Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone tell me where I can get some pale blue leather cloth off the roll to replace some of the panels and trim in my 1966 car? I have tried upholstry shops and a car trim firm with no success. They all had every colour but light blue - probably the most common interior colour for a Mog!

does your 66 really have leather interior?

No it doesn't. I'm led to believe that the stuff they use in cars of that age is what's known as leather cloth.
While I was in one fabric place I noticed that it was available in cream and my mind started to get carried away with the idea of retrimming the whole car in cream, using a set of nice Metro seats I had seen in the scrapyard the other day. I reakon it would look pretty good in a trafalgar blue car - even better in a burgundy one. A bit impractical though

I take it the normally recommended trim places (eg Newton Commercial) didn't want to sell it off the roll?

try http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/ they are pretty good for all trimming items

Peetee wrote: I'm led to believe that the stuff they use in cars of that age is what's known as leather cloth.

Yes it was, probably not allowed to call it that now because it is and was vinyl not leather. The stuff called leather cloth did have a similar grain to the real thing though.
ESM sell blue coloured vinyl material off the roll but at £17.95/metre + vat it seems a bit pricey.

Woolies is the catalogue I have. any colour except light blue it would seem.

ESM sell blue coloured vinyl material off the roll but at £17.95/metre + vat it seems a bit pricey.

Yes indeed, nearly twice the price of the other material I have seen. Perhaps that reflects its rarity.

The tradename of the material that you're looking for is "velbex" or "ambla" (depending on the exact use), both made by a company Wardle Storeys. They don't sell small quantities to the public, but if you're in Southampton then try Amari Plastics, they are a distributor / stockist for WS. They probably won't stock Velbex, but could possibly order it for you. The material is plastic based (very general description), some with a fabric backing, available in a wide range of colours and emboss finishes. Newton Commercial use WS material, and you might find it just as cost effective to buy the panels etc ready made. As with so many things, most of the traders are very good on many products, but just now and then one thinks "how much?" I don't know what ESM are selling, but I wouldn't buy velbex at that price. Good luck.

And in case you dont have it.
http://newtoncomm.co.uk/index.html

but if you're in Southampton then try Amari Plastics, they are a distributor / stockist for WS

Thanks muchly.

you might find it just as cost effective to buy the panels etc ready made

I wanted to make up a custom rear parcel shelf with hidden speakers. I also had a mind to replace the black fabric on the front parcel shelf nudge bar with blue. I have only ever seen these black - but maybe I'm wrong.....

I can confirm that Newton Commercial will supply material off the
roll, or at least they did to me. A word of warning though, NEW
material will stick out like a sore thumb against the old aged stuff.

I needed some headlining material to cover the wooden glovebox-inserts, and some red vinyl for the smaller trim panels that NC don't/didn't sell mail-order. When I phoned them, a while ago now, I was told that they weren't strictly supposed to, but hey, if you ask nicely... ;) About a week later, Postie tried to deliver two huge tubes of the stuff! Don't think it was too expensive, either...