63 LeSabre fabric mystery

[63DreamMachine]

 Guys: I'm looking for replacement seat upholstery for my 63 LeSabre. What SMS Auto sent me as a sample for my tim code (431, sandlewood) doesn't match. The first pic shows the sample from SMS on the paper on the left and a piece from my car on the right. Sample is a lot darker and I dont think its could be for another trim code of that year (blue, aqua, rose, black/silver). My first thought is that my interior may have faded after 50 years, but another swatch for sandlewood plaid for 63 wagons matches spot on to the the colors I my existing interior (pic 2). Do people have experience with this kind of off-color swatch from SMS?

 

Looking for thoughts on what's going on and sources for this material. The rest of the seat fabric is mint condition but for the frayed driver seat (as usual). I'd hate to rip it all out.

[Thriller]

I’d chalk it up to an error and contact them to verify.

 

Patching fabric in could be difficult to get a good match.

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

I agree that SMS may have sent the wrong color.

Send them the picture you posted above, showing

the difference between the two colors.  They 

may very well have the correct one.

[Pete Phillips]

It's important, when you cut and send them a sample of the upholstery from your car, to get some from an area that has never seen the sun, such as underneath the backrest at the bottom of the seat.

Recently got a sample from SMS for the '47 Hudson I am restoring, and its color was off a bit. And I must say, I was astounded at the price--$139 a yard for what looks like I might be able to find at the local fabric store, which is where I'm headed next, since I need about five yards of it.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

[NTX5467]

When I was in the supply side of a regional drapery company, I learned about "dye lots" of fabrics.  They had one popular color in our stock, BUT there were several "shades" of that cols on the fabric bolts we had.  So, in doing panel repair/replacements, having a sample from the earlier job was important, to match it as best I could.  Never knew about these things before this!  

 

As Pete mentioned, getting that "sample" from your existing car is important.  Possibly even getting a picture of the upper seat fabric to match the pattern, then the supplied sample for the color match?  IF you do head to an upholstery stop locally, make sure the fabric you get is "upholstery rated" AND of a similar thread count as the original.  Otherwise, ultimate durability might be compromised, by observation.

 

When we were getting the cloth brocade inserts in our '72 Chrysler replaced, it turned out that a velour-style fabric from a mid-'80s Chevy Caprice was a dead-on color match.  When we went to the trim shop, the upholsterer recommended a similar fabric from a Pontiac.  When he showed it to us, it was about TWICE as dense (higher thread count), same color, and would "wear like iron", so that's what we went with.  No regrets!  Still in there, too.

 

But in your case, with the woven pattern, an exact match in that area is needed.  Finding a local, embeded, trim shop that still has the old "DeLeo" or "Detroit" OEM fabric catalogs (with industry part numbers!) might make for a good working partner in these ventures?

 

NTX5467

[63DreamMachine]

Thanks everyone for the helpful and thoughtful advice! I think I'll roll down to the local trim shop when winter let's up it's grip on Chicago.