The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Color/Texture of Seat Covers

Im going to have my bench seat reupholstered by a professional. The only problem is he has HUNDREDS of samples to pick from. I would like to get a shade of brown as close as possible to the original brown. Anybody have a description of the brown color/texture they can please share with me? It would be nice for people to believe the seat cover is original. Thanks!

Here are a couple of pictures of the original seat.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/120777354/original
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/120777347/original
Here is the replacement kit as supplied by Jim Carter.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/120777784/large
As you can see, there is quite a difference when they are side by side. The closest match to the grain that I found was a sample I’d gotten from Hampton Coach and if I were making covers from scratch I would probably put them at the top of the list for material. http://www.hamptoncoach.com/ But, I’m always open to new sources if you find something better. Let us know which way you go and what the results are.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, in one of the photos you posted, the description read "Spanish Grain". Is that the color or the texture description? Thanks again! Kevin

Off hand, I know about twenty or thirty guys that were named Kevin. You certainly don’t think that they were clones of the same person do you? Or that the name in some way describes the characteristics of that person named Kevin. Of course not!

So, what Spanish Grain means to Jimmy Carter or Chevy Duty or Chevs of the 40’s or the upholsterer down the street and what Spanish Grain meant to the Chevrolet division of General Motors back in 1950 have five entirely different meanings. Names of colors or names for textures are not copyrighted or patent descriptions which are cut in stone; they’re simply the name that someone gave to their particular product just like someone chose to name you Kevin. The exact same tint green could have a thousand different names from a thousand different manufacturers.

Some of the vendors call their material Spanish Grain because that’s what GM called theirs in the sales literature back in the day. The grain and the color of the replacement material varies all over the place from one vendor to the next.

Like I said, I found that Hampton Coach came the closest to matching the original grain and color but even they were not spot on.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Thats a great way of explaining it...

Im going to go with the following in order of preference (top choice being most preferred):

Briar Brown Oxen Vinyl

Dark Brown Oxen Vinyl

Brown Oxen Vinyl

Dark Brown Madrid Vinyl

I like the last one, that looks the closest to the original pattern and color. They certainly have a nice selection of upholstry fabrics. I'll have too keep them in mind next time I need to do a seat.
Thanks
Denny G

For what it is worth, I went with the Spainish Grain Deluxe in maroon. I purchased it from Jim Carter. When I removed the layers of seat covering, most of the original was still on the seat. The match was amazing. I doubt that most old timers could spot the difference. Also it seems that upholstery work where I live(Western Colorado) runs 2 to 3 times as much as in other parts of the country. The cheapest quote I got from the six shops I went to was $800. So the $400 I paid Jim Carter while pricey was a fair price. Oh, I installed them myself and they look wonderfull.

This guy Im going to is charging me $350 for materials and labor and comes highly recommended from my mechanic who redid seats for him a few years ago. Im pretty pumped. I guess ill make the decision on the fabric tomorrow when i see them in person. Thanks everyone!

Hey Jimmie D, lets see some before and after pictures of those seats. You know the old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and we're alway looking for new matches.
Kevin's price is right in line with what I've found around the Chicago Western suburbs.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Hey Denny, I thought you might have a reply!LOL I would like to post some before pic's, but six weeks ago my computer died. I took my main drive, and the back up in to a place here in town, and they fu&6%d up both drives. The main drive was bad enough, but the secondary/backup drive was a real blow. I had over 15 years of collected information on a number of subjects that interest me. All gone. I do have some samples from the original covering, and will post some pic's as time and personal limatations permit. This is off topic, but I have been curious for a while. From time to time you seem to write a broge into your posts. By chance would you be a son of the old sod? Or perhaps from the northern part of Wales? Jimmie.