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MG MGA - Interior Trim Colour matching ?

Hi Guys,

When choosing the interior colour..... and for example you want red leather seats with red piping, how do you ensure that the colour of the red leather matches the same shade of the red vinyl?

I notice on this site there is the paint code chart:

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/MGA/mgapaint.html

But there does not seem to be the equivalent for the interior colours.

Here is a list of the various 1500 and 1600 interior colours available but I can't match these with the manufacturers codes.

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccmga/gallery/1500_colours.shtml

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccmga/gallery/1600_colours.shtml

And what brand of hides were used by the factory?

Connolly ?

http://www.ukhide.co.uk/autolux.html

They seem to supply the Jaguar colours.

A simple spreadsheet like the paint codes would be helpful. I don't think Barney even covers this topic.

This would be so much simpler if my car had black interior.

Your thoughts?

Cheers
Mark
Mark Hester

A challenge is awaiting you. MOSS red is maroon. SF is supposed to have a "cherry red" red. The UK company advertising in the US has maroon "red". My 1958 is Orient Red and the chunks of original leather hidden from light were cherry red. Probably varied some originally by die vat but I doubt maroon was original. Good luck.

BIll
Bill Haglan

Then there are different grain patterns and depths and (very important) the gloss level that has a significant effect on perceived colour. The best way is to buy from the same place at the same time. From the Moss catalogue:

"Whilst we make every effort to match colours as closely as possible, dye lots do vary. For a guaranteed 'close as humanly possible' match, it is recommended that you order your interior as a complete kit."

They supply free samples as would all trimmers I imagine. So either buy as a set or check existing parts against supplied samples before buying new.
Neil McGurk

If you are getting the seats made then ask for samples before you commit.

I wanted to take my colour back from red to its original iris blue and I bought Iris blue Lechler cellulose paint. I found it was a noticeably darker blue than some original painted patches on the car so I mixed it with white to get it closer. Then I asked several seat manufacturers for a sample of their leather plus blue piping to match some original piping I had.. There was great variation in the piping colour; Newton Commercial for example was a very poor match - a dark grey colour! PGM piping was close but too much on the green side. So I then visited a few vinyl material suppliers to get a perfect match, bought a couple of metres, cut it into 3" strips and gave it to the seat makers to use.

Unfortunately I couldn't get hold of the correct original thickess for the piping material which was 0.43mm. Modern vinyl seems to be much thicker and I could only get 1mm thickness. This doesn't present a problem for the seat piping except that the final piping diameter is around 5mm instead of 4mm (original) but it is more difficult to tuck in at the cockpit trim ends.

The moral here is not to rely on what the suppliers of paint,trim,etc say but to check for yourself otherwise you could be disappointed. All this is assuming that you want your colours as close as possible to the original.

You might like to see a collection of paint colour numbers from manufacturers but I would wager that the 'same' colour name from two different manufacturers will not really be the same. I think the only way you can rely on colour numbers is if they belong to the BS4800 series (UK) or the RAL series (Germany). Unfortunately even if you knew the colour standard number getting hold of a swatch for either series will cost you an arm and a leg.........................Mike
m.j. moore

Certainly color shades vary with suppliers as well as dye lots. If you are doing this job yourself, then you have a tough time ahead.I think getting the leather and vinyl materials from a single source might help. Those who specialize in these materials can do a good job of matching colors. That is not to say that the vinyl and the leather will "age" at the same rate.

If you are trying to decide which vendor to chose, then ask for samples. I received samples from Moss and from Scarborough Faire here in the States before deciding on the supplier. Moss seems to have more consistent shades with the few colors they offer. SF had more color variety but the shades varied as to what dye lot was available at the time. Pay your money - Take your chances.
Chuck Schaefer

My seats are 50 years old, and a very bright red. When I redid the door panels etc, they matched, but I have watched the panels grow darker and darker, and now they are a more maroon colour. That surprises me because I thought the new material would be stable from a colour perspective.

I looked at various suppliers for getting seats done for other owners here. The one that impressed us most was Bob West, followed by PJM Motors in Market Drayton in Shropshire UK. The colours that they sent were very close to my original seats. They were very willing to supply samples, and their prices were very competitive. The only reason that Bob got the various jobs was that his reputation and quality is outstanding.

The exchange rate helps a lot too!

dominic clancy

PJM has a website here

http://www.pjm-motors.co.uk/mga_trim.html
dominic clancy

Dominic, I'm pretty sure that Bob West gets all his complete trim sets from Newtons anyway...his trimmer makes up the one off pieces, such as seats etc.
Gary Lock

Hi Garry,

Yes, as we know they do the seat components for Deluxe seats.

Their web site has various triumph models but nothing for MGA's or even MGB's, which must be the largest of the classic car markets to cover.

http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/

I'm guessing Moss and others have restricted them from advertising what we clearly know they offer.

If you play around with their web site and substitute in mgb or mga that does not work either.

http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/cars/mg xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx /index.jsp

I was once sent their .pdf MGA part catalogue but I don't seem to be able to find the link to where I downloaded this from.
Anyone know?

Cheers
Mark
Mark Hester

Years ago I had a Newton Catalogue for the MGA, so they did sell direct once upon a time. I may even still have it in the attic, but don't really feel in a rummaging mood after the frustrations of the last two nights.

Mark, the prices for Bob were for complete finished seats outright, so I don't suspect you will be going that route.

Prices in GBP were

Seats 1050, armrest 75, interior panels 195, Carpets in custom colour 135 with all edges bound where original, Sidescreen pocket 95

This was December 2009.

I didn't fit the kit, in fact in both cases the owner has still not fitted any more than the seats, but are extremely happy with them and the quality of the finish and workmanship. And the price is a fraction of what the local trimmers charge (hence the attraction of buying seats outright...)



dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 05/10/2010 and 07/10/2010

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