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Canaan Manley of Basin Motorsports (Klamath Falls, OR)

What does being an upholsterer mean to you?

Being an upholstery trimmer is a mix between a craftsman and a problem solver. My customers what a functional and great looking solution to the problem they’re having. It may be a seat that feels terrible, a torn cover, or they simply want something new. My goal is to solve their problems.

How did you get started in upholstery?

I have an acquaintance that does upholstery, but he wanted to retire from the work. He hoped to pass on the knowledge he had but couldn’t find anyone who wanted to learn the basics. After being laid off twice since 2020 due to COVID and AI adoption I wanted to find a career that would be less dependent on technology and still work with my hands. My acquaintance had two sets of seats to build, so I worked in his shop learning the basics of seat upholstery.

What types of upholstery do you do?

My focus has been automotive and outdoor equipment. I live in a farming community, so I primarily focus on automotive upholstery and ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles. I haven’t had any requests for marine or aviation yet, but they are similar concepts. The one area in which I don’t have any interest or knowledge is furniture. We have a great furniture upholstery trimmer in our area that focuses on furniture.

How long have you been upholstering?

I have been building cars and trucks since I was a teenager, and most have involved some upholstery like replacing carpets, headliners, and seats. I would only call myself an upholstery trimmer over the last year though.

What is your biggest consumer demand?

Over the last year it has been panel repairs and cover + foam replacements for seats from the previous 30 years. I get the most inquiries about fixing uncomfortable vehicle seats from the late 1990s and newer.

What is your favorite upholstery project you've done?

My C5 Corvette. I removed most of the interior to add sound deadener, fixed the audio system issues from a previous owner, and then changed the all-black interior to a black and blue plaid. I bought new aftermarket seat covers and changed the center inserts to plaid. I made a new shift boot, parking brake handle boot, and console cover incorporating the plaid. I then made new grab handle covers for the door panels and a dashboard grab handle. The final touch was a custom cargo area cover behind the seats made from the plaid material.

What is the strangest item you've found in a restoration?

I’m currently finishing up an interior on a 1948 Frazer Special. When I removed the headliner, it was full of nuts and shells from rodents making nests over the last 75 years.

Have you noticed any up & coming trends?

The one that continually catches my attention is the use of automation and computer software. You can now use a hand-held scanner to digitally scan the surface of seat foam, render the pattern with computer software, and then cut it out on a machine. We can 3D print plastic and metal parts inside the shop in a few hours. Technology and automation are being used to incorporate new ideas. 

What changes would benefit the upholstery industry?

• The availability of more hands-on education. There are many different YouTube channels that feature upholstery and how-to information, but it doesn’t beat the learning experience of making your own mistakes and having a mentor / teacher guide you through the problem-solving process. Many high-level trimmers are starting to offer weekend seminars to teach simple basics and concepts, but you can only learn so much in a short amount of time. You have to keep in mind that cars have been around for 100+ years and how they are made / assembled has changed greatly.
• More focused mentorship. In the last year I have been focused on upholstery I have seen a lot of people join different groups on Facebook trying to find help for problems. One question can receive 15 different answers and only continue to confuse the matter. Having a mentor, whether in-person or online, could help. It made a big difference for me.
• Equipment providers selling basic starter packages to get people started on the right track. Some retailers sell sewing machines, others sell thread and scissors, etc. If someone could buy a starter package with a basic set of tools, it may help a few people get started on the right track.
• Someone to start a podcast, or a frequent informational media show, focused on running an upholstery shop. I listen to the 21Hats podcast which has a small handful of business owners that discuss what is happening in the small business world and how it can affect them and others. They have special guests that talk about how they got started also. I think a show dedicated to what upholstery business owners go through would be beneficial to help others in business. Topics could include marketing / advertising, technical problems they face, regulations / tariffs that affect their business, etc. 
• A defined set of basic time standards for upholstery work that could help new upholstery trimmers understand how long it should roughly take to do something. The number of hours to build a basic bench seat, a bucket seat, a console of a certain size, to make a cover for a cushion, etc.  This is a frequent question I see online. I came from the OEM side of the automotive industry, and assembly work had a basic guide for standard times of work. Mechanics have a similar guide of “standard time” to replace parts and do work.
• More knowledge around repairing airbag seats and a standardized sewing pattern between auto brands. It’s a common discussion topic that gets really heated concerning repairing airbag upholstery. Should it be repaired, how to repair it, etc. Every auto manufacturer has their own version of airbag seams (thread size, pattern, stitch length, etc.), and that makes it almost impossible to duplicate manually. As more and more newer cars need repair, and OEM quality covers need to be available, it’s left to a few companies to completely furnish upholstery with certified sewing seams. This could be a good area for SEMA to help.

Have you ever been featured on television, online, or in another Publication?

Yes, both individually and my work through the years. I’ve had a YouTube channel for 15 years, so my videos have been shown and seen based on the topic. I’ve had multiple brand partnerships with every car I’ve built since 2009, and those partners share my videos frequently. I have also contributed articles, videos, and pictures to various automotive and motorcycle publications over the last 20 years.

Me personally:

• 2005 – 2020 – I worked for Nissan North America in engineering and recruiting did many videos and promotions for products and events.
• 2017 – Interview by the site owner of Nicoclub forums.
• 2019 – I made it to the final round of casting for Bitchin Bootcamp, and had a brief showing on the TV series premiere.
• 2023 – I wrote a series of articles for a website called ‘Motor and Wheels’. Topics included repairs and the top items covering a certain topic. I have a bio page on their contributors section.

Cars or work featured in general:

• 2011 – 2009 Nissan Versa NISMO Concept shown in Import Tuner and Modified magazines
• 2020 - 1980 Ford Mustang Widebody article on Motortrend.com, HotRod Magazine online, Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords online, and Car Craft Magazine online
• 2024 – Wrap Like Royalty contest – 2024 Western Region Champion (mentioned on Avery Dennison social media)

Upholstery specific:

• 2024 - 2004 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 shown on Spirit of Le Mans website (plaid interior) 

Some answers have been edited for clarity.

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