The Sprite Forum

I see that Moss sells the stuff for $40 a yard, which is a price my religion will not allow me to pay. I mean that's just nuts.

Anyone have a source for close to the correct color? My old seats and other parts are a dark red which I assume to be Cherry Red. I measured the thickness of the vinyl and it less than half a millimeter, about .44. I assume that is the thinnest, cheapest, crappiest vinyl sold, so I looked at Walmart but was not really successful. Ebay?

William,

I highly recommend you look at John Skinner (Manufacturing) Ltd. for you vinyl requirements. We used vinyl from John Skinner for my red standard-bodied Sebring Sprite and it came out beautifully.

They sent samples before purchase, so I could verify color and texture.

Great people to work with.

Thanks, ill check it out. Question, did the weight (thickness) and color match the original stuff?
I have some original BE and later seats in this color.
The faded one is original BE.

Yes, I believe it as near to original fabric re texture and weight that you can find. The guy that recovered my dash said it was the nicest he had ever worked with.

They sent me the samples for free, no shipping, before I ordered. That was several years ago, but I think it’s same way now. I urge you to get hold of them, get samples and then make your own decision.

Attached is photo of dash in Sebring Sprite. The red shade I selected was chosen to match Colorado Red of the Sebring, and may not be the Cherry Red you are after. They have a lot of different shades, get samples!

KG

Do you have an automotive upholstery supply shop in your town? I know they say wholesale only but my cash has never been turned away. The shop I went to for my Bugeye material had dozens of different reds to choose from, maybe hundreds if I was willing to order. Price for non padded, quality red vinyl was probably about $10-15 per yard.

I used the vinyl to recover my dash and to make new door pockets. The seat bottom cushion in the picture is what I matched the red to, though I don’t think it’s an original seat cover.

Good point, I'll look for one. I had been looking in fabric stores but auto upholstery hadn't occurred to me. Then I can bring my sample for them to match.

Your door pocket looks great!

I’m spoiled, here in L.A. I had several shops to choose from. Hopefully you have a local guy too.

Thank you for the door card compliments. It seemed like a lot of wasted space so I added the speakers, a sunglasses shelf and a document pocket. We’re happy with how it turned out.

Bill, there are many issues you brought to the table here.. First, is the authentic look and color. then quality and next value... First, if you want to view a piece of your seat material that is the least ravaged by 60 yrs. of exposure look under the seat where the cover is attached by clips to the base. As far as the material for the panels go, there are many areas. The one I have found most promising is the back area of the dashboard where the material is folded over on the edges. There are two types of rather specialize material used back in the day. First, the panel material was and is called "Vynide". It's the "cheepiest crappiest" stuff.. ha ha ...It isn't found on many shelves if any. First, it has a unique pattern and most of all there is NO padding on the back which gives it a distinctly crisp and sharp look. Blame it on the English if you may. But, keep in mind, back in the day, the Brit's had a corner on fine upholstery in all areas. While the seat material was thicker and had some padding, the pattern was also the same unique imprint. If you noticed I evaded comparing the workmanship, then and now here stateside to over the pond. The colors I have found quite close to spot on from vendors like AH Spares and Skinners as well as Wollies over the pond.. There are many other discussion points but this is a start



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-20 09:27 AM by earthur44.

You can find a multitude of choices of a modern vinyl to use - either online or even from a local fabric store like Joann Fabric.

But I don't think you will find a vinyl that matches the texture of the original vinyl that would be used for a concours restoration.

As far as I know only Macgregor in Canada offered the proper material.
https://macgregorukcarparts.com/

I'm not sure if they still offer it, and i don't know what it cost.

I learned this from a guy who brought a really nicely restored baby blue Bugeye to the Sprite Jubilee Gathering.
See attached photo

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Specialization is for insects.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-14 10:04 PM by 59undine.

I haven’t used his leather, despite doing 3 cars with him, but I do know he has a machine to shave the leather to the correct thickness.

Art,

I'm in the process of recovering my door pockets. What did you use to get the contour under the vinyl? I know the metal strip makes the top contour but what about the rest covering the rivets?

The originals had a chipboard panel. They were not attached to mine but included with the parts I received with the car. I reattached them and filled in any imperfections that would telegraph through the vinyl.