This coming spring, I would like to put new carpet in my 79. I was thinking of buying a kit from Corvette America. I was wondering if anyone has any feedback on their kits or any suggestions. I would like to do it myself. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Doug

 

have you looked into willcox? they are probably the cheapest price by far and many forum members are more than satisfied with them...

 

I used Willcox, which was great on price and just OK otherwise. The carpet looks good, but it needed a LOT of trimming to get it right. I mean, for the passenger side, they might as well have sent me a 4x6ft piece of carpet. Wasn't even close. If I had to do it again, I'd consider spending a little more to get pieces that were a little closer to fitting out of the box.

 

I got mine from Corvette Central who got it from Auto Custom Carpets - quick delivery and the whole lot went in real easy with very minimal trimming (infact i had to trim a little off the side on the drivers side piece - about an inch by 16 inches, where the carpet goes around the door pillar and finally I will have to trim around the rear battery/storage hole when i go to put lid assembly back on - that's it.

I dont think i will by the heat barrier kit again though, but rather invest a little more and go with the dynamatt instead for better coverage.

hope this helps.

 

Buy the complete door assemblies for the cargo area doors. Taking off the old carpet while trying to save to moulding around the doors is more trouble than it's worth. Pick up a roll of aluminum tape from your local hardware store to seal the edges and seams of the insulation.

 

always better to have too much than not enough!

 

Bought mine from ACC (auto custom carpets). All the suppliers seem to get their carpet from the same place--usually ACC. I would also put a heat shield under it first--I think I got mine from paragon or corvette central.
Just finished replacing all the carpet in my 1971--see one of my posts for pictures. Some advice: number and label everything as you remove it. Put all the screws in plastic bags with labels--I bought an interier screw kit because many of mine where not the correct screws. Keep the carpet you remove and take pictures before removing it so you can remember what it looked like--I didn't and it took me twice as long. Scraped off all the old glue, check all wires, paint any rust with POR-15. I didn't use any glue except on the flat verticle surface between the seats and the rear compartment. As you install the new carpet use nails through the carpet to mark all you bolt holes in the floorings, etc--makes it easier to find them when reinstalling. Leave everything longer than you think necessary--you can always cut more off. The rubber plugs that hold the front carpet against the firewall and the rear wall in the back was a son of a gun--there must be a tool to intall these but I just used a rod and plenty of lubricant to get them back in--buy new ones the old ones are very hard due to age.
Replace the rubber drain tubes that go from the rear vent grilles to the wheel wells and the metal cover in the wheel well--use pop rivets to reinstall. Also redid the vent gaskets on the front air vents on the floor sides by your feet. I didn't have to remove the console around the 4-speed shift boot.
Took me several weeks working a couple hours a night. Take your time and don't worry if everything doen't lay down perfectly flat--it will with time after it gets hots and the rubber softens up. Any questions send me a pm.
Hope this helps.
Paul

 

I dont have a preference for the carpeting, and you are getting good advice from the previous help.

My 2 cents is to investigate the whole deal on what else you need to do. Adding heat shield or a sound barrier is a good idea. Someone mentioned the cargo door assemblies, and that is good advice too. What do your sill plates look like? Now would be a good time to get a new set if yours are scuffed up. Adding some of the trim pieces to go with your carpet will make a great difference. Putting in new carpet may only make the other worn out pieces look worse.

kdf

 

I like Al Knoch interiors. Have a look:

http://www.alknochinteriors.com/catalog.htm

 

I bought a 'custom' leather set and foam set and had them install the 'wires and clips' which made my job of installing really simple... from Al Knoch in Texas. They did a two tone for my '77 (dark blue sides with buckskin seating and back inserts). They were very competitive, the quality was the best...and they delivered on time (i'm in Ontario, Canada). The local shops were almost 60% higher in cost and timing was rediculous.
Nothing to lose...call them
Good Luck, Domer.

 

My seat covers, door panels, rag top and all of the related pieces came from Al Knoch. Top notch first class all the way.