mannemerjung Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Hi Everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am looking for the correct carpet for my '69 Riviera (Trim code 692, VIN 494879H952671). The vinyl is called "antique gold".My guess would be, that the carpet colour is "medium saddle" like this set from 1A-Auto: http://www.1aauto.com/1966-70-buick-riviera-complete-carpet-11-medium-saddle/i/zaick14396?f=772764&y=1969.Can anyone confirm that or send me into the right direction? Attached you can find a picture of the door inlets that reflects the colour pretty well. Also, I would appreciate any tip for a good source where I can buy the carpet, besides the two large molded pieces I also need some extra-material for the kick-panels and the doors and everything has to be shipped to Germany. Thanks and best regards,Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannemerjung Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 I would like to bring this up again - anyone with an idea? Thanks,Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Curran Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Alexander, I have the 1969 dealer showroom binder that has all the fabric, vinyl and carpeting samples for every Buick model for the year. The carpet is also listed as "antique gold" however, the link you attached is probably as close a match as you will get. This was not one of the more common interior colors and I don't know of a particular source other than the one you posted but some suppliers will sell you additional yardage for the door bottoms and kick panels. Keep in mind that you will need additional vinyl to trim the edges of the carpet for the door bottoms and kick panels if you can't find them pre-made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) Alexander - See if they will send you a carpet 'swatch' so you can compare how close the replacement colour is to your existing carpet. You might be able to get away with just replacing the existing front and rear carpet, without the added hassle of replacing the door panel, kick panel carpet inserts if they are a close match? Edited January 20, 2016 by 68RIVGS (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Alexander - See if they will send you a carpet 'swatch' so you can compare how close the replacement colour is to your existing carpet. You might be able to get away with just replacing the existing front and rear carpet, without the added hassle of replacing the door panel, kick panel carpet inserts if they are a close match?X2 and you might try some SEM color coat to dye the door panel carpet to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannemerjung Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Thanks for the comments! Since I want to get rid of the speakers which a previous owner of my Riviera put into the doors (see picture above), I have to replace the whole carpet. So my question was more about finding the color that is as close as possible to the original than matching the new carpet to the old, aged and faded carpet that is on the door and kick panels. The door panels are being redone anyway, so it is not to big of a hassle to replace the carpet with the vinyl.On a side note - I ordered and stocked antique gold vinyl about three years ago at SMS autofabrics. Last week I got in touch with them to check if they could be of any help with finding the correct carpet. They are completely out of antique gold vinyl by now. Like Pat pointed out - that was not one of the most popular color options and due to the low demand, it seems that no manufacturer wants to reproduce the material (like the woodgrain kits for our 69/70 Rivieras - still looking b.t.w.). Luckily I bought a few yards extra for the carpet edges and possible repairs in the (far away) future, phew! Back to topic: I found OC Autocarpets where one of their customer support people, Amy, was of great help. She was able to match vinyl and carpet. And medium saddle it is! They also sell carpet by the yard. So, even though shipping to Germany costs a fortune, I will order from them. Another piece of the puzzle - the Riv is getting there. Slowly but steady... Thanks again,Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 There's an ad in the latest Riview for reproduction control face plates for the '68 model - three styles: Heat only, Auto Climate control, and Manual Climate Control. Perhaps the person doing them for the '68 could also do them for a '69. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 The problem with the repro is trying to match the wood grain pattern Ed. Someone on v3buick (...Greg Setter), actually did a decent set of repro '69-'70 wood grain dash inserts for A, and E bodies about 5+ years ago, but they never recovered the initial investment expenses, so when the sets sold out, they were gone forever, and not reproduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannemerjung Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 Just a little update: I received the carpet - medium saddle - from OC Carpets today. It is spot on! I ordered the version with the additional mass backing which - from the first impression - really is of high quality. Attached a picture. I also experimented with the wood grain. A friend who is a graphic designer copied the original lettering and we tried a few different wood textures. The result at this point is much darker than the original wood grain but I quite like it (pictures also attached). The design is printed onto self-adhesive film and will go right onto the old parts. The old inlays are printed on thin alloy and the letters are cut out so the dash lights shine through. By re-covering the old inlays,the shine-through effect stays the same. Not re-using the old parts would result in illuminated blocks around the letters since the new material is too thin.We have printed enough "blank" wood grain so I can replace the inlays in the doors and the console as well, hence the color difference between the old and new grain will not be a problem. Regards,Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Very impressive. 99.9% of the people viewing it would think it's original; I know that I would. Looks like a new cottage industry for someone. ??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 You and your graphic designer friend have done an excellent reproduction job mannamerjung !Apart from the darker wood grain colour, it would be hard to distinguish it from 'factory original'.There are quite a few '69 and '70 'full size' Buick owners who only wish they could achieve the same results !. . . a job well done sir !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 . . . forgot to mention -Those plastic, door handle recess pieces were usually colour matched to the interior colour of the car - yours appear to be faded, or white from the door photo you posted. Just something I spotted in reviewing your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannemerjung Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Thanks for the compliments - I will open up another thread regarding the woodgrain later. Even though this was meant to be a one off, it might be feasible to print a few additional sets for fellow Riviera owners. Regarding the handle recess pieces - strangely enough it seems that mine were painted white over the original antique gold color. I was not sure if this for some reason might have been factory original. So here's another little project - I will try to remove the white paint with some thinner. Thanks Randy. Regards,Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 You might first take a look at the back to see what the color is. Plastic pieces like that are usually one color all the way through. Many times these pieces get scratched up or cracked or ????? It could be that a previous owner replaced the originals with some good ones he found. If that's the case, it might be easier to paint these to match than to uncover some unsightly original scratched paint or discover that these are white all the way through and need to be painted anyway. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannemerjung Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 You might first take a look at the back to see what the color is. [...] EdThe pieces were painted for sure - the backside shows the original antique gold color. In a few days we will know if I was able to bring them back to their original color... Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epriv Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Hijacked thread about carpet but anyway regarding 69-70 wood dash repros, OPGI was selling them a few years ago but have discontinued them. There is a guy on ebay selling 69-70 reproductions for the Lesabre. The climate control plate on his matches that of the 69-70 Riv. He told me that he would consider making sets for the 69-70 Riviera if he got hold of a good set to copy. Here is a link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like-NOS-1969-1970-full-size-Buick-LeSabre-complete-dash-applique-decal-/191796591634?hash=item2ca7f7bc12:g:ih0AAOSwLzdWRmdP&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) The guy selling on eBay is fellow ROA member Steven Brisbois. His current '68 AC/Heater control face plate reproductions, while not exactly the same as the originals, are made with no die cut openings (...to keep production costs to a minimum). So they do require some surgery with an exacto knife for the cutouts, but they are the best facsimile you will find currently available !The sets that were offered by OPGI were from a limited production run and they sold out. Edited February 11, 2016 by 68RIVGS (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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