Thanks guys for all the tips. The ‘49 Merc wagon may be a really nice alternative to the ‘53 Ford option, unfortunately these kits appear to be rare these days (currently $70 on greed- Bay!!!). A reminder of why we all accumulate model kit stashes and the practice the policy of “if you think you might want it buy it now or you’ll regret it later”. I’ll add this to my list of my scale model swap-meet ‘hunt-for’s”.
i checked out the Scalemodelsport website for upholstery decal options, no plaids but a few other possible ‘50’s dinosaur-vinyl type seat cover patterns.
So nice to live in the Internet age where one can ask an arcane scale model question and find relevant helpful answers the next day, thanks guys!