69 floor mats

[Greg L.]

From what I understand you could get black or clear mats in 69. For a black interior should they be black or clear or could they have been what ever the dealer had in stock?

I almost ordered the clear ones and then I started to second guess myself into thinking that maybe they should be black. Does it matter?

[Mike E.]

Re: 69 floor mats

Those were dealer-installed only, not a factory option. FWIW

[Jack H.]

Re: 69 floor mats

As a dealer option, it doesn't matter. During Flight Judging you will have to REMOVE the mats since they were not factory provided.

On color, most agree clear was typical for mid-year cars with black being available in Shark era. However, as you pointed out what you got was determined by what the dealer had in stock...

The clear mats WILL yellow with age while the black will remain in nice condition without age/discoloration.

[Lyndon S.]

Re: 69 floor mats

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 floor mats

When I bought my 1970 I had the dealer order clear ones. I didn't like the look of black with a bright blue interior. Well now the "clear" is a muddy shade of yellow, so it doesn't much matter.

[Greg L.]

Re: 69 floor mats

Thanks guys, I never thought about them turning yellow so I think I'll go with black then.

[Joe L.]

Re: 69 floor mats

Thanks guys, I never thought about them turning yellow so I think I'll go with black then.

Greg-----


Actually, I don't think the black ones were available in 1969. When I ordered my first set of floor mats from the dealer's parts department after I got the car in September, 1969, I recall that only the clear ones were available. Later (maybe the early to mid 70's), the black ones became available and I purchased those to replace the clear ones which had seriously yellowed even by that time. The clear ones were also quite "stiff" and would never lay completely flat.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 floor mats

The black ones were available -- at least they were listed in the Accessories book -- in February 1970 when I took delivery of my 1970. Now whether one could actuall get them is another matter entirely. I don't recall how long it took to get the clear ones. Given the weather that time of year I wasn't driving the car too much right off the bat, so I wasn't too concerned about how long it took the mats to come in.

[Joe L.]

Re: 69 floor mats

The black ones were available -- at least they were listed in the Accessories book -- in February 1970 when I took delivery of my 1970. Now whether one could actuall get them is another matter entirely. I don't recall how long it took to get the clear ones. Given the weather that time of year I wasn't driving the car too much right off the bat, so I wasn't too concerned about how long it took the mats to come in.

Terry-----


Well, I think a little further research clears this up. The mats available during the 68-69 model years were different than 1970 and later. The 68-69 mats were GM #987441. These are the clear vinyl mats. They were discontinued without supercession in April, 1970. I can find no black mats available for 68-69 Corvettes during the 68-69 model year.

The 1970-72 mats were GM #993922. These were the black rubber mats. While they were not cataloged for 68-69 models and were not officially supercessive to the 68-69 mats, I am sure they could be used for 68-69 models. In fact, I know they can because I used them. The earliest that I can find these available is about January, 1970. Since I purchased my first set of mats about October, 1969, the black variety were not yet available.

For 1973, the mats were also black rubber and of GM #994401. These replaced the 993922 for SERVICE as of November, 1972.

There may have been other mats available from GM for early C3 Corvettes but if there were, I can find no record of them.

[Terry M.]

Re: 69 floor mats

Gosh -- I should have stocked up on those mats, especially the clear ones. I wonder if they would have yellowed on the shelf? Drat -- I missed the boat from the beginning.