I just returned from talking to an auto upholstery guy. He has been doing auto upholstery for over two decades, specifically dying leather and other interior fabrics.
He took a look at the interior and told me that it would be difficult to dye the very light colored sections black. He said he could do it and they would use all kinds of chemicals to prep each panel and that it would look pretty good initially. But he said he wouldn't warranty the work because it would very likely not last. I know that reports from the folks here on Pelican say that the results are pretty good and do seem to last. But this guy had a lot of knowledge and was essentially turning away my business because he didn't want to see me disappointed. He also wasn't trying to sell me some alternative.
So, I suppose my other options are:
1. Replace the door cards with RS cards, and then have other sections (like the rear) re-wrapped in black vinyl. I didn't discuss this with the upholstery guy so I'm not sure how much this would likely cost.
2. Purchase used take-off pieces from folks in the for-sale forum.
3. Stick with the current basic color scheme and try to add some more modern race touches and/or some flair. I haven't seen many race/competition style interiors that were based on brown or tan. Perhaps you guys have some ideas/examples of race/modern interiors that were brown/tan? Here's one that doesn't quite fit the bill but I do like it:
and Jlex, I agree that I might dislike a totally black/dark interior, although I've had them on other cars (and do currently on a 2017 Z06) and have liked it. But this car is older and has a different feel, so that's part of the reason I'm entertaining keeping the lighter interior. Point taken, and thanks.
Any photos of people with similar interiors who simply changed to black Recaros, such as the Recaro Sportster CS? I suppose with dark seats? With the right colored floormats/carpet I could see it working.