Buggy Restoration is Complete

After the seat bucket was restored and painted, it was given to J&J Custom Upholstery shop in Columbus. The owner Greg is renowned for doing high quality automotive work. This is done on a custom basis as there is not a “kit” that can be purchased for this type of work. He carefully researched the leather, padding and upholstery tacks to closely replicate the original factory appearance. The seat, arm rests and leather dashboard were all custom fabricated from leather in his shop on Glenwwood Avenue. The end result was flawless.

The wheels and metal chassis parts were all individually painted prior to assembly. Metal parts were all sand blasted, painted with self etching (rust preventing) primer, and finally coated with custom red urethane. The original red was determined by taking a part that was never exposed to Sherwin Williams where they used a color match camera to replicate the original hue.

This Studebaker carriage looks very close to what it looked like 120 years ago. It took 336 total labor hours (not counting what was contracted out). It took 15 calendar months.

Here’s a 1903 manual on “Practical Carriage and Wagon Painting”.