Before I got my Aerodeck, I had a 1988 Toyota Supra Turbo with some door cards and a centre console that had definitely seen better days. I wanted to do something to freshen it up, but I unfortunately don’t know how to sew (something I am now remedying during my time stuck at home). However, I found a fairly straightforward way to make my car more unique, look less dingy, and way more synthwave.
Yes. I said it. SYNTHWAVE.
![There Is No Better Time To Be Customizing Your Dingy Interior Than Right Now](https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/26/ktdykuyvoihewn8ilzni.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
Door panels are shockingly easy to remove, and they usually consist of several parts, which don’t all wear at the same speed. The vinyl-covered-particleboard armrests of my Supra were extremely worse for wear after 31 years of riding around in a targa-topped Toyota, but the carpeted centre and lower pieces were still in great shape.
Even still, that worn out vinyl was nothing some faux suede couldn’t fix. I ordered about three yards of fabric from spoonflower, a web-based fabric seller, with a variety of texture and toughness options for each pattern they sell. I got my 1980s-bowling-alley-carpet pattern in a faux suede, although there are probably better options for longevity. I had kept the car mostly garaged for the year I had it after doing this, and there had been no visible signs of fade, but faux suede is generally not the most durable, so if this is a work truck or a street-parked car, it may be worth considering a more durable fabric.
Anyway, with a complete lack of sewing skill, I still completed this with fabric shears and Loctite vinyl/fabric adhesive. After I came home from work, I would apply an absurdly generous amount of adhesive, and stretch the fabric over another section of the panel. After a few days, I had the entire bare panel wrapped, and then used an awl to piece the bolt holes where the bottom carpet pocket bolted on. I used a razorblade to cut through the metal clip holes where the top carpeted piece was installed. I reassembled it, clipped it back into the door, and I was more or less ready to go. For the centre console, I bought furniture foam from a hobby shop, and then wrapped it in fabric, and glued it down. I drilled the plastic base directly into the foam. It admittedly wasn’t rock solid, but it worked.
![There Is No Better Time To Be Customizing Your Dingy Interior Than Right Now](https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/26/x43gnmum2bxe0kkmejdw-scaled.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
I am a complete believer in the idea that a nice interior can turn an old, kinda shitty car into a place you actually love being, and it worked in my car. My Supra went from being a bit dingy inside, to an interior that turned heads at most shows with the roof off and felt nice to ride in.
![There Is No Better Time To Be Customizing Your Dingy Interior Than Right Now](https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/26/cvrvlwwpx3xjunzx6bu2-scaled.jpg?quality=75?quality=75)
The best part is that it honestly wasn’t even that hard.