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Got a new carpet for my project car. Fronts are pretty straightforward and the waterfall and compartments are no problem. Its the pieces that cover the wheel arches that have me puzzled. Trying to fit them in looks like Id have to cut about a foot off them just to be able to get them in to trim to size. So was wondering if anyone had pics of what it looks like together before I start cutting.
Hi LA. Replacing carpet, especially the rear carpet can be a frustrating and daunting task. I can take some photos of my finished work next time I get my car down off the lift, but know that with a lot of patience, and a very little trimming, your rear carpet can turn out well. In my opinion, the wheel wells are the most difficult off the whole project.
I started my replacement project in the rear of my convertible. I used the old pieces as a guide for placement, but (I think) trimmed to fit while in place. Cut only a little at a time. I'll say it again - cut only a little at a time. You'll be surprised how by working it in little bits, it eventually falls into place.
The sequence I used had me start with the wheel wells, then the rear waterfall. Next was the rest cargo area, then the storage door set. Lastly, I did the front pieces. It took a friend/helper and me almost a full day, including stress breaks. There are plenty of previous threads on carpet install here that you can use for additional guidance. Use your search feature to find them. It's well worth the effort.
Good luck with your project.
Last edited by redrdstr72; Jun 22, 2015 at 09:46 PM.
Thanks a few pics would be greatly appreciated. I bought the car stripped disassembled and mechanically rebuilt. No wiring minus carpet and seats, body cut to pieces(yes Im a glutton for punishment lol). Ive done carpet work on a lot of other cars but have never even seen the inside back of a mid c3 up close. I can see how the contours sort of line up with the pieces but I must be looking at them wrong as there seems to be way too much carpet. Threads and vids Ive turned up show a lot of detail on the front area and some decent pics of later fastback c3 carpets but not finding any good close ups of the wheelwell pieces set in.
Will do. Look for them this week. Is your car a coupe or convertible? Is it A.C. or non A.C.? Auto or manual transmission? These details will affect your project.
Last edited by redrdstr72; Jun 22, 2015 at 09:59 PM.
Hi; I feel your pain. I just finished this project on my '73 vert this past winter. Redrdstr72 has it nailed pretty good. I also started in the wheel well area and after a full day of wrestling with the carpet I finally gave up. There seemed to be no way these things were going to fit, I couldn't tell which was up/down, left or right. After a nights sleep and a clearer head I started again and finally got one to somewhat fit, then it's time to start trimming a little at a time. By the end of the day I had both sides done. Are they perfect? NO , but I am 80/90 % satisfied. This was ACC carpet, good quality and excellent fit except for the wheel wells, once they are done the rest will seem like a piece of cake. If I were going to do this again and I am not advocating you do this I would purchase some 80/20 loop black carpet from an auto carpet vendor (my carpet is black and I sent off for a sample) and it was comparable to the ACC and just work with it. It seemed to be a little thinner and a lot more flexable than the ACC. Next winter I might just do that. You might want to check with Willcox Corvette and they might have a video on installation. Hope this helps ,good luck.
Thanks for the Pics. Sounds like from the replies Im not the only one that had trouble with those pieces. Took a day off from work tomorrow, Im going to see if I can make this happen!
I wish I was at my office but I'm on the east coast for the next few weeks. I have a picture similar to this one only for your car. We worked with ACC to fix issues with the rear carpets over the last year and I have thousands of pics.... just not on this laptop.
I remember it's been several years ,now since my rear carpet was replaced .
But , my carpet was way too big ...like you describe at least a foot too big . It seemed to have very little pressed shape ....wTF .
It was Al!knock too ....supposed to,be the best ......the cut and mold quality was very very poor . The actual look was nice , the color and feel were close to stock .
Mine was so bad ......I took it to professional installers , they mentioned it required a lot of trimming shaping , gluing and fiddling to make it lay down correct.
I once had a NOS GM carpet set I put in a 65 C2 coupe . That carpet literally Fell into,the rear of that car ...I installed the whole deal in like 45 minutes .
The after market stuff is a nightmare .....
The original factory had much better shaping equipment or something , the bends on the factory carpet were sharp and precise and just the right amount of material.
I remember it's been several years ,now since my rear carpet was replaced .
But , my carpet was way too big ...like you describe at least a foot too big . It seemed to have very little pressed shape ....wTF .
It was Al!knock too ....supposed to,be the best ......the cut and mold quality was very very poor . The actual look was nice , the color and feel were close to stock .
Mine was so bad ......I took it to professional installers , they mentioned it required a lot of trimming shaping , gluing and fiddling to make it lay down correct.
I once had a NOS GM carpet set I put in a 65 C2 coupe . That carpet literally Fell into,the rear of that car ...I installed the whole deal in like 45 minutes .
The after market stuff is a nightmare .....
The original factory had much better shaping equipment or something , the bends on the factory carpet were sharp and precise and just the right amount of material.
The aftermarket issues on most cars should be fixed now. I started a thread about six months ago on issues with ACC brand carpet and what we were doing to correct the issues. It's a good read I'll see if I can dig up the link.
Willcox
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Jun 28, 2015 at 01:37 PM.
Probably got the carpet right at the height of the issue then. Bought it on wilcox black friday sale. Didn't get to take the day Thursday to mess with it. Hoping to have some time next weekend
Got it in, I did have it lined up correctly, required a lot of cutting to get it in. Center T shaped section is about 1/2" too wide, not sure what to do with that. Overall looks pretty good. So back to buttoning up the dash and console!
74 carpet installation
