I realize this is a Cougar forum but am restoring a Mustang to make a little cash and don’t want to join a Mustang forum for one question. Hoping maybe there are some early Mustang guys here.
Problem: None of the white interior pieces match for a 65-66 Pony interior. I’m basing everything around a pony interior but the inserts for the pony seats are not truly white. They are actually closer in color match to the parchment door panels that I have versus a true white. The 64-66 lacquer paint to paint the dash is TOO white compared to the seat inserts and off the shelf white dye is blindingly white. I don’t want to waste a bunch more money or time that I don’t have on this project. I have others waiting. If the parchment panels match the inserts close enough I’m still going to have to buy some parchment dye to re-dye the parchment door handles that I dyed WHITE! Gahhh. And interior parchment lacquer for the dash and the glove box and ash tray that I painted WHITE!!
Venting but please give me your opinion on whether the seat inserts and door panels are a close enough match so that I can just go with parchment for the rest of this blessed project. Thanks.
That’s the 64-66 white lacquer ashtray in the pic also.
I have 66 with Blue / White pony interior I have not noticed that much of a mismatch. I am getting it back tomorrow from final wet sand / compound and I will take a closer look. Looks like you are using Pony seats and standard door panels.
Correct. This is actually going in a '68 so couldn’t use door panels from 64-66. I fully expected the door panels not to match the seats and that I would have to dye them but I did expect the 64-66 paint to match closer than it does. This car was turquoise inside and out. That was TOOOOO much turquoise and it needed this two tone white/aqua from earlier years to break up the color scheme a bit. Knowing the pony seats were for earlier years I ordered paint and dye from 64-66 and still no luck matching. I think I’m just going to go with the light parchment dye and paint and leave it at that. Seems to be the best match.
I also went through a struggle on my '68 Cougar with the whole Parchment color thing. Not sure if the same relates to Mustang, but here’s a breakdown of what happened to me.
Original upholstery - dingy off-white, solid color. bordering on tan.
1st attempt from manufacturer - “splotchy” off-white. color similar, but with darker textured “splotches” everywhere.
Meanwhile, I realized that the new headliner I had put in was a little more of a brighter white. More of a “cream” color. This is because the repro “Parchment” one is too dark, at least for the Cougar.
Got material sample pack from manufacturer to choose the seat upholstery color code I wanted. Noticed there was nothing that actually matched the original Cougar Parchment. Eventually settled on a brighter cream white vinyl that matches the headliner and Polar White paint better.
Returned “splotchy” upholstery, ordered 2nd set of upholstery in this lighter, solid color, as well as extra material to re-cover the rear quarter panels.
Sourced SEM vinyl paint that closely resembles the lighter white of the new seats.
Still to do: dye door panels and armrests and dash face pad to match seats, and actually have seat covers installed and rear panels re-covered. We’ll see how it turns out!
Good luck with yours… those colors don’t look too far off to me. Oh, and SEM’s “Phantom White” is a pretty good match for the original Parchment.
