Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

[Edward B.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

I am looking at buying a 1970 convertible low mile survivor

If it is truly a "low mile survivor," why would you consider disturbing it?

[Bob B.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

If the car is all that original I would suggest you seek the advice of someone who can look at the car who has some experience with original cars. Your idea, while laudable, might do more harm than good. Seek knowledgeable counsel before taking action.

Terry, Good to hear you, I have that 70 Blue convertible like yours, more carpet questions. My friend, You are the master here, the carpets and belt material is faded black to gray I dont think anybody is more qualified to say- which way should I go here ?
Faded black/ gray soso dyed black or A.Knoch. This is the yellow 70 convertible 7,000 mile on Ebay now. 300hp AT

[Bob D.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Bob

Contact Don Rathman--he's in the NCRS. He has a company that does hotel cleaning and refurbishing. They dye carpets also. Maybe he can help.

Bob

[Patrick H.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Terry, Good to hear you, I have that 70 Blue convertible like yours, more carpet questions. My friend, You are the master here, the carpets and belt material is faded black to gray I dont think anybody is more qualified to say- which way should I go here ?
Faded black/ gray soso dyed black or A.Knoch. This is the yellow 70 convertible 7,000 mile on Ebay now. 300hp AT

In looking at the photos I'd wonder if that odometer hasn't flipped over.
Detailed interior, engine and chassis photos would be useful.

[Bob B.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Will be interesting to see what Terry M Says I may learn something today after all
Bob

[Ara G.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

I re-dyed the original seat belts in my 69 Camaro and they came great. The key is to leave them in the hot water/dye mixture for much longer than recommended as (as noted above) they don't absorb the dye as quickly as other materials may. My belts came fantastic. I used spring clamps to hold them in place in the pot, and used a fine painter's brush to keep wetting the area abutting the original seat belt labels with a fine tip paint brush as i didn't want to remove them because they had the original stitching. ARA

[Dick W.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

SO,,,,,,,, you have seen my work before ?

Bob

[Terry M.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Terry, Good to hear you, I have that 70 Blue convertible like yours, more carpet questions. My friend, You are the master here, the carpets and belt material is faded black to gray I dont think anybody is more qualified to say- which way should I go here ?
Faded black/ gray soso dyed black or A.Knoch. This is the yellow 70 convertible 7,000 mile on Ebay now. 300hp AT

Bob

One would have to look at the entire car -- and not just photos -- in person to see if attempting to improve the appearance of the carpet and seat belts would change the "flow" of the interior. When dealing with original cars it is important that all parts of the car, not just the parts of the interior, but the exterior mechanical and chassis has the same appearance. Someone who has looked at a lot of original cars can do this in a few minutes. Someone without that experience can look for a long time and miss the forest for the trees. There is no substitute for experience and a in person examination.

[Terry M.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Will be interesting to see what Terry M Says I may learn something today after all
Bob

I have no experience with dying the carpet or seat belts. I will defer to others with experience in that area. I only offer caution regarding damaging the "flow" of the car before rushing in. As I have noted above. I have not looked at the photos as others apparently have.

[Bob B.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Terry, you made me work for the answer Corvette Judging Reference Guide 8th edition section 9 Star awards for Preservation;
page 46 interior/exterior "clean only DO NOT REDYE refinish, repaint or replate any item". National Convention only.
Pretty simple- DON'T. Will be interesting to see how the unrestored 70 does at chapter flight judging Bought that yellow 70 convertible,
going to Fla , we'll see how she does at Chapter Flight hopefully to make next year National Convention
Thanks for your input Just finishing my Mulsanne 70 convertible

[Terry M.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Terry, you made me work for the answer Corvette Judging Reference Guide 8th edition section 9 Star awards for Preservation;
page 46 interior/exterior "clean only DO NOT REDYE refinish, repaint or replate any item". National Convention only.
Pretty simple- DON'T. Will be interesting to see how the unrestored 70 does at chapter flight judging Bought that yellow 70 convertible,
going to Fla , we'll see how she does at Chapter Flight hopefully to make next year National Convention
Thanks for your input Just finishing my Mulsanne 70 convertible

Bob

I hope you bring it to a Regional. I would love to see it, and I know some other people who attend most Regionals who also want to see it.

I know everyone wants Top Flight the first time out, but there is no harm in either of the other Flight awards. One can get feedback from experienced Judges, and a punch list of changes if one decides to go forward with other types of judging. Judges are always happy to see original cars because it is a learning experience for them. Good judges know they are always learning, and every car has something to teach both the owner and the judges.

[Steven B.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Years ago I spoke with an upholsterer who had home carpet and sofa cushions in his shop that he dyed. I don't know what he used but the finished job looked like they were new. I also had a friend who dyed his green interior with spray can dye. Ruined my jeans and t-shirt sitting in the car.

[Edward D.]

Re: Can black ORIGINAL carpet and seat belts be dyed 1970 ?

Bob,
As others have recommended a survivor original should be left alone. That said, I can't help you with carpet but can offer a tip that works on black seatbelts. Use a Sanford Sharpie permanent ink marker. Make sure its the "permanent" version of the marker, the chisel point king size will do it and it will dry soft and won't rub off. I did this on a customers car original belt set to match a new repro carpet set I installed. Doing so kept the original tags w/dates and stitching. Looked good when done.