Interior Material Selection Review by Brangeta (carpet, leather, vinyl, etc.)
08-23-2009, 02:17 PM
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Interior Material Selection Review by Brangeta (carpet, leather, vinyl, etc.)
I received TONS of carpet, vinyl, leather, and headliner samples today to add to the small collection I already had in blue colors when I was wanting a bright blue metallic Camaro.
I'm not a professional carpet, leather, etc. guy in any way (I'm simply a graphic designer), but I figured I should do a review with lots of pics. Not only to guide you guys to the better materials, but to convince myself of what I want to do on my future dream car. Plus, I feel compelled to give some praise to the companies that sent me these free samples, as they really and truly do a great thing for people who are creative and interested in designing their own interior like myself. Many companies will only send you samples if you have a tax identification number proving you're a business or whatnot. Some will only send you samples if you pay for them. So these companies really deserve some praise.
So let's get started. Let's start with the headliner material from stockinteriors. In the pictures above, they are the small rectangles. I have never ordered headliner material from any other company, so if I choose to redo the headliner in my dream car, I will definitely be choosing stockinteriors. The material seems very good. They offer pre-made headliners that go right on for Camaro coupes and t-top equipped cars. They even offer t-top shades in these custom colors as well. I think this is very cool. I'd like to see their t-top shades and headliners specific to Camaros, I have no idea what they look like.
On to carpet...
In the pictures below, you will see ACC (Auto Custom Carpets) cut pile carpet, next to stockinterior's plush cut pile carpet, next to stockinterior's ultra-plush cut pile carpet. Carpet is kind of a pain in the butt, because no matter what, it's really hard to find a color you'll really like (just my opinion--I would hardly call these current designer colors; the different shades of dark red (not all shown) I received remind me of 1980s Buicks and Lincolns). I was hoping one would be perhaps a lipstick color, sort of a dark raspberry. These colors are, afterall, based on, or derived from factory color offerings from various manufacturers; they aren't colors made for custom show cars really.
As you can see, the ACC carpet is very thin. I'm not very fond of it because it looks thin, but ACC offers a few colors that stockinteriors does not. The quality seems just fine. If I fold a piece in half, I can see a bit of the white/clear stuff that holds carpet threads together though, just as I can see a bit of in the next sample.
The standard plush cut pile carpet from stockinteriors comes in a wide array of colors, just not as wide as ACC's color list. The quality seems the same as ACC, but it just doesn't look squished like ACC's...or perhaps the carpet is actually much better -- it's hard to tell. The fibers in the ACC carpet are all lying down diagonally, but if I manually push them up straight, the fibers are about the same length as the stockinteriors plush carpet, if not exactly the same. Looking at the underside, the thread spacing/count seems exactly the same as ACC. I'd have to say that I definitely approve of the stockinteriors carpet over ACC just because of how it looks and feels. It seems thicker, and feels a great deal softer. Though...after vacuuming the carpets, who knows if there would even be a noticeable difference? I don't want to give ACC an unfair review just because the samples I got from them appear naturally squished.
The ultra-plush carpet from stockinteriors comes in a VERY limited number of colors. It's a shame too, because this stuff is excellent. It's much longer than the others (which is hard to tell in these low res pics), and the thread count is MUCH higher--according to stockinterior's site, it's 40% higher, and it shows. This stuff is about $100 more for a full carpet replacement in a Camaro, but for that small amount... I would actually highly recommend it. This would transform a Camaro into a luxury car--well, for your feet at least.
I used to own a Toyota Corolla, and I wouldn't have hated the thing so much if it had soft enough carpet that it wouldn't make my feet hurt like I was standing on a cement floor on a road trip. Carpet is cheap too. Such a cheap mod for such a massive change to your interior.
More pics:
I'm not a professional carpet, leather, etc. guy in any way (I'm simply a graphic designer), but I figured I should do a review with lots of pics. Not only to guide you guys to the better materials, but to convince myself of what I want to do on my future dream car. Plus, I feel compelled to give some praise to the companies that sent me these free samples, as they really and truly do a great thing for people who are creative and interested in designing their own interior like myself. Many companies will only send you samples if you have a tax identification number proving you're a business or whatnot. Some will only send you samples if you pay for them. So these companies really deserve some praise.
So let's get started. Let's start with the headliner material from stockinteriors. In the pictures above, they are the small rectangles. I have never ordered headliner material from any other company, so if I choose to redo the headliner in my dream car, I will definitely be choosing stockinteriors. The material seems very good. They offer pre-made headliners that go right on for Camaro coupes and t-top equipped cars. They even offer t-top shades in these custom colors as well. I think this is very cool. I'd like to see their t-top shades and headliners specific to Camaros, I have no idea what they look like.
On to carpet...
In the pictures below, you will see ACC (Auto Custom Carpets) cut pile carpet, next to stockinterior's plush cut pile carpet, next to stockinterior's ultra-plush cut pile carpet. Carpet is kind of a pain in the butt, because no matter what, it's really hard to find a color you'll really like (just my opinion--I would hardly call these current designer colors; the different shades of dark red (not all shown) I received remind me of 1980s Buicks and Lincolns). I was hoping one would be perhaps a lipstick color, sort of a dark raspberry. These colors are, afterall, based on, or derived from factory color offerings from various manufacturers; they aren't colors made for custom show cars really.
As you can see, the ACC carpet is very thin. I'm not very fond of it because it looks thin, but ACC offers a few colors that stockinteriors does not. The quality seems just fine. If I fold a piece in half, I can see a bit of the white/clear stuff that holds carpet threads together though, just as I can see a bit of in the next sample.
The standard plush cut pile carpet from stockinteriors comes in a wide array of colors, just not as wide as ACC's color list. The quality seems the same as ACC, but it just doesn't look squished like ACC's...or perhaps the carpet is actually much better -- it's hard to tell. The fibers in the ACC carpet are all lying down diagonally, but if I manually push them up straight, the fibers are about the same length as the stockinteriors plush carpet, if not exactly the same. Looking at the underside, the thread spacing/count seems exactly the same as ACC. I'd have to say that I definitely approve of the stockinteriors carpet over ACC just because of how it looks and feels. It seems thicker, and feels a great deal softer. Though...after vacuuming the carpets, who knows if there would even be a noticeable difference? I don't want to give ACC an unfair review just because the samples I got from them appear naturally squished.
The ultra-plush carpet from stockinteriors comes in a VERY limited number of colors. It's a shame too, because this stuff is excellent. It's much longer than the others (which is hard to tell in these low res pics), and the thread count is MUCH higher--according to stockinterior's site, it's 40% higher, and it shows. This stuff is about $100 more for a full carpet replacement in a Camaro, but for that small amount... I would actually highly recommend it. This would transform a Camaro into a luxury car--well, for your feet at least.
I used to own a Toyota Corolla, and I wouldn't have hated the thing so much if it had soft enough carpet that it wouldn't make my feet hurt like I was standing on a cement floor on a road trip. Carpet is cheap too. Such a cheap mod for such a massive change to your interior.
More pics:
08-23-2009, 02:18 PM
#2
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Join Date: May 2002
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Next let's get to what your butt sits on, what covers your doors, and what goes on your steering wheel and shift ****--leather and vinyl.
I received my samples from three different sources. I got the Porsche Magenta leather from Global Upholstery Supply, the small leather sample and good sized vinyl samples from Gary's Upholstery Products, and the two purple "synthetic leather vinyl" samples from a seller on ebay (about two years ago).
Overview:
Leather is made from animal skin, usually some form of cow/bull, but sometimes other things like pigs, ostrich, boars, alligators, etc. It comes in a lot of colors, but can be limiting because it's hard to find in more exotic colors. You can find about 50 different shades of gray or black, but good luck finding more than one or two shades of green, teal, or purple made for automotive use. High quality leather is vat-dyed and the color is soaked all the way through. Spray-dyed leather isn't as good, and when you wear through the leather after a few years, you can see a patch where the color has come off. I believe 4th gen Camaros came with spray-dyed leather like I believe most non-luxury cars tend to come with... (could be wrong). In my novice opinion, it is extremely important to make sure the leather you buy is made for automotive or marine (boat) use. Leathers made for couches, purses, or shoes may be the color you want, but lack a UV coating important to prevent major fading.
Vinyl is a general term that covers a whole bunch of stuff. It's basically synthetic leather, or heck, it can even describe a type of plastic. In this case, it's synthetic leather, pleather, Naugahyde, etc. Naugahyde and Boltaflex are two brands of vinyl I'm going to be reviewing, as well as two unknown brands from ebay. Vinyl comes in millions of colors, and even patterns. Some of it isn't very pleasant to touch, particularly for long periods of time. It's made from petroleum products to my knowledge, some/most with some sort of elastic backing.
4th gen Camaros with leather interiors have leather seats, leather steering wheel covers, and leather shift *****. The door panels have vinyl on them. This is the way GM did them.
In the three pics below, I have them in order from ones I like most to ones I like least (as far as how they FEEL to my finger tips rubbing and stretching them), and I'll review them in that order. They are not in the order of quality necessarily.
My favorite would have to be the Porsche leather from Global Upholstery Supply. First of all... they sent me two HUGE 7" x 3" samples of the two colors I requested (according to their invoice, it's $11 worth of leather, that they didn't charge me for), and I really wasn't expecting that! One was the Porsche Magenta (the actual replacement leather for Porsches that came with this unusual color), and the other is a color from their own creation line (Reno Leather) called New Magenta. The appearance of this stuff is top notch, it's gorgeous. It feels great too, it has just the right amount of stretchiness to it, and it's nice and thick feeling. The Porsche type has a heavier grain to it, and the New Magenta type has a lighter grain and feels ever so slightly softer. The New Magenta is a little tiny bit more pink. I'm most fond of the Porsche type because of the heavier grain. I'm not sure what the price of a hide of this is from Global Upholstery (no prices on their site), but on another site that doesn't offer free samples, a hide is over $760 if I remember right, which is very expensive. I hope Global Upholstery is significantly cheaper, because I'm not sure I can afford that easily.
My next favorite is yet another leather, so the leathers beat the vinyls. Gary's Upholstery has an absolutely mind blowing number of options when it comes to vinyl, but a fairly modest number of options when it comes to leather. This sample I got is from the Tango line, which if I remember correctly, is advertised as being very soft, and boy is it. I'm not sure it is intended for automotive use, but I assume it is. Although the thickness isn't all that different (if at all) from the previously reviewed leather, it feels much thinner since it is so soft. I don't know what would cause one cow to be more durable than another, but this doesn't feel like it would take as many years of abuse as the previous example, but this is purely an assumption based on how it feels. The price for a hide is great, $260. I don't personally like the color, or I'd have this as my favorite just because of the price. The leather's color goes all the way through, so this is goooood stuff, but it's softness makes me wonder if it would take a sharp edge from a trophy, corner on a piece of wood, or key very well. I think it would get punctured, while the previous examples from Global Upholstery would take the abuse better. Not pictured is a sample I got from Gary years ago that is a discontinued blue-gray color from the Lotus series he still sells. It isn't as soft and reminds me more of the Porsche leather, but has a heavier, larger sized grain. In this color I have, it reminds me of a denim colored elephant or rhino. Seems like good stuff, but the grain is a little heavy and noticeable in my opinion.
Next is one of the very cheap vinyls I got a sample of from a seller on ebay. Keep in mind that this is just something that feels good, it definitely isn't that durable, I would assume this to be the 2nd least durable in my review. The good: it has a heavy texture, so I don't immediately get the feeling it is essentially plastic, and it is really stretchy (which is possibly a good thing with vinyl). The bad: it's very, very thin (though I believe it could take a puncture slightly better than the Tango leather), it has a weak elastic type sort-of-fuzzy backing to it, and it's possibly TOO stretchy. I think a seat made from this would be depending on the foam seat a whole lot, because this stretches quite a bit and wouldn't offer much support. As the material gets worn, I would worry about sagging, but you know what? It feels the best of all the vinyls.
Not pictured in this series of pics is Santa Fe Suede Vinyl from Gary's Upholstery. At the top of this topic, it is the one that appears the lightest pink color. It was advertised as having the look and feel of suede, but I don't really agree. It's a nice feeling material with a matte finish, but not suede-like at all. It's ever so slightly (less than a millimeter) thinner than the Boltaflex (and I actually thought it was part of the Boltaflex line before rechecking the website), which is evidentally how they gave it this somewhat suede feeling to it (they sanded it perhaps?). Like suede, it absorbs the sweat on your finger tips, but this stuff isn't fuzzy whatsoever. It has a very subtle pattern to it that gives you the impression that it is slightly suede. I don't love or hate this material. It seems pretty good, but it's really hard to describe and doesn't compare directly with the leather and synthetic leather I'm reviewing. The very matte finish it has is quite pleasant. It's by far the least plastic feeling synthetic sample I have. I'm somewhat developing a liking for it... I would call it some sort of microfiber shammy material. That's what it seems like to me. Almost like a soft, flexible sandpaper.
Next is a Boltaflex brand vinyl from Gary's Upholstery Products. I received two different types of this stuff. They were from different "series", the purple one had some subtle blue color splotches (Grand Sierra line) while the "sangria" pink one was solid colored (Colorguard line). I rather like the color blotched look personally, as it seems to be an attempt at giving it a more natural look; it also has some flaw lines like real leather has. In my opinion, the feel of this is so-so. I'm not a vinyl fan at all, not when it comes to my hands touching it or my butt sticking to it, and this is just "ok" compared to the leather, and "very good" compared to the other vinyls. The color goes all the way through this stuff, it stretches a little more than the Porsche leather, and it seems to have the ideal amount of perceived durability to it. As far as vinyl goes, I think this would be the best choice for use in a car for the leather look. The grain needs to be heavier, but other than that, it's very acceptable. I wish I got more samples from different Boltaflex lines to compare them. The Grand Sierra purple one is better than the pink Colorguard one (see first pics in this topic).
After that is the cheapest feeling vinyl of the bunch. It's some purple vinyl I received from that same ebay seller two years ago. It feels ok, but barely stretches at all and has the cheapest backing to it. It looks like something you'd use on a Halloween costume, or maybe even a cheap purse. However cheap it feels, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the material I dislike most...
I received my samples from three different sources. I got the Porsche Magenta leather from Global Upholstery Supply, the small leather sample and good sized vinyl samples from Gary's Upholstery Products, and the two purple "synthetic leather vinyl" samples from a seller on ebay (about two years ago).
Overview:
Leather is made from animal skin, usually some form of cow/bull, but sometimes other things like pigs, ostrich, boars, alligators, etc. It comes in a lot of colors, but can be limiting because it's hard to find in more exotic colors. You can find about 50 different shades of gray or black, but good luck finding more than one or two shades of green, teal, or purple made for automotive use. High quality leather is vat-dyed and the color is soaked all the way through. Spray-dyed leather isn't as good, and when you wear through the leather after a few years, you can see a patch where the color has come off. I believe 4th gen Camaros came with spray-dyed leather like I believe most non-luxury cars tend to come with... (could be wrong). In my novice opinion, it is extremely important to make sure the leather you buy is made for automotive or marine (boat) use. Leathers made for couches, purses, or shoes may be the color you want, but lack a UV coating important to prevent major fading.
Vinyl is a general term that covers a whole bunch of stuff. It's basically synthetic leather, or heck, it can even describe a type of plastic. In this case, it's synthetic leather, pleather, Naugahyde, etc. Naugahyde and Boltaflex are two brands of vinyl I'm going to be reviewing, as well as two unknown brands from ebay. Vinyl comes in millions of colors, and even patterns. Some of it isn't very pleasant to touch, particularly for long periods of time. It's made from petroleum products to my knowledge, some/most with some sort of elastic backing.
4th gen Camaros with leather interiors have leather seats, leather steering wheel covers, and leather shift *****. The door panels have vinyl on them. This is the way GM did them.
In the three pics below, I have them in order from ones I like most to ones I like least (as far as how they FEEL to my finger tips rubbing and stretching them), and I'll review them in that order. They are not in the order of quality necessarily.
My favorite would have to be the Porsche leather from Global Upholstery Supply. First of all... they sent me two HUGE 7" x 3" samples of the two colors I requested (according to their invoice, it's $11 worth of leather, that they didn't charge me for), and I really wasn't expecting that! One was the Porsche Magenta (the actual replacement leather for Porsches that came with this unusual color), and the other is a color from their own creation line (Reno Leather) called New Magenta. The appearance of this stuff is top notch, it's gorgeous. It feels great too, it has just the right amount of stretchiness to it, and it's nice and thick feeling. The Porsche type has a heavier grain to it, and the New Magenta type has a lighter grain and feels ever so slightly softer. The New Magenta is a little tiny bit more pink. I'm most fond of the Porsche type because of the heavier grain. I'm not sure what the price of a hide of this is from Global Upholstery (no prices on their site), but on another site that doesn't offer free samples, a hide is over $760 if I remember right, which is very expensive. I hope Global Upholstery is significantly cheaper, because I'm not sure I can afford that easily.
My next favorite is yet another leather, so the leathers beat the vinyls. Gary's Upholstery has an absolutely mind blowing number of options when it comes to vinyl, but a fairly modest number of options when it comes to leather. This sample I got is from the Tango line, which if I remember correctly, is advertised as being very soft, and boy is it. I'm not sure it is intended for automotive use, but I assume it is. Although the thickness isn't all that different (if at all) from the previously reviewed leather, it feels much thinner since it is so soft. I don't know what would cause one cow to be more durable than another, but this doesn't feel like it would take as many years of abuse as the previous example, but this is purely an assumption based on how it feels. The price for a hide is great, $260. I don't personally like the color, or I'd have this as my favorite just because of the price. The leather's color goes all the way through, so this is goooood stuff, but it's softness makes me wonder if it would take a sharp edge from a trophy, corner on a piece of wood, or key very well. I think it would get punctured, while the previous examples from Global Upholstery would take the abuse better. Not pictured is a sample I got from Gary years ago that is a discontinued blue-gray color from the Lotus series he still sells. It isn't as soft and reminds me more of the Porsche leather, but has a heavier, larger sized grain. In this color I have, it reminds me of a denim colored elephant or rhino. Seems like good stuff, but the grain is a little heavy and noticeable in my opinion.
Next is one of the very cheap vinyls I got a sample of from a seller on ebay. Keep in mind that this is just something that feels good, it definitely isn't that durable, I would assume this to be the 2nd least durable in my review. The good: it has a heavy texture, so I don't immediately get the feeling it is essentially plastic, and it is really stretchy (which is possibly a good thing with vinyl). The bad: it's very, very thin (though I believe it could take a puncture slightly better than the Tango leather), it has a weak elastic type sort-of-fuzzy backing to it, and it's possibly TOO stretchy. I think a seat made from this would be depending on the foam seat a whole lot, because this stretches quite a bit and wouldn't offer much support. As the material gets worn, I would worry about sagging, but you know what? It feels the best of all the vinyls.
Not pictured in this series of pics is Santa Fe Suede Vinyl from Gary's Upholstery. At the top of this topic, it is the one that appears the lightest pink color. It was advertised as having the look and feel of suede, but I don't really agree. It's a nice feeling material with a matte finish, but not suede-like at all. It's ever so slightly (less than a millimeter) thinner than the Boltaflex (and I actually thought it was part of the Boltaflex line before rechecking the website), which is evidentally how they gave it this somewhat suede feeling to it (they sanded it perhaps?). Like suede, it absorbs the sweat on your finger tips, but this stuff isn't fuzzy whatsoever. It has a very subtle pattern to it that gives you the impression that it is slightly suede. I don't love or hate this material. It seems pretty good, but it's really hard to describe and doesn't compare directly with the leather and synthetic leather I'm reviewing. The very matte finish it has is quite pleasant. It's by far the least plastic feeling synthetic sample I have. I'm somewhat developing a liking for it... I would call it some sort of microfiber shammy material. That's what it seems like to me. Almost like a soft, flexible sandpaper.
Next is a Boltaflex brand vinyl from Gary's Upholstery Products. I received two different types of this stuff. They were from different "series", the purple one had some subtle blue color splotches (Grand Sierra line) while the "sangria" pink one was solid colored (Colorguard line). I rather like the color blotched look personally, as it seems to be an attempt at giving it a more natural look; it also has some flaw lines like real leather has. In my opinion, the feel of this is so-so. I'm not a vinyl fan at all, not when it comes to my hands touching it or my butt sticking to it, and this is just "ok" compared to the leather, and "very good" compared to the other vinyls. The color goes all the way through this stuff, it stretches a little more than the Porsche leather, and it seems to have the ideal amount of perceived durability to it. As far as vinyl goes, I think this would be the best choice for use in a car for the leather look. The grain needs to be heavier, but other than that, it's very acceptable. I wish I got more samples from different Boltaflex lines to compare them. The Grand Sierra purple one is better than the pink Colorguard one (see first pics in this topic).
After that is the cheapest feeling vinyl of the bunch. It's some purple vinyl I received from that same ebay seller two years ago. It feels ok, but barely stretches at all and has the cheapest backing to it. It looks like something you'd use on a Halloween costume, or maybe even a cheap purse. However cheap it feels, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the material I dislike most...
08-23-2009, 02:19 PM
#3
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 5,556
And finally is my most unfavorite material: Naugahyde, which I got from Gary's Upholstery years ago. I hate this stuff. First of all, it doesn't stretch hardly at all. Second, (based on the three samples I got from different product lines) it has nearly NO texture, so it looks completely fake, and feels fake. Third, the color isn't all the way through. It's really pathetic and I would hate to see this in a car. This stuff feels terrible honestly. If I drag a finger across it, my finger sticks every few millimeters and jumps the next few millimeters until it sticks again. It feels awful. This stuff is strong as heck (I recovered a computer chair with some white Naugahyde a few years ago and it still looks like it did besides some staining that won't go away (gray rub type stains from jeans and black slacks I guess that household cleaners won't remove), but it's extremely uncomfortable to sit on. It made the chair unbearably hard (taunt), my legs would stick to it, and it was overall a terrible material for anything your skin, or in this case, butt wearing clothes to sit on. It doesn't breathe at all, so you'll get that sticking feeling even when you have multiple layers of clothing between you and it.) I highly recommend you do not use this material for a seat or door panel. Choose Boltaflex instead--they cost nearly exactly the same per yard at about $20 a yard from Gary's Upholstery, and the Boltaflex stretches a lot more and has a much more believable grain. This Naugahyde stuff is garbage for car purposes in my opinion.
Extra Pics:
Comparing thickness of Porsche Leather to Tango Leather (identical in my opinion):
Comparing Boltaflex to Naugahyde:
Comparing all samples to each other from a side view (ignore that the Porsche leather is propped up by the Tango leather's file folder card--I didn't want to unstaple it):
Some high res pics for those that want to view grain and such:
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/IMG_6899.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6897-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6905-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6902-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6895-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6893-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6907-1.jpg
If I end up with more samples, and people want me to, I'll review some more samples.
See my interior idea topic to see what in the world I am trying to accomplish here:
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=703676
Extra Pics:
Comparing thickness of Porsche Leather to Tango Leather (identical in my opinion):
Comparing Boltaflex to Naugahyde:
Comparing all samples to each other from a side view (ignore that the Porsche leather is propped up by the Tango leather's file folder card--I didn't want to unstaple it):
Some high res pics for those that want to view grain and such:
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/IMG_6899.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6897-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6905-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6902-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6895-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6893-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_6907-1.jpg
If I end up with more samples, and people want me to, I'll review some more samples.
See my interior idea topic to see what in the world I am trying to accomplish here:
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=703676
08-24-2009, 12:50 PM
#4
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: South Bend , IN
Posts: 2,801
You may want to inquire with these people >> http://f-bodycarpet.com/faq/index.htm . Not sure if your familiar with the type of carpet used in a typical lexus or mercedes , but they sell this type super plush , thick carpet for F cars . Their color selection for f-cars listed is pretty basic , but it sounds like he will work with ya with custom stuff . The impala SS and Acura NSX carpets they sell have a pretty large pallet to choose from color wise . Ive got samples coming this week for my project ...he will send out free remnant samples .
Thought Id mention to ya , as I was pretty underwhelmed at the cheapness of most aftermarket carpet .
Thought Id mention to ya , as I was pretty underwhelmed at the cheapness of most aftermarket carpet .
08-24-2009, 01:18 PM
#5
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 5,556
Oh cool, thanks! I'll check it out.
One thing worth mentioning is that stockinteriors and ACC are the suppliers for most of the aftermarket companies. YearOne and Summit Racing offer carpet if I remember right, and they both get it from one of those two companies.
One thing worth mentioning is that stockinteriors and ACC are the suppliers for most of the aftermarket companies. YearOne and Summit Racing offer carpet if I remember right, and they both get it from one of those two companies.
08-24-2009, 10:23 PM
#6
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Location: South Bend , IN
Posts: 2,801
...when I get them .
08-27-2009, 07:15 PM
#9
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Location: South Bend , IN
Posts: 2,801
I got my samples from fbodycarpet.com , since u have some coming I wont post pics . You will be impressed . Its EXACTLY what I had in mind , thick , very plush and it looks upscale . Its on par with the carpet in my uncles 07 lex LS460 . Im impressed and the charcoal goes perfectly holding it next to 2002 Ebony interior panel . Its lighter than stock too @ 25 lbs .
08-27-2009, 11:10 PM
#10
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Posts: 5,556
I got my f-bodycarpet.com samples today too. This definitely isn't cheap stuff.
I ordered Agate and Charcoal, and there isn't a whole lot of difference in the color. On the site, Agate looks a little purpley, which unfortunately it really isn't to the extent I wish. To be honest... I wasn't sure which was which without looking at the label on the back, and I have them sitting in front of me right now LOL. Looking at the back where they are labeled, the one that is a medium-dark gray that has a yellow/green hue to it is the charcoal. The one that is a medium-dark gray that has a VERY and I mean VERY hard to tell dull-purple or dull-blue hue to it is the agate (it's almost what I would call a colorless medium-dark gray).
I'll try to review them tomorrow with some comparison pics. Expect a positive review...
I think either one of these would be an almost invisible mod in an f-body in either of these two colors. The charcoal reminds me a lot of the color of my sister's floormats in her '95. The way they feel is night and day though, anybody who sat in your car would know it has much better carpet.
The length of the fibers are exactly the length as the Ultra Plush from stockinteriors. The f-bodycarpet.com carpet has a noticeable different feel to it though--it's at least 20 to 40% softer. By comparison, the stockinteriors ultra plush is stiff. The thread spacing is basically exactly the same as the Ultra Plush.
It's hard to tell/describe how it is different from the ultra plush, but I would say the main difference is a much softer feel to your hands. With your shoes on it, I'm not sure how much of a difference you could tell.
I ordered Agate and Charcoal, and there isn't a whole lot of difference in the color. On the site, Agate looks a little purpley, which unfortunately it really isn't to the extent I wish. To be honest... I wasn't sure which was which without looking at the label on the back, and I have them sitting in front of me right now LOL. Looking at the back where they are labeled, the one that is a medium-dark gray that has a yellow/green hue to it is the charcoal. The one that is a medium-dark gray that has a VERY and I mean VERY hard to tell dull-purple or dull-blue hue to it is the agate (it's almost what I would call a colorless medium-dark gray).
I'll try to review them tomorrow with some comparison pics. Expect a positive review...
I think either one of these would be an almost invisible mod in an f-body in either of these two colors. The charcoal reminds me a lot of the color of my sister's floormats in her '95. The way they feel is night and day though, anybody who sat in your car would know it has much better carpet.
The length of the fibers are exactly the length as the Ultra Plush from stockinteriors. The f-bodycarpet.com carpet has a noticeable different feel to it though--it's at least 20 to 40% softer. By comparison, the stockinteriors ultra plush is stiff. The thread spacing is basically exactly the same as the Ultra Plush.
It's hard to tell/describe how it is different from the ultra plush, but I would say the main difference is a much softer feel to your hands. With your shoes on it, I'm not sure how much of a difference you could tell.
08-28-2009, 11:46 AM
#11
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: South Bend , IN
Posts: 2,801
Check this link out too man . http://www.yourautotrim.com/
I stumbled on that place a couple days ago looking for the mesh type headliner material thats in most new cars . I referenced headliner material from the 04-06 GTO . They had it , its called flat knit ...its not on their site though you have to inquire thru email . They also sell sell this material called Unisuede that is a equal to alcantara , as well as Houndstooth cloth that looks exactly like the print used in the 97 Anny cars and some of the GMMG ZL1's . Prices are reasonable , I was impressed .
I stumbled on that place a couple days ago looking for the mesh type headliner material thats in most new cars . I referenced headliner material from the 04-06 GTO . They had it , its called flat knit ...its not on their site though you have to inquire thru email . They also sell sell this material called Unisuede that is a equal to alcantara , as well as Houndstooth cloth that looks exactly like the print used in the 97 Anny cars and some of the GMMG ZL1's . Prices are reasonable , I was impressed .
08-19-2010, 03:34 PM
#13
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 5,556
Check this link out too man . http://www.yourautotrim.com/
I stumbled on that place a couple days ago looking for the mesh type headliner material thats in most new cars . I referenced headliner material from the 04-06 GTO . They had it , its called flat knit ...its not on their site though you have to inquire thru email . They also sell sell this material called Unisuede that is a equal to alcantara , as well as Houndstooth cloth that looks exactly like the print used in the 97 Anny cars and some of the GMMG ZL1's . Prices are reasonable , I was impressed .
I stumbled on that place a couple days ago looking for the mesh type headliner material thats in most new cars . I referenced headliner material from the 04-06 GTO . They had it , its called flat knit ...its not on their site though you have to inquire thru email . They also sell sell this material called Unisuede that is a equal to alcantara , as well as Houndstooth cloth that looks exactly like the print used in the 97 Anny cars and some of the GMMG ZL1's . Prices are reasonable , I was impressed .
08-20-2010, 11:05 AM
#15
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 5,556
Although me planning this right now is about like me planning what I'm going to do 5 or 10 years from now... I have progressed a bit on the planning.
I've talked to a local upholstery company who looked over my artwork and consulted with me on what exactly I wanted done regarding stitching, foam bolsters being enhanced, foam being added, etc. and they suggested I have them custom vat dye leather for me in exactly the color I want. I decided the color I want is essentially a raspberry color.
Here's the unfinished rendering:
The seats will be solid leather, no vinyl used, no two-tone, everything raspberry.
The puffy sections will be a little more aggressive than this (but not THAT much more), but I finally saw a '60s-'70s Porsche in person with the style of stitching I want. They said it was hard to estimate overall right now, but they figured it'd be around $4,000, which is just a little higher than I expected.
The best part is they said they could do everything without modifying the original seat foam, so I'll be able to replace the original seat covers onto the original seat foam no problem should I ever need/want to.
I've talked to a local upholstery company who looked over my artwork and consulted with me on what exactly I wanted done regarding stitching, foam bolsters being enhanced, foam being added, etc. and they suggested I have them custom vat dye leather for me in exactly the color I want. I decided the color I want is essentially a raspberry color.
Here's the unfinished rendering:
The seats will be solid leather, no vinyl used, no two-tone, everything raspberry.
The puffy sections will be a little more aggressive than this (but not THAT much more), but I finally saw a '60s-'70s Porsche in person with the style of stitching I want. They said it was hard to estimate overall right now, but they figured it'd be around $4,000, which is just a little higher than I expected.
The best part is they said they could do everything without modifying the original seat foam, so I'll be able to replace the original seat covers onto the original seat foam no problem should I ever need/want to.