Howie Did It | Retrimming Honda S2000 seats

It’s not often you get to see the nitty gritty of a retrimming project, so we thought it might be cool to let you all in behind the scenes at Trimworks while Dean brought Nik’s vision for Binky’s seats to life.
There’s hog rings and listings, stitching and scrim foam and all kinds of terms I’d never come across before. Dean is an artist, so it was fantastic to watch him work his magic.
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[@ricoolivier]

A true professional. No rush, no fuss. It will be done when he is finished. Almost like a Mini build I've been following on KZbin...

[@herenow2895]

Yeah, no rush.

[@yoghurt731]

but other than that mini build he actually finished the project

[@forevercomputing]

What Mini build?

[@mikehipperson]

I was clean shaven when this series started. Now I could be a member of ZZ Top if I could play guitar!

[@ross7968]

@@mikehipperson I was still in nappies, I've just taken my state pension!

[@nicolewiles927]

As a seamstress, car enthusiast, and long time Project Binky fan, I've been holding my breath to get to the interior stage. I'm so glad you took them time to make such a beautiful video of Dean's awe-inspiring work. I have no doubt Binky's interior will look as sharp as it does under the bonnet.

[@Lemma01]

Well said.

[@jimmyjones95]

Holding your breath? That’s impressive. I watched the first episode in my Spider-Man pyjamas.

[@jonnyphenomenon]

I've been doing automotive upholstery off and on for almost 20 years, and watching this guy work was a real treat. I saw some things that he was doing that I thought "ahh, I do that better/faster/smarter", but Some of his process had me on the edge of my seat going "What? Oh man thats WAY better than how I've been doing it!" - It just goes to show, If you shut up and pay attention, you might just learn something. Their is always something you can learn from another professional.

[@stevie-ray2020]

So true!

[@rodshop5897]

I have a car that will need a new interior for. Any chance I can get in touch with you?

[@jonnyphenomenon]

@@rodshop5897 I have about three years worth of upholstery jobs that I've promised to do before I can take on any new work, but there's plenty of other seamsters out there, so don't let that discourage you.

[@rodshop5897]

@@jonnyphenomenon Yeah, what I've been finding is that the ones who come highly recommended have multi-year backlogs. Thanks

[@leeatkinson6675]

@@rodshop5897 Jon, I'm curious, what did you learn from this? I just thought, stupid me for not asking my mom how she sewed...!

[@lodestone69]

Nothing more satisfying than watching a craftsman at work. I always wondered how it was done. Just awesome.

[@albonfilms]

One of my favorite Howie episodes! So fascinating seeing the intricacies of the stitch work. Even on what seems like a simple piece, there are so many careful steps and considerations for getting a perfect final product. All for your bum no less!

[@TurboVisBits]

funny seeing you here! :D

[@misterquintus]

The fact that the rust wasn't cleaned off the seat base whle the cover was off would really grind my gears :(

[@johnhislop2993]

Andy did a good job.

[@claytonius3]

I'm amazed how "fiddly" it seems. Must be a real challenge to get it right on the first try.

[@juangouveia8098]

now go get your mini done....lol

[@zixxatroll4902]

Love that I can watch this before my brother in law... Never gets old

[@Stu_2112]

Artisan at work. Love it.

[@t3hjnz]

It is always a joy to watch a true master of their craft at work. Those seats are functional art - I can't wait to see Binky's interior completely together. Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@harveysmith100]

Having perfected my own trade, (it took ten years to be competent.) and had a go a many other trades, it is just so lovely to watch a man who knows his trade, it is the small details that are hidden in the craft. For those wondering about those mini bolt cutters he was using at the beginning to cut the hog rings, they are the Knipex 7101200. There is a smaller size, 7101160 and are larger size, 7101250. The last three digit denote the length in mm. They are worth their weight in gold.

[@trimworksdesign]

Thank you for the compliments! I'm always learning, always aiming to improve... it's a lifelong journey and I will never stop learning! Those cutters are one of the best hand tools I've ever bought, hands down. They make cutting hog rings an absolute breeze, and less chance of a piece of metal pinging off into your eye as there's a lot less force needed!

[@harveysmith100]

@@trimworksdesign It is the constant desire to always improve that separates the ordinary from the true craftsman. I could see your patients and the double checking that you probable don't even know is visible to others.

[@gopatriots1991]

When I worked for a Honda seat manufacturer we called those "hogrings" C-Rings. The tool used to install them is pretty neat. It's basically a large pneumatic stapler or nail gun. The rings are loaded in a similar way, with a guide rail and all the rings in one long attached section. I know mass production is way different than what he does but all the similarities are neat. Same with steaming. Except we also had very large heaters as well that helped form the leather.

[@SunburnedNomad]

Warms my heart to see another craftsman who likes to get the funk out.

[@namesurname8812]

Dean is a true craftsman.

[@HulluJanne]

This brings back memories when I maintained a bunch (maybe around 100+) industrial sewing machines at a shoe factory. Fun and challenging machines to work on (mainly 80's-00's PFAFF's). Those were ran at like 500-1000+ rpm all day. One of the ladies ran his machine like crazy. It was build from two machines (older and newer), as the other one had fallen off during transit and cracked its case. It could be ran around 1200 or so RPM's because it had balancing weights inside. For whatever reason the later models didn't have the balancing weights and they were very harsh to use. Many called them tractors (PFAFF 1293). Back then I had to customize/make a bunch of special tools for the job. Really miss working on them.

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

Back when I was young I used to trim car seats with my old industrial Pfaff no idea the model, I didn't use it for years and decided to recover a sofa, it ran real slow, all the grease had hardened, being an idiot I cleaned the mechanism with solvent spray cleaner and 40, the stupid part was then turning it on straight away. The fireball was..... impressive. It still works fine to this day, though a little bit charred.

[@DlStreamnet]

Great insight thank you!

[@bobhudson6659]

@@ForeverNeverwhere1 Have the eyebrows grown back yet?

[@mentals555]

Some of my wife's family was management at the Pfaff sewing machine factory in Kaiserslautern. Her father still owns a house on Pfaffstraße. The area is all apartment buildings now

[@trimworksdesign]

I started my career in the footwear business as a designer, so I know the kind of factory you mean! Those machines run flat out day in, day out and the old Pfaffs are like tanks - I've got a Pfaff in the workshop which doesn't get regular use any more but for certain jobs it's perfect!

[@stevegraham3817]

I love watching a true Artisan ply their Craft. Even Dean's hand stiching looks like it was done with a machine. Awesome workmanship.

[@zeanyt2372]

The seats look fantastic! Binky is going to be a funeral showpiece when finished. I'm in awe.

[@jfk64kennedy95]

watching him work on seat covers, the basics, cutting material and such, so reminds me of my mom quilting

[@deeser]

Got to love this channel. One episode you've got some bloke hoiking a bit of machinery into place with ruddy big hammers, next you get a guy - who perversely looks like he should wielding the Hammer of Thor - doing the most elegantly bit of stitching ever. Just a joy to watch true craftsmen at work.

[@WrenFJ]

As a car nut and a fashion student this was amazing to see. Thank you BOM and Dean :)

[@leeh9420]

That's what craftsmanship look like...

[@chriss9310]

Great to see a craftsman and artist at work. The attention to detail is fantastic.

[@darrenlight1987]

A dying art. Dean is definitely one of the top of this trade. Absolute perfection, flawless. Hats off sir 👏

[@Hawk7886]

Upholstery is far from a dying art, dude. Custom upholstery, just like any custom work in the automotive world, might be low demand but is very lucrative.

[@joshuarosen6242]

@@Hawk7886 There are also car makers that still use top notch upholsterers. I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the Bentley factory in Crewe and some of the upholstery work was fantastic. It's obviously very expensive but both the demand and the skills are still there.

[@Hawk7886]

@@joshuarosen6242 yeah but nobody cares about boomer builders like Bentley. I was referring to the custom shops.

[@joshuarosen6242]

@@Hawk7886 The ones that make the tasteful cars that used to feature in Max Power? Give me Bentley any day of the week.

[@Hawk7886]

@@joshuarosen6242 yeah, nah

[@Omeshan]

The sweet sound of your narrations, after having to rewatch all 8 years of binky to get my fix due to the upcoming amazing video

[@barrybritcher]

9 years now

[@ronicard]

That dude is an absolute professional. Beautiful work.

[@legendarycheekymonkey]

I love watching highly skilled people do their thing. Most impressive.

[@mwverheijen]

It is always interesting to see a really skilled craftsman at work

[@agu92]

bro please continue ur work....i have follow this project few year ago

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Oooh. Stitching funk!! Amazing details. Just stunning.

[@curvs4me]

That's the best overview of interior work I've ever seen.

[@lukeb5657]

Thanks for making my Friday, gents!

[@rnbspowa7of69]

Sewing is one of the hardest skills I’ve ever tried to learn. This guy is making it look real easy.😎

[@davidbarnsley8486]

Dean is very good at his craft 👍👍

[@321357w]

Always nice to see a real craftsman at work.

[@dangerousandy]

Fantastic job! I can’t wait to see the whole interior.

[@samuelbeckett4632]

I used to work for an aircraft interiors company, and like this chap, the trimmers & machine operators made absolutely everything look far too bloody easy....!!! Huge respect for what they do 👍 I've still got a brand new machine in its box, too scared to f**k things up 😭

[@outoftheburrough]

Get it out and have a go! Start slow & straight lines first, don't jump in at the deep end and you'll be fine

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

I inherited a Pfaff when into beetles as a teen. I did about 8 complete interiors before moving to another hobby, pick a forgiving fabric and just have a go, it is rewarding and goes a lot faster than you think.

[@stevie-ray2020]

As you've seen in this video, even the experts do a trial-run first, so get hold of some scrap fabric & spend some time doing some practice runs!

[@custardavenger]

Get it out and use it. I've just had my Mum's old machine serviced so I can make some curtains and mattress covers for my day van. Do I know what I'm doing? Not really. Will it be perfect? I doubt it. Will I get better at it the more I do? I bloody hope so 🤣.

[@stevie-ray2020]

@@custardavenger You will! My mum also gave me her old machine (my younger brother has her older machine), because it couldn't do zig-zag stitching any more. However, my neighbours moved interstate & gave me an almost new sewing-machine, then when I was telling my brother & his wife this, my sister-in-law asked me whether I'd like a brand-new over-locker she'd received as part of a package-deal when she bought her sewing-machine, but she already owned a very good over-locker!

[@jonathanpalmer5505]

Stunning. It is such a joy to watch someone at the top of their game.

[@traildogisla]

Waites ages to watch this with my wife who is a fan but also keen on her sowing, 'insane' was the word, in between the breath holding and shaking of head at the skill! ❤️

[@germaineliew2012]

The amount of precision when drawing and cutting...

[@chriscaine1776]

Seats look amazing for retrim seats. Ive seen alot of upholstery shops here in the states do jobs like these with far lower quality turnouts. The craftsmanship on these seats is comparable to modern oem seats, or a handful of aftermarket seat companies. A true piece of art

[@davemundy7237]

It's great to see an expert ply his trade, real pleasure to watch

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Beautiful work by a total pro.

[@benbuchanan672]

Best HOWIE ever. So much more interest and appreciation than the usual Wheeler Dealers / Car SOS fly through. Would have liked to have seen seat strip down and fitting of templates to hide though.

[@Nick210]

Another fine job, Howie.

[@nismofreak33]

sooooo nice! well done Dean!

[@TurboVisBits]

I really like this video format.

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

Plot twist, Binky has been finished for the past 5 years, but it's taken Nick 5 years to decide what seats and upholstery he wants... Great work, as always, love these videos

[@bobhudson6659]

Naaahhh. Nick hadn't made enough brackets.

[@imakedookie]

well he had, but a single parametric change at one end of the car made him start from scratch on every other bracket in the car for aesthetic (OCD) purposes

[@darrellbedford4857]

Glad Project Binky is back. Nick must be happy with Dean as he uses CAD templates to mark and cut the panels. as easy as Dean makes the seats look I want to see a "Howie Did It" on the interior paneling. Great work Dean, up to Nicks standards.

[@guyforlogos]

Plot twist…. Is Nick trying to work up to Dean’s standards?

[@alfredalfred8631]

What a beautiful, relaxing video. Awesome.

[@jamie_23]

Wow, that's nice. I could watch that all day.

[@BanzaiYaris]

This is the first time I've ever seen a retrim that didnt have baggy leather over the foam. Good work! Until now I didnt think an OEM looking retrim was possible.

[@ThaMythbuster]

Amazing work! Very often when they retrim seats on carshows on tv, they end up full of ripples and creases, which just looks very shoddy. These look like they came like that from the factory, like they should. Very nice!

[@boerharms2209]

heyy jij ook hier! :D

[@garagecedric]

I fully agree, this was surprisingly well carried out, it really looks factory

[@fuzzy1dk]

TV shows main purpose is to be sold as filler between ads

[@Hoaxer51]

@@fuzzy1dk, Lol, wait, that’s not funny, it’s true!

[@stevie-ray2020]

What do you expect in an afternoon? It's the same with home-renovation shows, where they paint with very little preparation on the first day, then the next day they're leaning ladders against the walls & screwing cupboards, shelves, & pictures, etc., up on them! (Wonder how long before it's peeling off?)

[@mopedmarathon]

For anyone who’s a fan of mechanical things an old fashion sewing machine with different stitch options is worth a look. It’s of similar mind bogglingness to a watch mechanism when you first see it. Truly the invention of a twisted mind!

[@Coldfin9er]

Shout out to Deans eyesight! Awesome craftsmanship 👌👍

[@Sarzah]

WOW, what an incredible process, and amazing results. I never appreciated just how much work goes into retrimming a seat to do it well. Beautiful work!!

[@Littlemosslad]

Beautiful work there.

[@CeeKay42069]

Simply….. Beautiful. Can’t wait to see these in the car.

[@RedRam331]

A master craftsman at work. Nothing I like better. Great video guys. Always looking forward to the next Binky video.

[@gordowg1wg145]

Much neater stitching than found on many high-dollar "custom" builds. Well done!

[@ekw555]

"His work is exquisite" I really thought you were going to say "His work is expensive" 😀 as it well should be.

[@888johnmac]

yeah , cheap work is never good ... and good work is never cheap

[@garystewart6093]

So how much was it?

[@troo_story]

@@garystewart6093 Not cheap

[@HazewinDog]

@@garystewart6093 worth it

[@AMLagonda]

@@garystewart6093 More than you can afford pal :p

[@darrenmilne4954]

That’s not just trimming .. it’s art !

[@PaceWorks]

Hes really an Artist with Fabric as his canvas and sowing as his brush 💯🤙❤🧡💜💚💙

[@acblack1032]

That had to be one of the best informed vids you guys have put out on a build that someone else did. The man is a master. Nik!!! dam fine design job.. Fantastic work. Best Saturday vid in a long long time cheers :)

[@arealsourapple]

Fantastic job. This is the attention to detail that I always strive for and never achieve. Another channel I'm a fan of is Redish Motorsport which I highly recommend any BOM fan to check out. Not as in depth or as high production value but it's similarly awe inspiring the uncompromising quality and detail. At the very least it's something to break up the painful but totally understandable wait between BOM videos.

[@LeslieNorman]

I think I could watch this 100 times and still be amazed with the methodical craftmanship. Thank you Dean.

[@tipperscum]

Stunning work. Simply Stunning. The man is a truly great craftsman. Absolutely fantastic to see that these people are still out there 👏

[@mikesvwcorrado]

The interior on Project Utah and Kaiser II is also unreal.

[@joyoptimal6286]

?

[@alexbrown1995]

@@joyoptimal6286 Retropower. Well worth watching, IMHO

[@richardhasler6718]

Ah lovely video and craftsmanship. I'm guessing this is one of the build up videos for the great completed Binky final reveal videos in Christmas 2022!

[@willclark491]

You misspelled 2032...

[@stuartd9741]

@@willclark491 nah, I match your 2032 and raise it to 2050!

[@rumblebelly7429]

What an artist, Dean. Effing cool to see!

[@bake162]

Good to see a master practicing his craft.

[@trd8749]

Thanks Howie, hopefully he gets some camera time for the work he puts in.

[@almuliman]

Those seats look amazing. Wonderful to watch a master craftsman at work. Glad to see the contrast stitching - I was getting a little concerned Nik would let the opportunity pass by with all that black thread to begin with 🙂

[@grenfellroad8394]

Absolute perfection. A true professional.

[@Karl427]

What a master of his craft. Work this good is very hard to find.

[@DenwayCC]

Bloody good, guys. Seats look awesome. I've been wanting to make my own motorcycle seats and this has helped me with knowing what's involved. I have a couple of leather couches that I'll be scrapping for the leather!

[@outoftheburrough]

Beware of your leather sofas, they will be good for practice but unlikely to be a good cut of leather and certainly not a suitable grade for motorcycle seats. You'd be better off with a marine grade vinyl

[@DenwayCC]

@@outoftheburrough the couches have had more wear on them in the last 8 years that any motorcycle seat I've owned so I'm sure the leather will be sufficient. My skill on the other hand, probably not.

[@zoltrix7779]

@@outoftheburrough If you are looking to trim a historic car, I really like the genuine used leather look. New distressed leather is just got the same.

[@imakedookie]

real leather is worth its weight if its got patina and proper conditioning. you might be on to something bud!

[@H4rleyBoy]

You really are letting all your viewers down boys, I appreciate you may have other things going on but would it hurt you to give us a five minute update of what is going on?

[@1BigBen]

they did 2-ish months ago kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip29f4Vqmbd7mtE

[@k13ehr]

@@1BigBen Thank you kind sir, dunno how I missed that, I have notifications on, good to see they're alive and well, and Nick is being Nick bless him :) :)

[@maxwiz71]

Stitch perfect. Astonishing level of skill.

[@jo300hn]

This brings back memories of being in 'Her Majesty's Hotel' and making belts and wallets. I'm glad this bloke kept at it.

[@falken_gt4]

Super relaxing to watch, excellent job. Thought he looked familiar and then saw the Alpina badge on the Sewing Machine and recognised him from Retropower

[@jozsefizsak]

Marvelous work and a much appreciated installment!

[@WTFMacca]

Such amazing craftsmanship to see. Watched in awe

[@NewZeroland]

This car has become a work of art!

[@mndlessdrwer]

The challenge I always have with these mixed material seat covers that use leather and cloth is that the leather requires intermittent moisturizing and such treatments usually muck up the fabrics, so you have to be very careful when applying them, which is just a pain. I'd probably have gone with full leather upholstery, possibly with perforated central sections with an air duct run into a custom-made duct within the seat to allow air to pass into the seats for ventilated seating. Nothing beats having AC piped through your seats on a hot summer day. The downside, and there are always downsides, is that you'd likely need to also replace the foam unless you opted for seats from a vehicle that already featured such extravagances as heated and cooled seats. Some Dunlop process latex rubber would suit the job well, since it typically features perforation anyway. The scrim foam would also require some perforation as it would add a great deal of additional resistance otherwise. Still, the results speak for themselves. It looks great and I'm sure it'll be very comfortable and the Alcantara will keep you planted nicely even without more severe bolstering.

[@gazz5998]

This sounds like it would likely involve extra brackets and fabrication. And I'm sure that I need to say no more on the subject.

[@androomunro]

Isn't the space under the seats in Binky alteady taken up with the ecu and other wiring modules?

[@boredincan]

I appreciate the extra details and well shot videos like this one. It really shows the extra work and skill required in every step of the build. I'm done with you edging me, though. Just finish us off and stop the Binky blue balls

[@imakedookie]

imagine. the year is 2030. gas has tripled in price. water wars ongoing. and binky finally hits the dyno!

[@todd_harrison4500]

One of the most satisfying things I've watched!👌 Beautiful work!!

[@hamish02000]

A work of art i love to see a master craftsman in action

[@Galerak1]

The race is now on to see if I can binge-watch the entire Binky playlist again before the next episode 😂 I don't mind though, I have plenty of tea & biscuits to make it even more enjoyable 👍

[@bobhudson6659]

Get Covid. You will have days and days to watch all episodes, even though you feel like garbage for a good part of that time. Just finished my isolation in Australia after testing positive 7 days ago. Not pleasant. 70 yr old retired mechanic.

[@jonathan5354]

Yes yes yes. Thanks for this episode. But why no heating elements or maybe even Ventilation? They look cool though!

[@Fizzyjester1]

Ahhhh a Binky vid!!!! watching and waiting for so long and so satisfying.

[@joe-nu3uo]

Artisans! A pleasure to watch indeed.

[@lukeframpton3671]

Can't wait anymore when is the next video on binky

[@damionm3]

Hi. Love your shows. Just wondered how and when your ford cargo is going and when or even if you will continue to update us? Cheers Damion. 😀

[@1203fild]

Mate they will update when there will be something done to update us about, let's nust give them time

[@petelattimer6808]

the cargo has been temporarily put on hold while Binky gets finished, i believe. once the Mini is finished, work will resume on the cargo.

[@paulprescott7913]

I wonder the same thing.

[@STUCASHX]

My father watched the early episodes of this project. Then, when I was of the right age, he showed me the channel so I could watch too. Now I must watch it alone, but one day I will show this channel to my child to watch this project develop and, who knows, maybe the little blighter will see it finished. ;)

[@bobhudson6659]

Optimist!!! Finished?? When does the next century start?

[@rickydenton1982]

What a craftsman. And 10/10 for his beard too!

[@adolfshitler]

Has the mini now rusted away?

[@rhannay39]

The question is, when this car is finished, taking into account all the labour costs, will it be the worlds most expensive car?

[@stevie-ray2020]

Good luck to finding an insurer!

[@KaloMorace]

I doubt it, just because with the extensive "how to" video guide it wouldn't take as long to reproduce, so the labour cost would likely be a fraction of the time and effort put into this. Hell, if they weren't videoing the process, and doing Binky full time (remember, this is essentially the biggest weekend project ever), it would have been completed years ago, but then we wouldn't get to enjoy it lol

[@rhannay39]

@@KaloMorace In. Tongue. Cheek

[@802Garage]

This is the sort of thing where it's so much work, very detailed work, it stresses me out just watching it!

[@ericbessett6782]

Dean's workmanship is unbelievable! A true artist.

[@bullrush1725]

I dying for the next video.... what's going on lads?

[@jamieattwells2700]

Where's episode 38 of Binky

[@FlyingDarkLord]

Exceptional workmanship! 😮 What a professional!!!

[@MrTolcher]

Wow. Absolutely incredible craftsmanship