Headliner/carpet
- Thread starter Winge
- Start date
There's only one company making molded carpet and that's Auto Custom Carpet (ACC). My vendor of choice is Auto Carpet for Car, Truck, Van - Stock Interiors
For headliner, if you want it to match, SMS SMS Auto Fabrics - The Largest Selection of Classic Auto Interiors is the only one that sells an exact replacement.
The majority of the replacement headliners are made by Acme Headliners in Long Beach, CA. They don't sell to the public, and it won't be an exact match. It will be a lot cheaper than SMS and you'll probably get it faster. I'd suggest Stock Interiors for that too.
Legendary Auto Interiors also sells headliners, but I'm not certain if they make them "in house" or not. Custom Car Interiors and Upholstery from Legendary Auto Interiors Their carpets are made by ACC and usually more expensive for the same piece that Stock Interiors sell.
Always get samples first! Especially with headliners.
You'll get other suggestions, but keep in mind that there are only a couple companies that actually manufacture this stuff. Buford's Auto Emporium may sell the stuff, but they don't make it. Price and service being the only real difference.
For headliner, if you want it to match, SMS SMS Auto Fabrics - The Largest Selection of Classic Auto Interiors is the only one that sells an exact replacement.
The majority of the replacement headliners are made by Acme Headliners in Long Beach, CA. They don't sell to the public, and it won't be an exact match. It will be a lot cheaper than SMS and you'll probably get it faster. I'd suggest Stock Interiors for that too.
Legendary Auto Interiors also sells headliners, but I'm not certain if they make them "in house" or not. Custom Car Interiors and Upholstery from Legendary Auto Interiors Their carpets are made by ACC and usually more expensive for the same piece that Stock Interiors sell.
Always get samples first! Especially with headliners.
You'll get other suggestions, but keep in mind that there are only a couple companies that actually manufacture this stuff. Buford's Auto Emporium may sell the stuff, but they don't make it. Price and service being the only real difference.
ACC has been around since at least the later 1970s or earlier 1980s. I first saw their booth at a high-level Corvette show in Dallas, after reading about them for several years. That was about the late 1970s. I was impressed with their carpets and how well they were molded to fit the floorpan. In a time when "molded carpets" usually had a covered seam down the middle of the front of the transmission hump.
I have similarly watched as Legendary Interiors and YearONE have grown from modest operations of correct OEM repro parts to what they now are, too. Once past these industry leaders, there were also smaller companies which did equally as well, usually, but with time and other things, whose operations were to later become part of the larger organizations.
End result, ONE company builds things that many OTHERS sell, although the large companies still sell direct to customers, as always. Just as SMS probably sells fabrics and vinyls to Legendary to sew their products with. AND auto parts are no different, either!
In one respect, these combinations have probably helped increase the quality of what is out there for purchase. The downside is that customer service reps on the other end of the phone line can know less about what is being sold, as a result. I used to advocate that the closer you can get to the base supplier, the better the customer experience can be, but various factors can thwart that orientation, by observation. So, shop price, service, and availability.
Decades ago, I was looking for some KONI shocks for one of my cars. I read the adds, but when I'd call them to see about ordering them, I soon discovered that what was being advertised was just a "drop ship" situation. NOTHING in stock in their warehouse. I got the best results with a larger re-seller (who had them in stock) and never looked back.
Just some thoughts, observations, and experiences,
CBODY67
I have similarly watched as Legendary Interiors and YearONE have grown from modest operations of correct OEM repro parts to what they now are, too. Once past these industry leaders, there were also smaller companies which did equally as well, usually, but with time and other things, whose operations were to later become part of the larger organizations.
End result, ONE company builds things that many OTHERS sell, although the large companies still sell direct to customers, as always. Just as SMS probably sells fabrics and vinyls to Legendary to sew their products with. AND auto parts are no different, either!
In one respect, these combinations have probably helped increase the quality of what is out there for purchase. The downside is that customer service reps on the other end of the phone line can know less about what is being sold, as a result. I used to advocate that the closer you can get to the base supplier, the better the customer experience can be, but various factors can thwart that orientation, by observation. So, shop price, service, and availability.
Decades ago, I was looking for some KONI shocks for one of my cars. I read the adds, but when I'd call them to see about ordering them, I soon discovered that what was being advertised was just a "drop ship" situation. NOTHING in stock in their warehouse. I got the best results with a larger re-seller (who had them in stock) and never looked back.
Just some thoughts, observations, and experiences,
CBODY67
This is the business model for the places that are doing well and making money.
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