Sprint GT Interior

[Peter Gadd]

Hi I have a 65 sprint. What color are the A pillars? Do they match the interior color?

[Alex]

Does this help? As far as I know, the A-pillar vinyl colour is the same, regardless of the seat (etc) colour. This grey is darker than the seats but slightly lighter than the dash cap.

The search facility is useful for many questions as most topics have been covered before. Do you have any pics of your car that you could post?

Alex.

[Alfajay]

Here's the latest problem I have run up against on my 1965 Sprint GT restoration.

My car's exterior is painted red (see photo below). Not a factory red - a somewhat darker color - but that's a detail.

I am currently chosing colors for the interior materials. The seats, door panels, dash top, and rear parcel shelf will be upholstered with grey vinyl, similar to the color used by the factory back in the 60's. But, I am unsure what color of carpet was used in '65 on cars with red exteriors and grey vinyl. Some sources indicate grey, while others indicate red. Can anyone confirm what was used? Photos showing color would be ideal.

I have searched the archives, and they do discuss what combinations of exterior paint and vinyl were offered. But, they are silent on carpet colors.

Thanks!

[Peter Gadd]

My carpet was nearly black,not grey like Ive seen at all. My dash top and parcel shelf ware also black,but my seats and vinyl were grey. According to Alfa my vinyl was black skai? Who knows at this point for me. I went black vinyl for seats and doors, salt and pepper carpets.

[Alex]

Red paint and grey vinyl cars have mid-charcoal 'salt and pepper' carpets with little rubber foot mats. Peter, I'd like to know where you found your carpet (can you post a pic taken in natural daylight?) as, despite a two-year search from every supplier I can think of, nobody has been able to supply the correct carpet for my '65 Sprint GT (HVL Interiors in Holland is still looking on my behalf). Re-Originals were good for carpet binding material, but the carpet itself wasn't to my satisfaction (I've ranted about this in the past - I bought a big enough roll to make two carpet sets but it wasn't even close to the supplied sample, and Matt Jones just refused to do anything about it. He'll never get my business again.).

So I'm still looking, and hoping that one day I'll find a NOS roll at some swap meet in Italy ....

Alex.

[Alfajay]

Alex:

You had send me a photo of your interior previously, which has a grey carpet. I am reposting a mirror image of your photo below (I show these pictures to my upholsterer here in the States, and don't want to freak him out with shots of a RHD car).

I also have a picture of a Sprint with red carpet that I dredged up in the BB archives. Clearly this is a later car, as evidenced by the wood grain dash and two-piece armrests.

So, I'm getting the sense that in 1965 grey was the carpet color for cars with a red exterior and grey vinyl seats.

A part of me likes the "flash" of the red carpet, but I suppose it might be a bit much on one's own car.

Another question that arises looking at these two pictures: Were the parking brake levers chromed or painted black in 1965? Mine seems to have been painted.

[Alex]

I see that my car has had an identity reversal

I was at a large Alfa meeting in the UK last weekend and Richard Norris of Classic Alfa spent some time looking over my car. One of the interesting things he noticed is that he thought the carpet on the firewall, behind the pedals, had been replaced at some point (maybe in the 1960s?) with identical factory carpet, but cut differently. He confirmed that everything else is as it left Arese.

Around the pedals themselves, my carpet has open-ended slots (so that the bottom edge of my carpet is not continuous) and trimmed with mid-grey vinyl binding, but he claimed that the factory didn't make them this way. Instead, the pedals should emerge from individual holes, trimmed with the same vinyl binding.

The other clue was that the foot-operated wash/wipe button was originally surrounded by a dark grey plastic (or hard rubber) ring which was sewn into the carpet. Mine just has a ring of sewn vinyl edging as per the rest of the carpet set.

Can anyone else confirm the accuracy of this?

And lastly, yes I do believe that (until 1965 at least) the parking brake lever was painted satin black, not chromed.

Alex.

P.S. One little detail that many do not realise is that the little tabs gripping the forward part of the dash cap (and the long strip of perforated metal running parallel to the bottom of the windscreen rubber, just under the edge of the dash cap itself) should be painted matt black.

[Alfajay]

Alex had written: "One little detail that many do not realise is that the little tabs gripping the forward part of the dash cap (and the long strip of perforated metal running parallel to the bottom of the windscreen rubber, just under the edge of the dash cap itself) should be painted matt black."

Actually, I caught that one. As my car was leaving the body shop, I looked at those tabs painted bright red, and imagined what they would look like against a dark grey dash pad. Red on grey didn't seem right. We masked the area ahead of the windshield, and sprayed the tabs and metal between them black. The corresponding area beneath the rear window was given the same treatment.

Thanks for all of your advice!

[Peter Gadd]

Thanks for the info,Ill take a photo of my carpets,Though I know they dont match correctly. Also the handbrake question, was one I was wondering about to.Mine looks to be black originally.

[39cub]

Hey guys,

I have an all original '65 red/gray (car still has the factory protective clear plastic covering the rear seat side panels!).

I've found what I believe to be the correct gray carpeting for these cars, a beautiful Wilton Wool that matches the original perfectly. It's "Wilton Wool III #V616XF", dated 3/04 (lot reference).

Go to AutoMat (Ny) at

http://www.autointeriors.biz

They'll send large samples free and pricing is competitive.

I have not yet nailed down the proper vinyl binding but am confident they can turn it up once I send them a cutting of my original.

Good luck!

Chuck

[Alex]

Chuck,

Re-Originals sell the correct binding tape. Thanks for the tip about the carpet - I'll check it out.

Alex.

PS - If you ever feel the urge to install a pair of small speakers in those panels, let me know and we'll do a swap, you can have mine (also perfect except for the holes) . Would love to see some pics some time, can pm you my email address. Does your carpet set have that hard plastic ring around the foot-operated washer button I was talking about in the post above?

PPS - I'm still thinking about commissioning a low-volume run of slatted front grilles cast from my set (the mazac ones which always go rotten). There was some interest in the project a couple of years ago but this soon died off. Just a heads-up to let you and everyone else know that it's still alive!