Suggestions for purchasing Auto Interior Fabric??

[johnnyrock70]

I am about to use SMS Auto Fabric to purchase cloth and vinal upholstry for my 71 Buick LeSabre.

Anybody out there have an alternative company that I can check out??

SMS Auto Fabric prices are VERY HIGH. Any help is appreciated. THANKS!

[ted sweet]

with mopars SMS is the only NOS fabric place.

[imported_buick5563]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: johnnyrock70</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

SMS Auto Fabric prices are VERY HIGH. </div></div>

They're also really slow, but they are the best.

Mike

p.s. Please stop putting tweed in cars

[mrpushbutton]

If you want the CORRECT fabric in your car, they are it, and we are lucky that they are around. Before them certain cars were worth a whole lot less if the interior was trashed, and some cars with rust raveged bodies had value just because of the good interior.

I see a lot of car interiors done on the cheap using plain vinyl, or "close enough", and tose are cars that can be unloaded on ebay to a newbie, but a non-streetrodded car kinda needs the right interior to have value.

[TG57Roadmaster]

I think you'll find SMS is priced about where the others are. You may try Original Auto Interiors near Detroit, but friends have recently used SMS with success. When I had the '57 Roadmaster redone in 2001, it took well over three years to find enough upholstery; at that time, about $60/yard.

My upholsterer kept getting the wrong samples, first from a Special, then a Century; they were all blue '57 Buick fabrics, but to match the door panels and front seat back properly, the job required Roadmaster cloth (X 1038 in upper right hand corner).

We've since bought the upholstery sample books from Vaughn's, a now-closed shop in the Carolinas that were used in their office. Basically, their master copies, every year from 1957-2000. They're a great source of reference.

TG

[Guest South_paw]

I just finished an interior on my 56 Fleetwood. SMS had the correct materials to do the job. Not cheap & yes you will wait(I waited 5 months) but there wont be any disappointments While searching around for a supplier I did find this other guy. Click HERE

[Dave@Moon]

About 17 years ago I was able to purchase seat fabric for my 1960 Falcon from Three Rivers Supply Co. of Homestead, PA (near Pittsburgh). They were extremely reasonable, and had thousands of bolts of NOS fabric for cars from about 1950 and up at the time.

I see that the owner, Richard Krawczyk, recently passed away, so I don't know what their situation is now. You might try giving them a call.

I also bought headliner fabric for that car from a firm in Wisconsin who's name escapes me right now. Does someone else recall them?

[Guest Skyking]

When I was reststoring my 57 Metropolitan I needed the correct houndstooth fabric. I sent an original sample from my car to SMS and he matched it perfect. What fabric he doesn't have in stock, he makes it on the original looms the factory used. It was $85.00 yd. but I needed it. On my 60 Met that I'm doing now he had the diamond pattern in stock. Also on that car the white vinyl has ribs stamped by heat going horizontal, he also makes that. Like I stated, he's pricy, but he also has it.

[johnnyrock70]

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE SUGGESTIONS and ADVICE!

I ended up going with SMS. (that place in PA as someone suggested is still in business, but didn't have the materials I needed) SMS had the factory original cloth for my bench seats in the 1971 Buick LeSabre. $85 bucks a yard is steep, but it will now look as it did off the assembly line!