interior colors opinion?

swisherred

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I have a 67 newport custom that has a black roof with blue lace pattern and the body will be a deep metallic purple candy. Im trying to figure out interior colors.
My first goal was white upholstery, because I didnt want a hot black interior, but the more I think about trying to keep it clean im leaning back towards black.
It has the front bucket seat and rear out of a 68 300. not using the buddy seat, may do a console later.
Im torn on what colors to use for the other parts and want to know what yall think.

I am NOT trying to stay original, but I want nice, clean, uniform and original upholstery pattern/design. Im not opposed to using some of the purple inside the car such as the dash and package tray and trim or upholstery piping or thread.

White interior vinyl, black carpet, black dashpad....
headliner? window trim? front and back dash?

Black vinyl, black carpet, black dashpad....
headliner? window trim? front and back dash?
 
Personally I'm not a fan of black headliners. With that said, it's going to be hard to match something with your purple paint. But since your top is black, I think a black carpet/door & quarter panels/dash/steering wheel etc. would look good with white seats trimmed with a sparkle purple piping would look good and kind of period for your car. Maybe paint the steering wheel to match the car.
 
Id rather not have a black headliner either, but the problem with this interior is so many hard lines...the sail panels flow right into the headliner...so should they be white to match the interior and white headliner? The front trim flows into the headliner, but also the dash...
 
I vote that it doesn't matter. No one is ever going to look at it closely because the outside sounds like this:

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yeah, well its not your car. Im busting my *** to make this a nice car from something that should have been scrapped. I love my car and really dont care if you like the color choice or not.

If I were trying to dissuade you, being caustic wouldn't be my approach. You asked specifically for opinions and I gave mine. Next time ask for "opinions I would like to hear".
 
I asked for opinions on interior color choices...not for someone to be rude and say it looks like **** to begin with so interior won't matter. I don't come to this site for that and I certainly don't do it myself.
 
I could never have white. Doesnt work for my level of grubbiness.
Black out everything. Blue or purple accent pieces? Black headliner wont add to cabin temp unless car is upside down
I think you are doing a great job of making this car your own and can't wait to see it finished.
 
I've always loved custom paint jobs, custom wheels, chrome under the hood, etc. Not to say that I haven't seen at least a few that I didn't like at all. The hot-rod scene, the custom scene has always been a very important part of the car hobby, maybe as much, maybe even more than the restoration side. That said, painting a car, putting some chrome parts on the engine and changing the interior color will not irreversibly ruin it. I mean, if it ever comes time to sell, it can always be quickly sprayed with a single color factory paint and the upholstery can be dyed. Original wheels can be put back on and chrome engine parts can be removed, if you haven't lost or thrown away the factory stuff.

Where I think some people go too far is when they start cutting the body and structure. They chop the roof, channel the car, reshape the headlight and tail light areas and do other things that can't easily be undone. Sometimes they create a masterpiece, but more often than not, they just create a monstrosity or never finish it, give up and junk it. If they do finish, they end up with something that only they like, if they even like it. When it comes time to sell it it won't sell so, they're either stuck with it for life or they pull the powertrain and send the body to the scrap yard. I know of a local guy who completely ruined (in my opinion) a classic truck by chopping it, replacing the entire original dash with a late model dash and doing some other hideous body mods. The truck had been a nicely done 70s style hot-rod before he got busy with the torch. He should've left it, because all he did was completely and irreversibly ruin it.

I like the paint job you did on your roof. It looks nice. I can't really say what color would good. That's more just personal taste. Personally, I would stay away from big flakes on the body. I think the fine metallic would look better, but that's just me. If you do paint the body metallic purple, then maybe paint the hard parts (metal parts) of the interior in metallic purple too. Don't paint any chrome parts though. For the seats, headliner and other upholstered parts, maybe you could use medium or darker gray instead of black or white. I would suggest staying with the original seats, or at least, the original style. Buckets and console, for example. The steering wheel could be metallic purple, if the paint will stay on. I think Moon may actually sell steering wheels in metallic colors.

I'm hoping to be at the point soon where I'll be trying to make some of these decisions too. I hope I was able to help you a little. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
I think I would go with a black interior with the purple piping as mentioned above. Purple is like green, so many different shades that don't work well together, but a small amount like piping may look sharp. I have had a white interior. It was a black body, with a white top and interior, all of it a nightmare to keep clean.
 
Im torn on what colors to use for the other parts and want to know what yall think.

I am NOT trying to stay original, but I want nice, clean, uniform and original upholstery pattern/design. Im not opposed to using some of the purple inside the car such as the dash and package tray and trim or upholstery piping or thread.


We could give you opinions all day long for a month of Sundays, and I think you'd still be undecided on what to choose. In the end I think it's best if you decide what works for you because if you take someone's advice on colors and in the end you don't like it, you're stuck with it and probably make enemies with that person because of that choice. We don't know what it is your trying to achieve in your mind with your interior, only you do! Good Luck
 
In the end...this is about discussing options...ideas...some I like, some I don't...it will be my choice in the end but it really helps me to discuss the ideas so they can be worked out in my head. I actually like the idea of the grey interior...I think maybe black metal parts if grey....or purple if black vinyl...both would work better than white. Purple is very hard to match and I don't think I will incorporate it in the upholstery if its not the same purple. I wont hold anyone responsible but myself...I just know other people may see something I don't....and I respect those thoughts.
 
What about the blue used in the lace paint on the roof for the headliner and some accents. The gray idea isn't bad either. Black can be just as much a pain to keep clean as white. Little brown flakes of dust and leaves after always showing up in my carpet.
 
I would go with the white interior, black dash, to me nothing is as classy as a white interior.
I wouldn't worry about the difficulty of keeping it clean, unless this is your daily driver.
 
Pewter tones are good - grey can be quite varied in sub colour... there was a great semi metallic factory pewter vinyl (69-72?) that is really nice.

Just my idea.

Remember, you can't please everybody, and when one asks for ideas you must have a thick skin, 'cause that's when one gets both barrels.

Make your car your own, enjoy the process (including the mistakes and lapses in judgement - we all make them), and have fun. Damn the torpedoes!

I look forward to seeing your efforts. Best of luck.

Cheers.
 
In the 80’s I restored a ‘70 AAR Cuda from a pile of junk, back to factory specs. The paint was ‘In Violet’ the color Dodge called ‘Plum Crazy’, with the blacked out hood and front quarter tops, and had a white interior. A lot of people told me to dye it all black, but I put it back to white with black dash, carpet and rear window shelf, and never regretted it. It was a weekend cruiser, and the purple and white really made the colors pop. You’ll just need to cover the seats when you drive it, and make sure everyone has clean clothes before they get in. Some people thought I was picky, but they didn’t pay for the restoration, and the interior looked great for years before I sold the car. Your project sounds fantastic !!
 
I also feel white pops with just about anything. Black dash, headliner and carpet. You can accent the white with piping to suit the outside colours or even an inset to match the outside. I would recommend going to the upholsterer you intend on using. They will have swatches of vinyls and you might be amazed with the colours they can get. You might get something that works with the outside colour and really accentuates it. Talk the them and get their recommendations.
Curious to see what you choose and remember it’s for your eyes so choose what you want.
 
My thoughts...

Want to play down the interior? Go black or dark. Play it up so it becomes part of the "look" of the car? Go white or light color with the dark exterior.

I'd go white with a carpet matching the exterior (if possible) and white headliner. You've got some purple and dark colors, so some contrast would be good. I'd stay away from gray... Too much like a new car for my taste.
 
Should I have steak or chicken for Dinner? This decision is all yours! Enjoy.

Maybe go to some custom shows or get the magazines and look for color ideas.
 
In the end...this is about discussing options...ideas...some I like, some I don't...it will be my choice in the end but it really helps me to discuss the ideas so they can be worked out in my head. I actually like the idea of the grey interior...I think maybe black metal parts if grey....or purple if black vinyl...both would work better than white. Purple is very hard to match and I don't think I will incorporate it in the upholstery if its not the same purple. I wont hold anyone responsible but myself...I just know other people may see something I don't....and I respect those thoughts.

You might want to consider an interior done in a light saddle color. It would provide the contrast you want and a classier look than black. I would do the headliner in the same color. And oh. Just don't do diamond pleats anywhere in the car.
 
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