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Car · New interior: headlining, seats and panels
Fiat 508 Balilla 4 marce
A four-door Balilla saloon in red and black, still on its black Cuneo plate: bodywork in good order, grey interior to redo. Headlining, seats from the springs up and door panels were rebuilt in the trim shop.
- Model
- Fiat 508 Balilla four-door saloon, 4-speed
- Era
- Mid-1930s
- Engine
- 4 cylinders, 995 cc
- Colour
- Red with black wings
- Work
- Headlining, seats, door panels, side trim
- Restoration
- Trim and interior
The story
In the 1930s the Fiat 508 Balilla put many Italian families behind the wheel for the first time: small, light and affordable. In 1934 it gained a four-speed gearbox, along with a more modern line and a raked radiator grille.
This saloon arrived at the workshop with its red and black bodywork in good condition, but a tired interior: stained headlining, sagging seats, damaged panels. The work focused on the cabin, rebuilt from the seat springs to the last panel.
The restoration step by step
From the springs to a new headlining
- Step 1 of 6
How it arrived
Outside it was in good order: red and black, chrome complete, black Cuneo plate. Inside, though, the original grey trim was worn and the headlining marked by water.
the original grey interior, before the work 
as it arrived, doors open 
the rear with the black Cuneo plate 
the engine bay, with the cabin still grey - Step 2 of 6
The headlining
The old headlining comes out and the new cloth is stretched in its place, fixed along the windscreen and the rear windows.
the headlining cloth fixed above the windscreen 
the headlining while the cloth is stretched - Step 3 of 6
Seats: back to the springs
The seats are stripped down to the frame. The coil springs are checked, straightened and tied again; hessian goes over the top.
a seat taken apart, layer by layer 
the seat frame with its coil springs 
the tied springs and hessian on the frame - Step 4 of 6
The padding
The padding is built up in layers over the springs, then finished with stitched edges that give the seat its square shape.
the stitched edge of the padding 
the backrest in hessian, ready for covering - Step 5 of 6
Door panels and side trim
The old trim, even when broken, serves as the pattern: from it the new shapes are cut in stiff board for the doors and wheel arches.
the old trim removed and used as a pattern 
the new template for the wheel arch 
the new door panel in stiff board - Step 6 of 6
The new cabin
Hazel cloth panels with a pocket on the door, a brown rear bench with vertical pleats, front seats refitted and kept covered until delivery.
the rear bench with vertical pleats 
the door panel in hazel cloth with its pocket 
the new side trim 
the front seats still in plastic
As it is today
Does your classic car's interior need redoing?
Headlining, seats, panels and carpets: Mimmo redoes interiors with materials and colours true to the original, including for clients in Switzerland. Tell him about your car.
More restorations
This is only a small selection: over the years Mimmo has restored many more cars and trucks, and we'll keep adding them from the workshop's photo books.
