jkoester122

my dad has a 1970 cutlass and he is looking to get several new items to upgrade his old interior. He wants to get headliner, new arm rest and possibly new door panels. After doing some research we have noticed that it seems that 1970 is the year that they had the "pearl" interior until 1971 when they came out with "white". If i go onto OPGI.com and select 1970 cutlass the color options are only available in pearl not white.

Okay so here are his body tag codes

ST 70 33687LAN509172 BDY
TR 947 50 50 PNT
07A

question is where can you find body identification books that give you a detailed description on what color your interior is.

we don't want to buy the wrong color and mess anything up.
EVERYONE'S HELP IS APPRECIATED!! THANK YOU!

sixty9olds

My chassis manual says:

TR 947 50 50 PNT

947= Ivory white bench seat
50= Bamboo exterior (upper and lower body color)
07A= built the first week (A) of July (07)

Check out Legendary Auto Interiors for your interior needs.

stevengerard

70 was Pearl but you swill see some documentation describe it as "Ivory." White interior covers and panels are very white - Pearl is a pearlesant ivory.

If you get the new door panels I'd take the trim parts off the old ones and reuse those as the chrome moldings are wider on the originals. Also buy the complete door panels, you don't want to mess with the un-assembled door panels, more effort than its worth in my opinion

Aceshigh

Before you just buy Legendary Auto Interiors and spend the premium on it......

Call Tamraz Discount Parts Warehouse in Plainfield IL. They run Ebay specials on PUI interior.
http://www.tamrazs.com/

I got my entire front and rear PUI interior for my bucket seats and rear bench for less then $400.
Example <
Including the cost of brand new cushions, I still spent less then Legendary would have cost.
I price shopped everywhere.....

Very happy PUI customer.

1969w3155

The detail to quality of the materials is far better with Legendary, PUI's material does not have good detail of the seat pattern, and they are flat when they should have raised ribs. OPG's frequently do not have the buttons that are supposed to part of the seat cover package.

Aceshigh

Not in agreement.

Are you a recent customer of PUI's or are you not a recent customer?
I guess I got some different PUI seat upholstery then the persons you saw.

Jkoester, here's a pic of my 70's brand new interior upholstery from PUI for you to make your own decision.
Someone should post up a Legendary interior so you can see the differences for yourself rather then hearsay.
442Completed3Copy.jpg

1969w3155

Yours looks good. When at shows, and I see new interiors, or "not right" interiors, I ask where they got thier kits from. The less detailed/patterned ones are PUI and OPG, the best have always been Legendary. The Legendary covers always look very well made, and the detail is very good.

Aceshigh

I won't disagree that Legendary does look better.

But the cost difference is roughly
$650 for Legendary fronts and rear
$400 for PUI fronts and rear
Now add cushions, and labor. It gets up there quick.

So the choice is really up to the consumer on how much they want to spend.
Both are good, Legendary is better though, no denying it. It's like comparing a
Chevy to a Cadillac in price point and luxurious feel.

Not everyone pays a professional to install theirs either.
Those that don't, you can always tell because they didn't fix springs and stiffen the supports again.
So some look like crap due to improper installation and looseness.
I paid a pro to put my buckets on, but the rear I did myself.

I should have paid them to do the rear as well to replace worn springs and stiffen the support.

1969w3155

I agree with you on that, prices do add up quick, and if you have a car that needs a lot (mine does) it can affect your choices, but on the interior for one, I will bite the bullet.

RAMBOW

In the last summer I've installed a lot of classic car seat covers.
I've used all 3 mfgs that make them for GM A-bodies.
That would be Distinctive Industries, PUI, and Legendary.

To me, I'll install whatever someone hands me- but if they ask me before ordering- my recomendation depends on two things.
Budget & how nit picky the customer is.

If people only think about #1, they tend to forget they are also nit picky bastards & the little details will drive them nuts later.

When i ask people #2, it usually leads them to ask why its important.

Its because things like the color being off a shade... The grain in your new front seats not matching the grain in your rear... The pleats being nearly flat instead of ribbed ... heat sealed ribs not sealed causing dashed lines....

These are things that will drive the nit picky guy nuts while everyone else tells him how great his interior looks.

That is why its important to ask the question. Because even for a couple hundred dollars savings- is it worth it to look at something thats wrong everytime you get in the car?

You might be like Aces & be ok with a color mismatch & slight texture difference and you can laugh all the way to the bank with the $ savings.

But then again you could be like my friend with a 70 El camino who's PUI covers' heat pressed seams looked like dashed lines- he and I went back and forth with the vendor through several sets of covers to find enough non blemished ones to work- only to still be annoyed that they are "Flatter" than they should be. I can definitely say that by the end of his experieince he wished he had paid the extra for legendary covers and saved the hassle.

So after all that... Do I exclusively recomend Legendary? No. There are plenty of people who don't need that extra level of detail & correctness and who will never be able to tell the difference other than their Credit Card statement. There are also certain seat patterns that you just can't get wrong, and the cheaper MFGs do those just fine.

But ask yourself if you are one of those picky bastards. If you are, then don't waste time looking at anything except legendary.

My $.02