Gil Monge
Gil is one of the original owners of Gillin Custom Design and opened it with Linda in 2006. Thirteen years later in 2019 the vision of opening a shop that completed high end builds from start to finish came to fruition with GCD Auto Studio. He’s currently in charge of client acquisition, all the marketing for the company including the website and assists in designing projects. His special talent, besides marketing, is comedy…telling jokes and doing impersonations. Gil likes listening to sports talk radio and watching car related TV shows. On his days off, he spends time with friends smoking cigars, enjoying some bourbon and discussing the latest car trends. His dream car is a 1970 Buick Riviera which he’s currently working on.
ABOUT GCD AUTO STUDIO:
GCD Auto Studio formed in 2019 with the purpose of building high end vehicles in a boutique style, state of the art facility. The focus at GCD is on superior quality, innovative design and close client relationships. Its founders bring a varied skill set from marketing to body shop ownership and an art and design background. These factors in combination with our specifically hand selected team make for a concept that is quite unique in the custom car fabrication industry.
We currently film a TV show called “Married to the Rides” (Season 3) which streams on multiple platforms. Here is a little information on the show:
“MARRIED TO THE RIDES” follows daily life inside a trailblazing, minority- and woman-owned custom car shop that's rewriting the rules of the game. The series focuses on the process—not just the product—showcasing how Gil, Linda, and their skilled, tight-knit team deliver elite custom builds while cultivating lasting relationships with their clients.
The shop offers all services under one roof—from ideation to renderings, fabrication to final reveal—creating smoother timelines, seamless communication, and complete quality control. Viewers get a personal, POV-style window into shop life: the strategies, the setbacks, the personalities, and the pride behind every polished car that rolls out the bay.
1. What first pulled you into automotive upholstery?
What first pulled me to the automotive upholstery trade were the tremendous business opportunities. I quickly noticed an abundance of mechanical shops, body shops and I noticed most “Builders” didn’t have in house upholstery.
2. What’s your favorite style of interior to build?
I would have to say my favorite style interior is what I would call “Upgraded original”, for instance take a 1966 Pontiac Tempest and do a Blue on blue match to exterior. Take the original essence of the interior and elevate it with leather and Alcantara. It’s also taking the fit and finish in the interior to another level. What we want in the end is a finished product that looks like it would have been available in 1966 for an additional cost, something like a limited edition.
3. Do you prefer subtle interiors or statement interiors?
Personally I prefer subtle, but I do believe there’s a place for both. If we’re doing a RestoMod Muscle car I would go with subtle (Upgraded Original), if we’re doing a street rod or full on show car I believe a statement interior is warranted.
4. What makes an interior feel timeless instead of trendy?
I feel a timeless interior is achieved through a few factors, making improvements to original utilizing modern materials, craftsmanship in stitching, elegant design. Stay away from trendy elements such as carbon fiber, excessive interior lighting, technology gadgets such as IPAD unit to control interior functions.
5. Are modern interiors becoming overdesigned?
Honestly I am a fan of the resurgence of the interior design aspect of new vehicles; companies are using more tone on tone design, beautiful wood grain accents, and impeccable stitch work. The only drawback I see is the trend of these enormous display screens, but I get it’s just part of the newer generation of technology focused buyers looking for more intuitive functions.
6. What’s a trend in the industry you think won’t age well?
I am not the biggest fan of CNC stitching; I think computerized stitching tends to make interiors a little too busy for me. I get some of the designs but some look like Tetris blocks.
7. What separates a good interior from a truly great one?
I absolutely believe the two major differences are the Stitching and fit and finish of the panels, pay attention to gapping and the design elements lining up.
8. What separates high-end craftsmanship from average work?
A big factor is cost, if you’re getting paid properly (Time & materials) it allows the craftsman to truly dial in the details without limits. We also need to give the trimmers time to do their part, often times the upholstery shop is the last to get the project and the client is out of patience and money. The High-end craftsmanship also comes from years of experience and is not achieved overnight.
9. What detail do you obsess over that most people never notice?
I obsess over double stitch; it has to be spot on. You also need to know what should get a double seam, a single seam, blind stitch & contrast thread or color matched thread. We have a double needle machine but we make sure we have the proper needles (L&R).
10. What part of the upholstery process consumes the most time?
I feel the part that consumes the most time is the fabrication of the hard pieces, the panels, the trunk enclosure and the consoles. In order to achieve the desired finished piece you need to take the time to ensure everything fits as desired and your material gaps are perfect.
11. Which part of a build gives you the most satisfaction when it’s finished?
I love seat work. I love to see a nice set of buckets with matching rear seat completed with beautiful stitch work and an equally as important a nice tight fit.
12. What tools or equipment changed your workflow the most?
From an upholstery perspective it’s definitely a combination of tools such as sanders & saws for foam work, it allows you to really master the look and feel of a sculpted seat. From a fabrication perspective it’s the newer technology of a Laser machine and 3D printer.
13. Thoughts on CAD, CNC, scanning, and 3D printing entering upholstery?
I believe its great win for our industry. It has become harder to recruit the new generation of trimmers, these tools allow a fabricator to set up a project on a machine and then go back to hands on work while the machine does its thing.
The other win for us is I believe it will attract tech focused individuals to our trade that we may not have had an opportunity to attract previously.
The key thing is use it as tools in your arsenal of tools don’t let it completely take over your design style.
14. What’s one thing customers underestimate about custom interiors?
I believe the clients underestimate the cost factor of the interior. We’re a time and material shop, just like any full build shop. The thing the clients need to keep in perspective is in you’re building a $250-$300K show build the interior needs to reflect
that, So 20-25% in some cases may be considered significant in cost for some clients. When the design gets detailed and the elements within the interior are costly to produce that percentage will increase.
15. What part of the job do you enjoy the least?
The part I enjoy the least is the unnecessary time crunch, “I need it for the Blah show” or the builder had it for “X” number of years and I would really like to enjoy it this summer. It makes no sense to me, you want the best product but won’t allow the time necessary to achieve the product. I sometimes refer to that person as the “calendar client”, it’s been at your shop for “X” number of weeks. I have a calendar I don’t need you to tell me.
16. What’s the biggest mistake you see younger trimmers making today?
Two things: One is under selling your value just to get work in the door, I understand we have all been there but I can tell you it’s painful to get people to adjust to your price increases. Second is over loading yourself with projects especially if you’re a one man (or woman) shop, its unnecessary stress that may affect your quality of work.
17. What’s something you changed your mind about over the years?
The use of modern interior elements in classics such as dash boards, seats and center consoles. If done correctly and tastefully putting a modern dash in a classic paired with newer power seats can look like it was like that from factory and give it that subtle modern feel.
18. What advice would you give someone serious about mastering the craft?
My advice would be you need to immerse yourself into the craft, find a craftsman locally and join their company, be a sponge and adsorb all the shared knowledge. Look for educational opportunities as well especially on the fabrication side. The stitching skills will come with time behind the machine.
19. What’s your opinion on where custom upholstery is headed in the next 10 years?
I believe the next ten years we will continue to see the importance of technology such as 3D printers, laser machines and CNC machines. I look at those machines as additional employee and assign an hourly rate to each of them.
20. What keeps you motivated to continue pushing the craft forward?
I have a passion for the industry and love the aspects of design and being creative. I am committed to seeing the industry grow through technology and an infusion of new talent. I feel some in the industry are too protective of what they do and don’t share enough. I believe there is enough work for all of us and I’m always willing to help others grow.