Hi everybody,
I have recently picked up a Pace Car that needed a kick in the pants to get it running again. The body is totally solid and pretty good looking all things considered. I got it on the cheap because it needed a new head gasket, which isn't really that bad considering the car came with the head already off and the replacement gasket. Like most of you guys here I will overlook almost any mechanical issue if the body comes straight and solid, because anything mechanical can be fixed much easier than a solid running car riddled with cancer.
That brings me to the interior. While the it is in decent shape, I planned on puling it all out and dying it and such to freshen it up and fix someones previous botches attempt. I was really hoping that the seats would make a big comeback after a trip through the extractor. Sadly it was just not meant to be. While they don't have any rips or tears, the cloth inserts just don't look the way I think the car should look. Same goes with the carpet, it is not awful but just like with the seats, replacing it would make a world of difference in terms of the overall feel of the interior. Thankfully I avoided door panel replacement to go with almost everything else I had to do in there.
I bought the SEM dye "kit" with the 3 cans of Oyster White and 1 Dark Gray. From what I could surmise from a build sheet I saw online there is supposed to be a charcoal color (carpet I think) in there somewhere, and unless my eyes are god awful the dash and console didn't exactly seem to match.
Can someone who has done this give me a brief rundown on the number of different colors present in there and what they are and what they are used on? Carpet is my other big issue, I have new seat covers on the way but I am not sure what the true color carpet I should be looking for. The bottom of the door panels certainly aren't charcoal, so I am just a little lost as I would like to have everything cohesive and done correctly if I am going to the trouble of doing it.
Also, what is supposed to be under the radio on the front dash there? I have seen others have a sort of flip lid thing with a switch on it, but I am not sure what it is actually called or where it could possibly be purchased.
Any other advice you guys have is greatly appreciated. I have already encountered more "surprises" than I had planned on when I got this as I thought it would be off my radar by now. I have a 79 10th Anniversary I practically stole and a 73 #'s matching that was an even better deal waiting in the wings but I can't afford to start either of those until I sell off the Pace Car. Both of those cars I bought probably 70% restored with all of the proper interior pieces and all decals included to finish them. You do kind of wonder what people are thinking sometimes when they decide to sell off an unfinished restoration with no consideration for what they personally had in it financially. Not that you should always try and hit a home run, but in the case of the 10th Anniversary I was able to buy the entire car (which included total engine rebuild, brand new interior, all body work done and car in primer, new quarters, floor pans and rockers all done, total decal kit, actual paint for the car and numerous other unmentionables) and everything with it for less than he spent on just new seats and tracking down the proper carpet (which supposedly was quite pricey) and proper headliner material (same thing).
I am not complaining one bit as I have had some good fortune finding these things, but it amazes me sometimes how antsy some people get about getting rid of stuff at all costs. If you guys hadn't been previously, keep your eyes peeled out there because if you can get into the right ones you can have some fun building up some TA's you've maybe always kind of wanted and make a few bucks while you're at it. Not going to make you a millionaire or anything, but if noting else it can supplemant your own personal car habit (at least that is how it started with me).
While I don't post alot, boards like this really are a major inspiration to younger enthusiasts like me still being introduced to the hobby. Your much more apt to dive in and find the monkey when you know resources like this exist if you do get stuck, with the hope that at some point you can then be in the position to do the same for someone else down the road. You see some of the work done on the board members rides and it is hard not to get that bug that mayvbe you can do it to. So if any of you other relative newbies like me see a deal you know is a potential financial home run and would be fun to do take the plunge. Just be sure to be realistic about what you will have to put into it to get it to that point you had in mind you think you could sell it for (also don't ever ever ever customize beyond recognition any sort of low/limited numbers car......it is a mortal sin
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That's all, so any color suggestions on the Pace Car interior now being accepted
. Didn't mean to get all sappy on you guys, but it wasn't even a year ago that I still knew next to nothing about these cars. To think just loitering at a place like this and Trans Am Country can give a guy enough guidance to be able to go out and do something constructive is pretty cool, and the board owners, mods and members never know they're helping make a difference unless you tell them. So there it is.
Here are pictures of my project:
