Interior conundrum

[Boss 351]

Hi all! I just picked up an 86 GT T-Top, very good shape just needs a few things here and there for the exterior.

The interior isn't bad for its age but it needs a new driver seat, armrests for booth doors and some of the plastic has nasty scuffs. (sorry no pics yet).

I'm not 100% sure what route to take, do I try and restore the original red interior and leave the scuffs in place (rear hatch and glove box)? My issue with going 100% stock is finding the right red seats and I doubt I can pickup 86 GT seats anywhere lol...

Or.

Go ahead and find some newer seats, possibly black leather and change as many parts as I can for black and paint the rest? So buying the: dash pad, armrest pad, carpet, visors, used seats from newer stang, etc...

The car itself is bright red with black bullets (5 lug swap done).

 

[Cobra912]

I've got an 86 t-top as well, parts are hard to find but out here. I just sold my black 86 seats! Me I'd personally do a newer mustang seat or aftermarket, swap the interior if you can swing it and if not just swaa out the bad parts.

 

[Mustang5L5]

My opinion....

I have seen this done a bunch of times, but I feel it's a step backwards to take a half decent red interior and "ruin"'it by painting it. And I use the term "ruin"'liberally because 9 out of 10 painted black interior look like ass IMHO. Once in a while you get one that looks great, but most I've seen (in person) just don't look great.

Maybe my standards are higher, but unless you can get all 100% oem black parts....keep the oem color.

 

[95BlueStallion]

I think the red looks good if you go break it up with some black. Maybe some black seats, carpet and floor mats, but red plastics. Just replace the beat up parts with stock red ones. My opinion is that the red gets a bad rap because its overbearing when EVERYTHING is red.

 

[NIKwoaC]

Mustangs sites like 5.0 resto have reproduction everything for your interior. You could pretty much start from scratch and build an entire interior with reproduction parts. I'd look into that if I were you.

 

[stykthyn]

Red is easy to find on the classifieds. Just keep an eye out.

 

[Boss 351]

hmmm forgot about 5.0 resto. I've done 2 interiors (painted black) The first one was, how can I say it, different? I took a gloss finish (don't remember the reason, just remember the results). The last one, I think I used matt or semi (can't remember) but it looked very "oem-like"... Had to prep everything like a bastard though and bought the things you can't paint like the carpet and seat belts lol...

Keeping it red would make things easier, I'll look out for some red GT seats