Just started stripping my car down for a restoration. It is an Indigo Blue 68 S. The interior is all black and I thought that's what it was supposed to be until I pulled the seats out and discovered they have been sprayed black.





So it looks like it should be blue! Then when I took the rear bin lining out I noticed there were two layers of vinyl.



So I peeled back the top layer to reveal what must be the correct colour interior for my car.



So that means the inside of my car shouldn't be black, it should probably look like this. (thanks phillb for image, I hope you don't mind).



I think you can get that carpet from minisport but does anyone know where I could find a similar blue vinyl?

In this thread there is discussion about the correct carpet colour and it appears blue or black may have been an option with the blue interior.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=75244

Any help or comments appreciated.

_________________
Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

Many years ago I had a Shadow Blue Deluxe with pretty much the identical colour vinyl, I got a fairly good match from a local vinyl supplier. They are long gone now, but the place I've been using recently has a book of vinyl swatches that is maybe 20cm thick, with a massive range of colour choices. Your best bet is to find someone like that and go through their book. Maybe also ask the trimmer that you plan to use - unless you are going to DIY?

These guys seem to have the same range as my local supplier.
http://www.vyfab.com/catalogue/category/vinyl-7/

You can get an idea online but you need to cut off a scrap and take it in to compare.

The other option might be to get it dyed back to original, if its in good shape. Plenty of places can colour match vinyl spray.

Tim

_________________
1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

You'll find there are plenty of colours available but the grain and texture will be wrong.

Clearly the vinyl spray works well. You had no idea until you pulled it out yours was sprayed. Done well it is amazingly hard wearing.

I have seen restos where they have sprayed rolls first before cutting and sewing.

You can still get that same correct texture in black. But the other colours are no longer available. The vinyl BMC used was australian Nylex brand I think.

I got lucky and found a little bit of red to patch my interior by going through piles of scrap at a trim shop.

_________________

68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

OK, thanks. May have to speak to 1275greg (from the other thread) if he is about to get that 'recipe' down the track and see how it was done.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=75244&start=30
Too bad I can't get the black vinyl spray off my original vinyl somehow, they are still in good nick with no tears. although the door cards have been replaced so it probably doesn't matter.

_________________
Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

I seen old new cans of paint that did carpet and vinyl yesterday

Maybe a watered down paint striper could get the paint off the vinyl

Vytex make a vinyl product name Cordova. This vinyl is very very close in grain and colour to the original 60's vinyl used by BMC.
I had my 63 Cooper done in this blue vinyl and is so so close. Hard to pick the re done front seats to the original rears.

The catalogue colour and grain don't look right though!

BS - I don't suppose you have a good close-up photo of the material itself showing the grain pattern, or even the end result on the seats in your Cooper?

Also, I did some Googling on Vytex, Cordova and vinyl but it's not clear to me where you can buy retail locally. Do you remember where and how you purchased?

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

You could try a strong solvent. I've been fiddling around with re-trimming my Traveller and spent ages cleaning up the original headlining, trying all sorts of stuff. In the end a nailbrush and strong detergent worked the best. But the other night I was mucking around with a bit of scrap trim that was dirty and stained. I wiped it over with a rag dipped in PVC priming fluid (mainly MEK and acetone) and it came up looking like new. All the dirt and staining wiped off and the surface was slightly softened. After it dried it was really clean and shiny.

If you were going to do it you'd want a big pile of clean rag and some decent gloves and a well ventilated area, MEK isn't very nice, but it would be worth a try. Oh and make sure you use clear pvc primer not the red stuff. Its pretty cheap in the plumbing section at Bunnings

Tim

_________________
1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

$4.50 for 250ml . Gonna try it this afternoon

_________________
Simonw
Brisbane QLD
1st car - 1964 Mini Panelvan 850
Previous - 1978 Leyland LS 1275 Gold
- 1969 Mini K

Worth a try, but maybe don't start in the most obviously visible section

Tim

_________________
1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Try John at Mini King online, I know he has a number of rolls of original vinyl - he may have that colour.

Will do. Thanks.

_________________
Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

Flute,

In this thread I posted the factory Trim Specification for the Mark 1 Cooper S. May help in your deliberations as to what your car might have come off the line with. In that other thread posted above you'll see my comment that my early MK II S was Indigo Blue with blue trim and black carpet.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=87398

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Thanks, yes I remember. This post was revived from May last year by simonw and despite a year passing I am not much closer to being ready for an interior yet. The car is now at least a completely bare shell and a work mate will have my rotisserie ready by the weekend. I was still debating if black is easier to go with although that blue interior does look excellent. I can't clean the black off my back seat to solve the problem because the front seats were re done in black so I will re do the whole lot in either blue or black. Cheers.

_________________
Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

I prefer the blue trim i think it looks much nicer that is only me tho