10 replies to this topic

[tpivette]

Finally have some time to start the resurrection of my 1997 Buick Regal GS. Will begin either this weekend, or the following weekend. One of the things that needs DESPERATE attention is the interior. From 2013 to 2017, my wife drove this car daily and hauled the kids (newborn - 4 year old daughter and 4-8 year old son) everyday to school, and wherever else they needed to go. Most of the times, she had to drop them off at daycare, where she let them eat (of all things) pancakes and syrup IN THE CAR. Bring your barf bags, as the photos below depict the carnage that came about of such practices...

 

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I decided to go with what I could find on the internet after a few minutes of searching. Anyone heard of these guys? They seem legit, and I will be ordering their mass back carpet in medium grey.

 

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https://www.stockint...8740&ModelId=31

 

This will be complimented by SummitRacing black cloth racing seats:

 

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https://www.summitra...1130l/overview/

 

I will be completely cleaning the remaining trim pieces with Simple Green and isopropyl alcohol. Hopefully everything turns out great, as I want this interior to not only look awesome, but to smell amazing also.

 

Any experience or thoughts on this setup will be welcome.

Edited by tpivette, 17 October 2019 - 12:51 AM.

[ejguillot]

If you go to RockAuto, they sell interior carpet as well:  Search for your car, then Interior / Flooring.

 

This looks like the same carpet from the same supplier, but for less money:

 

https://www.rockauto...jsn=403&jsn=403

 

Same thicker carpet pile and mass barrier coating to cut down on noise and heat.  Also get a new set of floor mats.

 

As to the seats, if yours aren't ripped/cracked/torn, consider cleaning them up.  I used LA's Totally Awesome cleaner (available at Dollar Tree) in my project Regal's interior, and it did a good job.

Edited by ejguillot, 22 October 2019 - 06:51 PM.

[tpivette]

Thanks for the heads up about the carpet, will definitely check out rockauto and see what they have to offer. Floor mats are also on the list of interior upgrades, so will look at those as well.

 

The drivers front seat is pretty cracked up, and the passenger front seat had syrup spilled on it and drained in-between the lower and upper cushions. My wife and kids really did a number on this car. Would be cool if they could just clean up, but I'm not holding my breath. I like the look of the "racing" seats offered from Summit, just wish they had them in a grey color option. Only come in black, white, and beige.

 

Didn't have any time this weekend to work on the car, as work offered OT on Fri and Sat that I couldn't pass up. Hopefully this weekend I will have some time to start pulling the interior out of the car and truly assessing what it will need.

[ejguillot]

Ah, too bad about the seats. I would definitely want to try the race seats out for a day's driving before buying a set.

Rock auto also sells the floor mats, from what looks to be the same supplier as the carpet. Don't forget that there's always a 5% off discount code somewhere.

[tpivette]

Bummer, my daily driver Saab 9-3 developed a vibration at speed this week while driving to work. Will have to investigate that tomorrow instead of working on the Buick. Maybe it will be a quick find/fix and I can move on.

 

If not, I might have some time on Sunday to get some Regal work done. Crossing fingers...

[tpivette]

Been a LONG time since I started this thread... bought a new house in Nov 2019, and an 2016 Audi S4 in Apr 2020. Needless to say, I've been busy! The Buick is still around, though!

 

Started on some more cleaning and it looks as though the seats as well as the carpet can be saved. Spent a few days shampooing everything and really giving everything a good scrubbing and its looking alot better.

 

Before cleaning...

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After some work...

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Did this to basically the whole interior, and it looks 10X better than before. There may be some hope for this old car yet! Next comes a stereo upgrade, and some maintenance and performance enhancements.

Edited by tpivette, 03 October 2020 - 02:40 AM.

[tpivette]

Cleaned alot more things up, and removed some trim pieces to install a aftermarket head unit. Used a Metra kit to connect everything to the factory stuff for now, but upgraded speakers and amp are on the way. Put an Eclipse 8445 CD player in there for the source unit... 8 volt preouts... hell yeah!

 

Here's some photos:

 

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Also, my Climate control was completely dark... couldn't see anything on the readout. Did some drunken soldering to the 241 resistors and everything seems to be back to normal... well, maybe the extreme right side seems a little dimmer than the rest. Might have to go back in there when I add the amp (RCA cable attachment) and see if anything needs to be re-soldered. But for now, at least I can see what I'm selecting!

[ejguillot]

Wow, that interior has come a long way!  I'm planning on a stereo upgrade for mine, with an Alpine ILX-W650 unit combined with the KTA-450 amplifier for the 4 main channels.

[tpivette]

I'm in love with Eclipse.. it's a shame they tapped out after 2010+. 5 or 8 volt preouts with 55ohm resistance was amazing! I don't know if any aftermarket company offers this today, but I will still stick with Eclipse if they don't!

 

I will continue to clean up the interior... and upgrade the stereo. Current plans are to add an Eclipse 5532 5-channel amp, a set of Morel 6.5" components up front, a set of Eclipse 8363 6.5" coaxials in the rear, and a JL Audio 10W0 in the trunk.

 

Can't wait to hear the difference!

[Marchi1]

Nice work

[dezldave961]

Lookin good.

Just came across a 2003 Abboud GS at the junkyard yesterday. Front seats and shifter are still there (considered, but don't need them as I'll also be going for practical race seats soon, along with a cage). Side badges were gone, but tail badge was still there. I know it's not the most sought-after thing in this market, but if someone is foaming at the mouth, we can arrange something for me to go back next weekend (I was considering pulling the engine/trans as a spare).

Edited by dezldave961, 12 November 2020 - 12:01 AM.