interior expensive, man
But worth it because it's the it's the best completed
You know version of your car you're ever gonna have so first thing save some money
And I'm sure PJ here will add under that but as a customer, you know as guys we have bought that interior type of four
Yeah, save some money. Absolutely. I think you know as far as having things ready when the car comes
I mean you want to have wires run, you know
Make sure things are hooked up and working properly windows go up and down
Seats are mounted in the interior the last thing. I got this white body. I'm over here now
I gotta get the glass done. I gotta get one other thing moved and then I'm I'm ready to get that car to interior shop
But interior to me is the last thing you do man when everything's done being torn apart
Put back together torn apart put back together, you know mocked up
Da-da-da, you got it all working. You ran through a couple regimens and heat cycles. You know, it's all good
Then you take it to interior shop because that's your interior. It's it's a rolling running ride. It's done. Yes, you know
Absolutely, it should be
Yeah, so I mean you want to have everything mounted have your seats, you know mounted ready
And not mounted with a couple of washers going through the floor pan
Let's do a professional mount where we got bracketry underneath the support the seats in case there's a you know
God forbid an accident that you know, we don't want to see anybody
You know getting hurt
But I see a lot of that where people will mount just a bolt with a washer on the bottom
And that's just in a floor pan is not gonna hold you in there
So, you know things like that is is important, you know
We want to do a nice interior for you, but we want to see things, you know done in a safe manner, too
I'm sure it's a big spectrum depending on the size of the job
But what's kind of the range that that people could expect right because a lot of times people are kind of
You know looking at a deadline to some event, right?
Whether it's on a Rama or Pell Beach or whatever it is, you know, like and so they're thinking
All right, man
I'm out of paint here and then I got this and I'm put the glass in and then I'm taking it to interior guy
He's got a week and we're on the road
Well, what do you typically guide people? I mean clearly you have a schedule, but let's say right you're lining up
How long do these jobs usually take? It's usually probably surprising, right depending on the level of work that hey, man
You got to put some time into this
absolutely and and the
The the time spent the most on the vehicles when you're doing a full custom
Everything's all one off
We have never done an interior that is exactly the same in any custom car. I don't reuse armrests
I don't reuse anything every custom car interior that we have done has been to that customer's car
we do not repeat and
This range I would say full custom you're looking at
eight-week build maybe
12 weeks depending on what you're doing. I mean, maybe things got to send out to get anodized
You know different things go on and in different interiors
So, you know, you got to have time to work with other shops because we will have some stuff
Subcontracted out that we don't actually make
ourselves here and in house and
You know, it could be a one-week job if it's a you know an original interior say we're just doing a
Ford Mustang, you know, you could be looking at a you know a week job to do a Ford Mustang complete with
You know all original, you know equipment replacement
Hey, and you want those seats to be comfortable because they're gonna be sitting on the side of the road a lot
So make sure those seats have a lot of padding got
Yeah, we're waiting for a tow truck you got to have comfortable seats, you know
It's just like you know when you when you come home to your living room
You want a comfortable couch to sit in when you're in your pride and joy of the car that you just spent a lot of money on
Don't you want to be comfortable inside of it as well? Yeah. Yeah, for sure
Yeah, now do you do you have any recommendations when it comes to seats because you can do complete aftermarket?
And that's right some certain styles and then you can say man
I really like the seat that was in that that Hyundai over there or that that Buick or whatever
Any preferences as far as a starter for a seat?
Is there some that that say fight you or end up just not being a good quality or or anything else?
well, I try and find everything we do here I try and do it a
You know a higher level
So I don't typically do really cheap stuff
and I try to find something if we're doing a
Custom interior and we want to do different seats than what was in there originally
I want to try and find something whether you know, I have to go out and measure
You know seats in other vehicles could be a Toyota Camry
I mean we did a poison dart years ago where we put Toyota Camry seats in it and people who don't even know
They don't even know what those are from
But they look awesome in the car and they fit perfectly in there. You ever done a mid-back with a milk crate?
Never mind. I was just asking. Hey, uh, hey Pat
Where do people find more about you see like it's somebody's interested?
What I get their interior done. Can I just shoot an email or give you a call cuz is that okay?
Absolutely, you can reach us at
PJ's trim at Charter.net via email or you can contact us at 9 8 9
9 2 8 0 2 5 5 and
We can take care of all your interior needs
9 8 9 2 8 0 2 5 5 the phone number a I got say man
We could talk to Terry for a while
But you know it's time for us to sit on this one to call it done
So hey, thanks for your time. We appreciate you man
And definitely gonna get you on again talk some more interior stuff
Who knows you may have a wide body up there before long?
Make sure you check out our show aired on weekends on the Motor Trend Network check your local listings also available in Discovery Plus and Max
Thanks our producer scoop senior producer Justin Carter executive producer Bob Becker
He is Kevin Bird. I'm Willie B. And this is the two guys garage podcast
Don't forget to check out our website two guys garage calm or everywhere on social at two guys garage
The two guys garage podcast is copyright 2025 Britain Productions Incorporated all rights reserved
You know guys
Pat's kind of worked himself to where and he can ride under the radar. He doesn't need big neon signs
He's got word of mouth, but you heard it here. You got his email
You got his phone number
So you have a direct link to Pat if you want to get on his specialty list
Yeah, man behind me. All right. Love you guys. See you in this two guys garage podcast
Take care guys
Two guys garage podcast is a production of Britain Productions for more episodes visit I heart radio Apple podcast
Spotify or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
About this episode
The conversation digs into what makes auto interiors feel finished, from quick duct-tape fixes on a worn classic to full custom builds with leather, trim matching, and careful seat fitment. The hosts compare OEM, aftermarket, and donor parts, explain why interiors are usually the last step in a build, and share stories from Chargers, Chevelles, Camaros, Willys, and even a BMW. Along the way, they highlight how materials, craftsmanship, and theme all shape the final result.
From duct tape dilemmas to custom leather dreams, Kevin and Willie delve into the world of automotive interiors with Pat Russell of PJ's Trim Shop. Discover how a master craftsman transforms a car's cabin into a luxurious, personalized space, revealing the unexpected challenges and rewarding artistry of bespoke automotive upholstery.
