M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: jgraves on November 13, 2009, 04:55:03 PM
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I really like the look of the Alcantara headliners that are in the new M6 and the M5. I own a 2001 E46 330i and I know tons of people that are putting the Alcantara headliners in their E46's. Next month, I'm planning on putting an Alcantara headliner in my 1991 E30 318i. I have never seen this type of headliner in an E30 and I was wondering if anyone has ever seen one?
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Yes, very nice. Would love to do it with microsuede or alcantara. I have a pic I saved on my desktop at work with it. PM on Monday and I can email it to you or post it here.
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Thanks!!! I really want to see what it looks like, because I've seen tons on E46 325's, 330's, and M3's. I can't wait to get mine done. I'm buying my material from a company in Florida called Gulf Fabrics. They are the cheapest I've been able to find that sells the real Alcantara.
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Like this one?
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GVjhH8d20fE/SHuqq1SeqXI/AAAAAAAAD2w/YTZdbu_JHJo/s800/080714_Completed%203.jpg)
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sweet!
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Sweet!!! Sweet!!! Sweet!!! Now that's what I'm talking about!!! I'm getting same thing done next month, but a little bit darker. The Alcantara color I'm getting is #2934, just a shade darker. Thanks for the pictures, because I've never seen any E30's with Alcantara.
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how much is that costing you?
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What exactly is Alcantara?
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Alcantara is a manmade synthetic product specifically made for high end furniture and high end sport cars. It's manufactured in Italy. It looks and feels like real seude leather, but it doesn't fade or dry out and rot like real seude does. When I lived in Houston, TX 15 years ago, all the lowriders were using real seude leather in their cars. The problem was that it only lasted one year before it dry rotted and fell apart. Alcantara is guaranteed not to fade, rot or fall apart like real leather and it will not fade even under the most extreme heat or cold conditions. I've been researching it for over two years and I'm finally going to get some put in my E30's headliner. BMW used to use another product called, Anthracite in their M cars, but now they use only Alcantara. It's easy to clean, won't stain, and last for years longer than anything else on the market. The only draw back is that it's not cheap. When it first came out, it was over $250.00 per yard. Most places today charge between $120.00-$150.00 per yard. The cheapest I've been able to find it is through Gulf Fabrics in Florida at $105.00 per yard. It's expensive, but I've never seen any car that had it that didn't make a serious statement. It takes about 4 yards to do the average headliner in an E30 with a sunroof.
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Pretty cool.
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That is so sweet I must have it :cool:
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Beware of fake sellers or bootleg Alcantara. There are two types of Alcantara, cover weight is for seats and panel weight is for door panels and headliners. I've seen some people try to take the cheap way out and they go on Ebay or listen to an upholsterer that wants to make a quick sale and they end up with something that's not real Alcantara. In less than a year they have to have it re-done again. If you want the "real deal" and not something fake, it's worth paying the extra money for something that will last as long as your BMW. Here's the link to Gulf Fabrics.
http://www.gulffabrics.com/alccolor.htm
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(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GVjhH8d20fE/SHuqq1SeqXI/AAAAAAAAD2w/YTZdbu_JHJo/s800/080714_Completed%203.jpg)
Pimpy
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As promised...
(http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w276/monty23psk/after21.jpg)
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It looks good!!! The color I'm getting is in between the two colors posted on this thread. The upholstery shop I'm using is closed until after Thanksgiving, so I have to wait until the first of next month.