Does anyone have any instructions or advice for installing new carpet in a 67 Convertible?

I have the carpeting and jute backing. Just looks like a major job.

Any and all comments appreciated!!!

Thanks

John

 

Some advice, take one piece of carpet out at a time. place it in the floor in relation to where it came from. one piece at a time. Do the back first, After it's all out. Place the new carpet in to check for correct fitness. Cut your hjeat barrier material Once you have that conquored, put in you heat barrier, and then your carpet, piece by piece. Do not get in a hurry. U can do it.

 

Do you have a 67 AIM ( Assembly Instruction Manual)? They typically have pretty good illustrations of each piece and how they lay down.

 

I just finished my carpet replacement today in the cockpit only of a 63 convert. I bought the kit from Willcox. I used the heat barrier, the media backing (thick jute with a plastic backing), and the carpet without the foam backing. The job went reasonably well. I found that the carpet is not designed for the add'l backing. The runners down the sides were able to absorb the add'l thickness, but the main piece on the floor under the seats and up the firewall, was a problem. The biggest problem was getting the screws for the gas pedal to line up. I ended up needing to cut new holes in the vinyl strip that is supposed to rest your foot on. It evolved into an unpleasent moment that resulted in a less than acceptable job. If you should find your self in the position of needing to move the holes an inch or so, use a sharp object to get thru the vinyl, and a razor knife to slit the hole to allow some movement. The add'l thickness moves the pre-cut holes approx. 1 inch away from the firewall. If you make new holes, some ugly things can happen. I wanted the add'l insulation in my cockpit, so I paid the price. It is not an easy, one day job. If you have the resources and a local shop that is willing to take on the job, I say consider it. I would estimate that I had approx. 25-35 hours over 3 weeks after work, etc. Granted, this was my first time at this task, and it showed. Hopefully, it will also be my last carpet installation in any vehicle. I wish you well if you do it yourself, and be sure to spend a lot of time fittining before gluing. Good luck- lib

 

I replaced the carpet in my 66 several years ago. It wasn't technically challenging, just a big job since the seats, center console and steering wheel came off. I used the carpet from Al Knoch - it fit and looked well.

Here is the gist of what I did:

1. I pulled the seats, noting the location and size of the seat cutouts.
2. I pulled the old carpet and jute up and then I scraped all of the old glue off the floor and tunnel with a 2" putty knife. I took it all the way down to the fiber glass and got a very smooth and clean floor. In hindsight, I could have left a lot of the nubs since the carpet and jute are so thick.
3. Pulled the steering wheel off to allow easier access to the forward footwell.
4. I test fitted the new carpet three or four times before I ever did any cutting or glue spraying.
5. Once everything was dry fitted, I laid the carpet in the sun to allow it to warm up and bend easier. Then I sprayed the back of the jute and the floors of the car with 3M spray adhesive (in most auto parts stores). The instructions said to allow it set up like contact cement then place in position. I let it set up partially so that I could finesse the carpet after installing. I placed the jute in and then sprayed it and the carpet with 3M. I then put the carpet in very carefully. Having a helper who can hold the carpet pieces up and off of the car, console, and dash is critical, imo. That helper WILL get glue on himself from handling the carpet. Wear old clothes and disposable gloves.
6. Fit the carpet in and then "massage" it into the final position.
7. Do the same thing for the transmission tunnel and area behind the seats.
8. Once the individual pieces are in, you can reinstall the transmission tunnel cover and trim. Measure twice, cut once.
9. To make the cutouts for the seat belt mounting, I used pencil point soldering gun to burn and seal the nylon so it wouldn't unravel.

This is a condensed version of everything but pretty accurate. As I said, not technically challenging, just messy and hard on the back. Keep solvent handy to wipe up any drips or spots where the glue touched the car. Hopefully you won't have any on your paint. You can mask your car off with old sheets and such to help prevent any accidents.

Gary

 

lib and Gary, thanks for the excellent input! Gary, your advice was something I've never heard done before, but sounds like great advice. - Pat