Forum newbie needs input: C5 ragtop redo

[MOTV8]

Hey there from Peoria. On the good side. Would anyone have any good advice on picking a place to 're-skin' my convertible top? My better half, bless her heart, bought me a BLACK (yesss! pardon my monochromatic obsession) replacement top from Mid-America Motorworks for X-mas. Guess I was good last year. Go figure. So, I've called around: Able Upholstery quotes me $450 and 2 days, plus I have to source my own weatherstripping if I want that done too. Bell Auto Upholstery quotes me $350, same story with the weatherstripping. Broke down, called Cn'V Corvettes (I disinfected the phone afterwards), and was quoted $300 by their shop guy Bill, who seemed like a nice fella. I still have no idea if any of these places has any experience with C5 tops, or if I'm the guinea pig. Back to the weatherstripping, do I NEED to replace it when getting a new top? There is some wind noise, above like 75 , and I have a small leak at the top forward edge of the driver side window when I wash it or get caught in the monsoons . But Midway Chevy quoted me over $700 for the weatherstripping pieces and has to special order them, and Mid-America sells them for around $525. IF I need to do it, is the OEM stuff better, or is there a better, and cheaper aftermarket source? I'm gonna need seat covers too in the near future, so finding a good shop is bearing down on me! Thanks in advance for any help, really nice local forum.

[Togo]

the general consensus on weather stripping at least with the C4 is that you will have fitment issues with the aftermarket.

if you have a part number for the GM stripping, check the place i've been ordering parts from lately for their price

http://www.fredbeansgmparts.com

or one other source i have heard - gmpartsdirect.com

i cannot recommend any upholstery shops, but i know this thread has a couple recommendations

http://arizonavette.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1082

[sloryde]

We use Verdones, Jeff and Todd are the owners/operaters and they do an incredible job. They aren't all that competitive price-wise but we have never had a problem with the work that they do. I have brought them vettes' and they are always done perfectly. They work on alot of high-end stuff. They always have a Porsche or Vette' or some type of nice car there at any given time. If quality is the main issue they are the people to call. Joe.

[Eddie44]

I just ordered seatcovers from leatherseats.com. They're doing a custom blk/wht for me. I should have them in a week or two and I'll post pics. they were less than $1k with new foam for the drivers side.