1963 Saddle Interior (T-798) carpet color

[Jim Cannon]

I am going to replace the carpet in my '63 Riv. I'm looking at the carpets from Clark's Corvair. They have a "Light Saddle" and a "Medium Saddle" carpet color. Does anyone here have any experience choosing between these two for your Riv with Saddle interior trim?

 

I am 99% sure the carpet in my car is factory original (my Dad was the second owner). But it's hard to tell from a straight comparison.

 

Thanks!

 

[Riviera63]

40 minutes ago, Jim Cannon said:

I am going to replace the carpet in my '63 Riv. I'm looking at the carpets from Clark's Corvair. They have a "Light Saddle" and a "Medium Saddle" carpet color. Does anyone here have any experience choosing between these two for your Riv with Saddle interior trim?

 

I am 99% sure the carpet in my car is factory original (my Dad was the second owner). But it's hard to tell from a straight comparison.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Jim,

 

I don't know if this will help or not. The 63 Trim book lists the 798 carpet as "medium saddle". How that corresponds to the shades Clark's has I do not know.

 

Bill

 

 

[RivNut]

I’m betting there is carpet under the front edge of the back seat that still has the original look to it.  Ask Clark’s for samples of what they have and compare the samples to what you find in your car.

[Jim Cannon]

2 minutes ago, RivNut said:

I’m betting there is carpet under the front edge of the back seat that still has the original look to it.  Ask Clark’s for samples of what they have and compare the samples to what you find in your car.

 

Yes, I have samples from Clark's. I have been comparing but I am unsure of the match.  I think I am going to use Light Saddle.  Looking for the experience of others.

 

I'll let you know.

[RivNut]

5 minutes ago, Jim Cannon said:

 

Yes, I have samples from Clark's. I have been comparing but I am unsure of the match.  I think I am going to use Light Saddle.  Looking for the experience of others.

 

I'll let you know.

Chances are if there’s no exact match, Clark’s doesn’t have the color you want.  Have you checked with SMS? Their website lists carpet for trim 798 but there is no picture.

[BulldogDriver]

Jim,

 

Im in the process of replacing my Saddle carpet. Clarks doesn’t have a direct placement. Attached are the 3 closest colors they have available and a swatch of mine below their samples. My swatch was taken from i place not exposed to light. The middle one is lighter then the original carpet. I decided to go with the darker one. I have a Sandalwood deluxe interior.

 

Ray

Edited April 13, 2021 by BulldogDriver (see edit history)

[Jim Cannon]

2 minutes ago, BulldogDriver said:

Tom,

 

Im in the process of replacing my Saddle carpet. Clarks doesn’t have a direct placement. Attached are the 3 closest colors they have available and a swatch of mine below their samples. I decided to go with the darker one. I have a Sandalwood deluxe interior.

 

Ray

 

Ray-

Your actual sample looks JUST LIKE MINE.  It has a bit of a copper hue to it, compared to the carpets that Clark's has.

 

I guess I will also go with the Medium Saddle, but I'm afraid it will make the whole interior look too dark.

 

The Light Saddle will show soil a bit easier but make the car brighter inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Riviera63 said:

 

Jim,

 

I don't know if this will help or not. The 63 Trim book lists the 798 carpet as "medium saddle". How that corresponds to the shades Clark's has I do not know.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Thanks, Bill, for reminding me of this table. I have this same '63 Buick Trim Book.

 

This points me toward the darker shade.

 

 

[BulldogDriver]

I don't see that as a problem in my case. Everything else is so light that I thought the contrast would be good. Their lighter color “LS” was too bright for my taste. If you can hold off for a week, I should be able to give you an idea of what it will look like. Finishing up on Dynamatting the floorboards. I’ll throw the carpets and a seat that has just been recovered back in. All from Clarks. 
 

Ray

[Jim Cannon]

1 minute ago, BulldogDriver said:

I don't see that as a problem in my case. Everything else is so light that I thought the contrast would be good. Their lighter color “LS” was too bright for my taste. If you can hold off for a week, I should be able to give you an idea of what it will look like. Finishing up on Dynamatting the floorboards. I’ll throw the carpets and a seat that has just been recovered back in. All from Clarks. 
 

Ray

That would be great!  Yes, I can wait a week.

 

It does not say in your profile; where are you located?

 

It sounds like I am a week or two behind you. I have the heater core out, but I don't have the new one in yet. And then I plan to paint the floor with POR-15 before the Dynamat, etc.

 

What kind of pads did you find under your original carpet?  Starting at the sheetmetal floor, I found a black tarpaper-like thin pad. Then I found a 1/2" thick jute pad in the front only (left/right). On top of that I found a fiberglass pad with a thin aluminum foil layer on top of that. One of these was also in the footwell of the back seat.  Then there was a jute pad glued to the underside of the carpet itself.

 

Seemed like a lot of layers, but I am replicating it.  I am using the original pieces as patterns for new pads (Dynaliner).

 

 

1 hour ago, RivNut said:

Chances are if there’s no exact match, Clark’s doesn’t have the color you want.  Have you checked with SMS? Their website lists carpet for trim 798 but there is no picture.

 

I contacted SMS and requested a carpet sample.  We will see what it looks like. I would not have gone by just a photo anyway; you need a physical sample.

 

They told me on the phone that they can supply the carpet cut and sewn, ready to install, or just supply bulk yardage from which I can have a local shop cut and sew the carpet.

 

I'll see what their sample looks like first.

 

[BulldogDriver]

Same here. I covered all of the floorboards after spraying new paint everywhere. No rust, SoCal car with factory undercoating. Photos attached. 

[telriv]

Jim, 

 

    The tarpaper like substance is probably original. Then the jute glued to the carpet. Nothing else. No fiberglas or tin foil.

IF you make it too thick the carpeting will usually not fit correctly.

 

Tom T.

Edited April 13, 2021 by telriv (see edit history)

[BulldogDriver]

Also pulled all of the original seam sealant out and put new sealant down. Also sealed all of the oval cover plates. One tube was enough.

Agree with Tom. Only Dynamat and what Clarks has on the sewn carpets.

 

Ray

[Jim Cannon]

9 minutes ago, telriv said:

Jim, 

 

    The tarpaper like substance is probably original. Then the jute glued to the carpet. Nothing else. No fiberglas or tin foil.

IF you make it too thick the carpeting will usually not fit correctly.

 

Tom T.

Tom-

I agree, I don't want things too thick. The pad layers I found are each clearly factory die-cut pieces, not home-made stuff. So my goal is to replicate what was there, no more.

 

In the front, there was jute over the tar paper, clearly cut to fit. No extra jute layer in the back, just the one glued to the carpet. Nothing under the back seat cushion.

 

The fiberglass pad was thinner, and it was in front and back.  I have taken lots of pictures of each piece.

 

In the Buick Master Chassis Parts Book, Group 15.289, there is a part reference for an Insulator that is called for only on A/C jobs.   I assumed that was the fiberglass pads I found.  They say Left/Right, but I also found one in the rear.  The thin aluminum layer has just about disintegrated from age.

 

That A/C insulator in the parts book might be the jute pads I found left/right in the front...

 

25 minutes ago, BulldogDriver said:

Also pulled all of the original seam sealant out and put new sealant down. Also sealed all of the oval cover plates. One tube was enough.

Agree with Tom. Only Dynamat and what Clarks has on the sewn carpets.

 

Ray

 

Ray, your very first picture looks like you had yellow fiberglass over the tar paper on the rear floor. It looks like there is still some yellow fibers stuck to the top of the paper.

 

No extra jute pad in the front? Only the one glued to the carpet?

 

Is your car an A/C car?

 

 

[Seafoam65]

I was looking at the available colors online at the ACC website and to my eye their medium saddle carpet

looks just like the original carpet sample in the previous post.

[Jim Cannon]

12 minutes ago, Seafoam65 said:

I was looking at the available colors online at the ACC website and to my eye their medium saddle carpet

looks just like the original carpet sample in the previous post.

 

I have requested carpet samples from them, too.  We will see how their Medium Saddle compares.

 

Others have said that they did not think the quality of the ACC carpet was as good as Clark's. That concerned me.

 

[BulldogDriver]

Jim,

 

Mine is an AC car. Yes there was foil faced fiberglass as stated. Was thin and I can’t  imagine it did a lot. I’m sure the dynamat will be more effective in heat reduction. Don’t remember any extra jute but if it was factory, then it was there. Everything in my interior was original. My objective is to bring as much up to modern standards but keep the look as original as possible. 
 

As with most GM production, things changed during year. I’m working with Clarks now with seat covers that are different from the normal 63 production. They are a 63 pattern but appear to be assembled like 64/65 covers. The padding is sewn directly to the covers. 
 

Ray

[Jim Cannon]

Ray-

I agree, that yellow fiberglass was compressed down to nothing in most places on my car, too.  I'm sure it was not doing much.

 

Dynamat is a good sound deadener, but it will not give you all of the thermal insulation you need. You need something over it before you put the carpet/jute on top.

 

Everywhere I had the yellow fiberglass pad I am putting a layer of Dynapad, cut to exactly the same shape as the fiberglass pad. It is only 3/8" thick and is a very effective heat and sound insulator for its thickness.

[Seafoam65]

14 hours ago, Jim Cannon said:

 

I have requested carpet samples from them, too.  We will see how their Medium Saddle compares.

 

Others have said that they did not think the quality of the ACC carpet was as good as Clark's. That concerned me.

 

Jim, I've had ACC carpet in my GTO for 30 years and it still looks beautiful. Their loop carpet is very nice, the only

issue I've seen with it is the center hump being too large, but that wouldn't be an issue on your Riviera due to the console  being there so you can cut some out of the hump if need be. The center hump in the rear floorboards

is always fine, it is the front seat hump that is too large. I've used their carpet on several customer's cars with nice results.....their carpet is very good about not unraveling and holds it color well year after year. 

[Jim Cannon]

1 hour ago, Seafoam65 said:

Jim, I've had ACC carpet in my GTO for 30 years and it still looks beautiful. Their loop carpet is very nice, the only

issue I've seen with it is the center hump being too large, but that wouldn't be an issue on your Riviera due to the console  being there so you can cut some out of the hump if need be. The center hump in the rear floorboards

is always fine, it is the front seat hump that is too large. I've used their carpet on several customer's cars with nice results.....their carpet is very good about not unraveling and holds it color well year after year. 

 

That's good to hear!

 

I dug around on the ACC website and they have a third carpet color option, #31 - Saddle.  On the computer it looks like it is between Light Saddle and Medium Saddle.  So I have requested a sample of that color, too.  They don't suggest it as a color for the '63 Riv (I don't know why) but it's there.

 

First I have to get this heater core back in. What a pain!

 

[1965rivgs]

Jim,

  My experience with the `65 models is that Clark`s samples did not match but ACC had the exact match. I called Clark`s and asked if they would distribute the ACC product and was told they deliberately chose not to use ACC. This was quite a few years ago so I dont know if this is still true.

  The ACC carpet sets I have used have been fine in terms of quality.

Tom Mooney 

[Jim Cannon]

OK, people, if you have a Saddle interior on your 1st Gen. Riv, I think I found the correct carpet color at ACC, #31 - Saddle. See photos below of samples sitting on original carpet.

 

Next to the Saddle (center) you have Medium Saddle (too dark) and Light Saddle (too light).

 

I am trying to place an actual carpet order with them in this color. I'll let you know if I hit a snag with that.

 

UPDATE: Ordered this carpet from "Factory Interiors", a dealer of ACC carpets: https://www.factoryinteriors.com/   

They are on sale: $194+shipping for about $220 shipped.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help on this!

Edited April 15, 2021 by Jim Cannon (see edit history)

[Jim Cannon]

I have received the "31 - Saddle" carpet from ACC. It is exactly the correct color. It will need some trimming to fit but it's a good start.  No need to compromise with a slightly lighter or slightly darker color.  It was delivered in just a few days.

 

The padding that they supply with the carpet is a joke. Very thin, much smaller than the factory jute pad under the factory carpet. I'm not sure what I will use, but I'm not using just this pad.  I might be able to recycle the original pads.  Or buy some sheets of higher quality padding and cut it to match the originals.

 

There is also no grommet for the dimmer switch. I will have to figure that out, too.

[Jim Cannon]

On 4/13/2021 at 5:31 PM, BulldogDriver said:

Also pulled all of the original seam sealant out and put new sealant down. Also sealed all of the oval cover plates. One tube was enough.

Agree with Tom. Only Dynamat and what Clarks has on the sewn carpets.

 

Ray

 

Ray-

How did this work out for you?  What padding did Clark's supply to you?

 

[BulldogDriver]

Here are a few photos of Clark’s padding. It’s glued to the back of the carpet and with putting Dynamat/insulation material down first, it will do the job. I had to fix the tabs on my console first so the carpets could be positioned properly and I’m still working at fitting the carpet pieces.
 

A couple of the things that I wished were a better fit is over the tunnel hump, it’s not as tight as I’d like, and the cutout under the seat area is something I don’t get.