Possible CSX / Dakota Shelby Fabric reproduction, Recaro seat fabric, Interest???

[1BADVAN]

EDIT 6/2014
I was working with http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ and got them to eventually find a fabric very close to the plain gray, they seemed like they can then add the "SHELBY" onto it. After selling my car, and one of the members here ticking me off about the fabric issue i gave up.

Maybe someone else can get it figured out.

[Turbo Joe]

in the future I'd be in.. most likely closer to the late spring-summer? right now no but yes 100% in the future pending pics on the material.

[Fuzz's '87 Shadow]

These guys- http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ -had original fabric for my 85 GLH-T and said they had alot of fabric from the 70's-90's Dodges in stock. I told them that there is still interest in these items, and told me to he can mail out a 2"x2" sample or you could mail a piece in and they can pull the OEM fabric and see if they have any. They are very reasonable and really work hard to find what you need, I think either way it's great to restore these cars to factory spec. Good luck.

Fuzz

[1BADVAN]

It will be late spring at least before it is ready. I am going to get the fabric to my guy to make some samples . If they are not as good as he claims it won't work but if it is good i will post pics comparing it to the original

[minigts]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the fabric for our cars, the Shelby ones is woven into the fabric, not embroidered. I'm not putting words in your mouth, but I would confirm the method in which he could redo the fabric. Otherwise, I would be in as well. Heck, I'd by a good number of yards so I could get other seats done. The Shelby in the fabric would be killer for any Shelby vehicle, not just the CSX's and whatever else it came in, Shelby Dakotas?

[1BADVAN]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the fabric for our cars, the Shelby ones is woven into the fabric, not embroidered. I'm not putting words in your mouth, but I would confirm the method in which he could redo the fabric. Otherwise, I would be in as well. Heck, I'd by a good number of yards so I could get other seats done. The Shelby in the fabric would be killer for any Shelby vehicle, not just the CSX's and whatever else it came in, Shelby Dakotas?

I agree "woven" is what i would call it. He has a loom so he can do that and claims to be able to match it exactly. I am excited to see if he can do it.

[minigts]

I agree "woven" is what i would call it. He has a loom so he can do that and claims to be able to match it exactly. I am excited to see if he can do it.


Man that's good to hear. I was going to look to get some done thinking I could probably find a local shop that would embroider, but then I realized it's not embroidered! :) I'd love to get my seats redone with the right fabric, even if it's not 100% accurate. That part though is pretty important. Thanks for working on this and hopefully this will work out.

[135sohc]

Any copyright/naming issues with reproducing this stuff ? The old man died but the company will still not hesistate to sue the pants off of anyone even remotely infringing on the name...

[minigts]

I live in Shelby county and I really have a passion for where I live. Bring on the lawsuits. :)

[1BADVAN]

Any copyright/naming issues with reproducing this stuff ? The old man died but the company will still not hesistate to sue the pants off of anyone even remotely infringing on the name...

I wondered about that but a guy on the TD forum is getting formats made for his CSX and said he got permission easily from the Shelby co. They probably realize there will be a very very small market.

[rich tideswell]

in to see where this goes.

[Reaper1]

I could see this fabric having a market outside the TM community, actually. Who's to say somebody with a newer Mustang or even a Focus wouldn't want to customize it?

[Mopar318]

I does not take anywhere near 4 yards to do the inserts. It takes less than 2 yards actually.

And yup, I have patterns.:)

When I re-covered a set of Shelby recaros, the material I got that was originally purchased from positive impressions was precut into sections, but it was not big enough for the inserts so I had to splice some of the old material in.


And yes I am interested, but was never able to get the same company to do much for me as far as reproduction.

[1BADVAN]

I does not take anywhere near 4 yards to do the inserts. It takes less than 2 yards actually.

And yup, I have patterns.:)

When I re-covered a set of Shelby recaros, the material I got that was originally purchased from positive impressions was precut into sections, but it was not big enough for the inserts so I had to splice some of the old material in.


And yes I am interested, but was never able to get the same company to do much for me as far as reproduction.

Awesome thanks for chiming in i was over estimating, just to be sure, it is always nice when things are cheaper than expected.

Would you know how much gray fabric is needed to recover the Recaros?

I just sent in the sample to the guy and from what i heard it can be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months until i get a sample of the reproduction fabric back, so when i have something to show or update i will.

[Mopar318]

Cool, sounds good. I hope you have better luck than I did.

To recover each seat, you need about 2.25 yards of material from what I recall. That is 3/4 yard for the inserts, and 1.5 for the surrounds. Fabric takes more yardage than leather or vinyl because you can only lay out the pieces in one direction.

For both seats a good estimate would be 2 yards to cover the inserts, and 3 yards for the rest.

Once you get a final width of what the material will be you might be able to squeeze all of the inserts out of 1.5 yards of material or less. Which would drop the price to $195 for insert material.

[5DIGITS]

Maybe this will help.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr)

[minigts]

WOW, glad I saw this!! Just bought some for mine!!! Thanks for posting this Ken!

[1BADVAN]

Maybe this will help.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr)
Thanks!

[5DIGITS]

Thanks!

Your welcome.

I bought a yard a couple of months ago and a couple more just for safe measure.
He is a nice guy - Send him a message, let him know that I referred you, and MOST IMPORTANT indicate that you want the yards to be continuous and un-cut.
Because you need to line up the printing, it will waste some of the fabric and having it un-cut will provide more 'workable' fabric.

[minigts]

Maybe this will help.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-SHELBY-UPHOLSTERY-woven-FABRIC-Chrysler-and-for-Ford-/190782308366?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6b83000e&vxp=mtr)crazy, already sold out.

[5DIGITS]

It has been brought to my attention that individuals have been attempting to purchase large bulks and/or the entire remaining stock, at a bulk discount, of the item listed above.
This was no where near the intention of my sharing the information on the forum and providing a link to this respectable seller.
My intent was to give fair opportunity for individuals seeking to restore their worn seats but not for any one person to hoard the supply, purchase at a discount, and/or re-sell it for profit.
According to the seller, the fabric will only be sold within the Ebay environment for the listed price, for everyones consumption.

Thanks and Enjoy.

[stormy69]

crazy, already sold out.

seriously! 2 days too late.. :(

89 csx #386, i only want enough to do my seats...

[85boostbox]

He probably still has some. I think I have an idea of who was trying to buy it out which is a shame. You give something good that you have and someone will always try to ruin it.

[1BADVAN]

It has been brought to my attention that individuals have been attempting to purchase large bulks and/or the entire remaining stock, at a bulk discount, of the item listed above.
This was no where near the intention of my sharing the information on the forum and providing a link to this respectable seller.
My intent was to give fair opportunity for individuals seeking to restore their worn seats but not for any one person to hoard the supply, purchase at a discount, and/or re-sell it for profit.
According to the seller, the fabric will only be sold within the Ebay environment for the listed price, for everyones consumption.

Thanks and Enjoy.

I know you are referring to me i want o say that i only bought 4 yards. I did ask him if he had more he told me he did but that they were individual pieces not continuous yardage. I don't know if that means 2 or 100 yards. I did ask if he would sell it for less. I did not intend for the to be a "bulk" purchase to take away from everyone else.

Honestly i thought that if it is good deal i could make a few $$, (who doesn't think that on a good deal) but in all reality i can't really afford to buy anymore and wouldn't have bought it all up. We even debated i buying the first 4 yards but I figured we have 2 sets of seats and could use at least use that.
I truly apologize if that made people mad. It was not my intention

As stated in this thread i am talking with people about having this reproduced but if this guy has enough for the current need i don't need to invest in having it made, which is another main reason for me asking this guy about what he had left.

For those of those who still want some you may try watching his ebay account or messaging him.
Sorry again for any offense that wasn't my intent

[blhlfam]

I must be hoarding cars because I have two csx-t in my driveway :p I don't think 4 yards of fabric would be considered hoarding in any reasonable persons mind. And by the way if anyone wants to buy one of them I'd love to sell car #2 (that is the car #) It sounds like someone passed judgement before understanding all of the facts that is the problem on the forums sometimes, that's why I've typically steered clear of them for the last few years.

Some people are quick to pass judgments with out understanding or even trying to understand someones intent. Having owned 30 or so Shelby cars over the years I've gained lots of insight on the cars and there parts, but it never fails there is always someone out there misunderstanding intentions. Maybe we should of just left the 4 yards on e-bay for some mustang owner to buy and left our 89 CSX with screwed up seats or my Shelby Dakota which could use the fabric too. Sorry son, that you got grief for my decision to buy the last 4 yards of fabric and thanks for all of your work in looking into having it reproduced which would of probably cost as much as the original stuff just too bad that someone misunderstood our intentions to get fabric to fix our vehicles and at the same time buy a larger quantity of it to see if we could get a better group deal to pass it on to others in need also. Anyone in the Shelby dodge supplier world sure knows you could never do it and make money on it or it would of been done long ago.

[stormy69]

i just called them, they had 24 yards, all gone in 48 hours... they did say they were considering making it but hadnt decided one way or another yet.

[Mopar318]

I was going to buy some fabric, and redo a set of Recaros to sell at SDAC. I guess that won't be happening now. Instead it will sit and collect dust and rot away.:(

[jonnyb]

At that price, it doesn't surprise me it's all gone. I paid over $600 on ebay a few years back for barely 2 yards...that's almost triple the price this person was selling it for and I had to outbid quite a few people to get my hands on it.

EDIT: I forgot to mention - I have tried several times to get this stuff reproduced. Many places said they can do it, but then I bring a sample to them and they say no. It's usually either because of the technique that was used to make the original material or because of fear of licensing issues.

[Turbo Joe]

I was able to buy some too, hopefully it was enough for what I need done..

[stormy69]

any update on this?

[minigts]

I was going to buy some fabric, and redo a set of Recaros to sell at SDAC. I guess that won't be happening now. Instead it will sit and collect dust and rot away.:(

You selling the Recaros as they are?


And just to be clear, I would still be in to purchase some if it were made again. I got enough to do a full interior and some left over, but that is going with the CSX when I sell it so I'll still need some fabric.

[DOHCRT]

I tried this route in China. A buddy of mine does business there and he took a spare sample from a Dakota doorpanel, they said they could do it, but would need 100 or 1000 yds (can't remember) but the licensing (customs) thing prevented it from happening.

[minigts]

I tried this route in China. A buddy of mine does business there and he took a spare sample from a Dakota doorpanel, they said they could do it, but would need 100 or 1000 yds (can't remember) but the licensing (customs) thing prevented it from happening.

Something seems amiss..... ;)

[greaser]

I need some if this is still a possibility 267s seats are rough.

[DOHCRT]

I said the same thing, but I guess there are some areas they get away with it more or easier than others. Its just a matter of finding the right place to to the job and not worry out pesky things like copyrights and such.


Something seems amiss..... ;)

[ATaylorRacing]

I sell replicated rims that a company has made for them in China and to be legal there must be at least a 15% difference between the originals and the replicas. For instance...the original rims for nearly all cars made here that are chromed have only the front half done while this company does the entire rim. Ford threatened to sue them a few years back since they looked identical to the Ford rims when a person would order the rims with ORIGINAL Ford center caps so even though the center caps were bought from Ford...the company had to make a different looking or blank center cap. That act satisfied the legal department. I have sold over 100 sets with never a problem with trueness or finish. Several of the replicated watches come from China too...hard to tell from the originals unless seen by a repairman with years of experience...fools the department store people all the time.

[5DIGITS]

I sell replicated rims that a company has made for them in China and to be legal there must be at least a 15% difference between the originals and the replicas. For instance...the original rims for nearly all cars made here that are chromed have only the front half done while this company does the entire rim. Ford threatened to sue them a few years back since they looked identical to the Ford rims when a person would order the rims with ORIGINAL Ford center caps so even though the center caps were bought from Ford...the company had to make a different looking or blank center cap. That act satisfied the legal department. I have sold over 100 sets with never a problem with trueness or finish. Several of the replicated watches come from China too...hard to tell from the originals unless seen by a repairman with years of experience...fools the department store people all the time.

Agree but much like you indicated the rims in the following photo were also made in China.
The rims match the originals by appearance but differed by the center cap that would fit them (the oem cap does not fit) and they were three inches larger in diameter, at 20" vs 17".
The company was still sued and lost - the rims are no longer being made.

49412

Thanks

[ATaylorRacing]

This is the place I sell them from but my prices are lower. I only sell them to people I can deliver to or can pick them up.

http://oewholesale.com/

[TopDollar69]

I just found this on craigslist for anyone that might still need some material.

http://springfield.craigslist.org/pts/5201887025.html

[martin kolner]

if the fabric was repopped and looked identical to the original it would be impossible to get in trouble with the OEM manufacturer as it would be identical to the original, so it could be sold as NOS. There is no part # on it or casting #s so what would be the problem?

[Reaper1]

Copyright infringement possibly.

[cordes]

Copyright infringement possibly.

Copyright infringement absolutely.

[88C/S]

Would they actually care, since they are not making any more material anyway. Why not get someone to reproduce the fabric. What's everyone to do to recover their seats, use material for Shelby Mustang/Focus?

[minigts]

Would they actually care, since they are not making any more material anyway. Why not get someone to reproduce the fabric. What's everyone to do to recover their seats, use material for Shelby Mustang/Focus?

Well, I would think they would. It's not just fabric for our cars. That design could be used for other applications (fabric mainly) and if a company started to apply that for Shelby items in other ways, it would be using a likeness that copyrights typically don't allow for. The only way I would think it could be done is if it were completed by a company local to the person requesting it as a one off and then that person sell the fabric for actual cost and not draw any attention. Granted, they probably wouldn't find out about it immediately, but it would be hard to keep something like this low-key. I know I've had stuff made before that would have probably been considered copyright infringement, but since it was made for just me it wasn't an issue.

Regardless, if someone does it, we'll find out! :)

[ajakeski]

A subtle change to the design may skirt around trademark issues.

[cordes]

A subtle change to the design may skirt around trademark issues.

Good luck. Shelby has always defended his IP to the hilt. One must actually defend IP or risk losing it. See Colt's vs. AR15.com for an embarrising case of the latter. Even if you come out on top in court, which the current Shelby company may take you to, you'll always lose after it's time to pay your lawyer.

[88C/S]

Sent an email to Shelby concerning getting my hands on more material, or what recourse I/we have. Be interesting if they respond or not.

[88C/S]

Their response was to contact sdac.com, as they would be of more assistance. Doesn't sound like they have any real interest in the matter.