Oh but wait.......... I'm already old anyway.
So, I saw a '56 with a complete TMI package at Daytona Turkey Rod Run in Nov. of '2018 and not too long after ordered one for my '55 project. The quality is EXCELLENT, all the stitching is straight and cosmetically I like it a lot. The picture below is exactly the package I ordered except I went with red stitching instead of the contrasting black. I wasn't crazy about the 12 or 13 weeks it took to get it, but since I've been draggin' on finishing the car it really didn't matter aside from the excitement of gettin' it. To say the ordering procedure was complex would be an understatement and the part numbers got revised several time. But after all that, when it came it everything was correct. (the SERIOUSLY NEED to revise their part number system) and put it on their website so that stuff can be ordered by number instead of description.
So now come the issues that ARE kinda frustrating: I told the rep on the phone that we'd stretched the rear wheel wells inward 2 1/2" on each side and would this be a problem for the rear seat. He said no problem, they sell em to people with mini tubs all the time. The rear seat wasn't even close to fitting so I had to have an upholstery shop take the cover and the foam off of the rear seat pans (they build 'em from fiberglass). So the pan was cut all to pieces on both the back and the seat bottom and the foam had to be trimmed all up. The upholsterer doesn't do fiberglass work, so the picture below is what I spent the afternoon building for the seat back. Now the foam will have to be final fit and then the whole thing taken to the shop for final trimming and stitching of the seat covers themselves. Issue number 2: When trying to install the bucket seats I found that they were way too low for the car and of course the 1 1/4" difference between the outer seat mounting plane and the floor level near the center. So I called TMI to ask if they happened to have any type of seat risers since this package is specific for tri 5 Chevies. I was told on the phone that the seats are direct bolt in for tri 5's and no additional hardware was needed. Putting them in the car with a 1 1/4" wood spacer leaves them so low that I couldn't begin to see over the steering wheel. I'm up to 4" up on the outers now and 2 3/4 on the inners and it still feels way low.
So the points in all this are: I give TMI an A+ on quality and feel their complete interior packages at a little over $6K complete are a bargain compared to what some of my friends have paid for full custom, which I think the TMI stuff compares favorably to. Their tech support needs some upgrades and if you have anything other than stone stock rear wheel houses you'd better have a sho' nuff good custom upholsterer at your disposal, which unfortunately dulls the difference between package in a box and full start from scratch custom.
So, I saw a '56 with a complete TMI package at Daytona Turkey Rod Run in Nov. of '2018 and not too long after ordered one for my '55 project. The quality is EXCELLENT, all the stitching is straight and cosmetically I like it a lot. The picture below is exactly the package I ordered except I went with red stitching instead of the contrasting black. I wasn't crazy about the 12 or 13 weeks it took to get it, but since I've been draggin' on finishing the car it really didn't matter aside from the excitement of gettin' it. To say the ordering procedure was complex would be an understatement and the part numbers got revised several time. But after all that, when it came it everything was correct. (the SERIOUSLY NEED to revise their part number system) and put it on their website so that stuff can be ordered by number instead of description.
So now come the issues that ARE kinda frustrating: I told the rep on the phone that we'd stretched the rear wheel wells inward 2 1/2" on each side and would this be a problem for the rear seat. He said no problem, they sell em to people with mini tubs all the time. The rear seat wasn't even close to fitting so I had to have an upholstery shop take the cover and the foam off of the rear seat pans (they build 'em from fiberglass). So the pan was cut all to pieces on both the back and the seat bottom and the foam had to be trimmed all up. The upholsterer doesn't do fiberglass work, so the picture below is what I spent the afternoon building for the seat back. Now the foam will have to be final fit and then the whole thing taken to the shop for final trimming and stitching of the seat covers themselves. Issue number 2: When trying to install the bucket seats I found that they were way too low for the car and of course the 1 1/4" difference between the outer seat mounting plane and the floor level near the center. So I called TMI to ask if they happened to have any type of seat risers since this package is specific for tri 5 Chevies. I was told on the phone that the seats are direct bolt in for tri 5's and no additional hardware was needed. Putting them in the car with a 1 1/4" wood spacer leaves them so low that I couldn't begin to see over the steering wheel. I'm up to 4" up on the outers now and 2 3/4 on the inners and it still feels way low.
So the points in all this are: I give TMI an A+ on quality and feel their complete interior packages at a little over $6K complete are a bargain compared to what some of my friends have paid for full custom, which I think the TMI stuff compares favorably to. Their tech support needs some upgrades and if you have anything other than stone stock rear wheel houses you'd better have a sho' nuff good custom upholsterer at your disposal, which unfortunately dulls the difference between package in a box and full start from scratch custom.