The big brown truck just delivered my carpet today. I ordered it from TLD and it was drop shipped from ACC. I know I need to let it lay in the sun for a while to become pliable and I don't plan on starting the job until this weekend. But after looking at the carpet and laying it in place it looks like a lot of triming needs to be done. Please tell me that this is not true. :eek: :cry Here are some other questions.
1. Where do I start? ie what peices first?
2. The peice that lays in the rear area when put in place should it cover the entire back wall all the way up as well as all the way to the compartment doors? It looks like it may be a little short.
3. What other advice and motivation can you guys offer please.

Silly me, I had it in my head that it would be a drop in installation. :lol:

 

You're in the Navy and you're gonna let a little 'ole piece of rug scare ya? Get it together man!! I've never installed the carpet, but I KNOW you will figure it out. Everyone here is great, so I am sure you will get some great advice. Good luck.. And if it doesn't fit, just send it back. :smash:


[Modified by 79VetteMike, 1:31 AM 3/12/2003]

 

I got mine drop shipped from ACC too and did it myself. It wasn't too bad and took only a little trimming. I started with the front seat area first, because I wanted to put heat barrier down. I took the old carpet out and inverted the new stuff and laid the old over top. Used a marker and traced the outline so I could trim it. My 82 goes from the compartment doors up to the back under the sunshade, but this will be different for you. Just take your time and it will come out fine. I took a whole weekend and it looks perfect.

 

If your going to pull out the seats and carpet there's no better time to insulate than right now. Here's a link to my site on insulating the cockpit. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/vettfixr/page14.htm
Even if you lay the carpet in the sun you will need to heat some areas to make it fit. Use a hair dryer on the low setting and don't put it too close to the carpet or it will melt. Get yourself some 3M adhesive spray because you will need it to get some of the pieces to stick properly. When you go to put your interior pieces back in some will be difficult. This is because the new carpet is thicker than the old worn carpet and will cause some misalignment. Stick with it and it will all fit back together eventually. If you install insulation under the carpet this situation will be aggravated further. You may have to trim the insulation back in some areas to get the pieces to fit properl. Good luck with your project.

 

Scott just did a photo page on his install
http://www.c3sharktank.com/tech2/carpet/carpet1.html

 

Very nice webpage vettfixr.

 

Not too difficult installation. Be sure you have enough 3M spray contact cement. Dry fit and don't cut the excess unless you're positive of the fit! Are you installing a heat shield? It sure helped my cabin heat problem. I started in the rear and worked my way forward. Good luck! :cheers:

 

Thanks guys. I guess after re reading my post I kinda sounded like a WOMAN!!! :nopity

Unfortunately when I bought my car the carpet had already been ripped out and thrown away. So I don't have anything to use as a template. I did install the heat barrier with the foil backing that I glued down and then used duct tape to cover the seams. Hopefully this weekend will be nice and warm and I can get to work on it.

If anyone else has any advice please chime in.

Thanks
Wade
:cheers:

 

I installed the front sections first, and naturally added a heat barrier. You should let the carpet sit and settle before doing any trimming (e.g. a couple of days that include some driving).

 

See the link Sean (Monkeywrench) posted, I just did mine last weekend, still haven't put up the final pictures but it came out really nice. Paid $198 from Willcox, drop shipped by ACC and it cost another $33 for heat barrier and aluminum tape.

The way I found easiest was to put in the front floor pieces first, then mount the sill strips so it keeps the carpet in place. Then from under the car shoot a small blast of contrasting colored paint into the holes for the seat mounts, then pull the carpet out and cut the holes. It's not that hard of a job getting the carpet in, the rear storage compartment doors were probably the hardest thing to get in and mounting the passenger seat was next since I added the extra heat barrier and have the fire extinguisher mount and 5 point harness it was a bit hard to get the bolts in by myself.

 

I just paid a shop to install mine (Bummer),If I had it to do over again I would do it myself,Let it lie in the sun awhile,Take your time,Use a heat gun carefully,Take your time! take your time! and then take your time. :crazy:

 

This is an easy install. I purchased mine from TLD as well and there was a lot of trimming to be done. As everyone has pointed out, let it sit flat for a while and then put it in place, trimming very carefully. Better to make multiple cuts to get the perfect fit than run the risk of cutting too much. I used tin snips to make the rough cuts and a razor knife to cut it when it was in place.

It looks intimidating when you see all the trimmin you will need to do. The hardest part was the rear around the storage compartments and the piece that drops down from the rear deck because of the many angles associated with the corners. The front was easy, except for the trimming necessary to get the seat screws to go in through the thicker carpet and added insulation.
http://home.attbi.com/~jchadwick/interior.htm

Bob

 

Thanks for all the responses. Bob thanks for posting the pics on your web site they are very informative. I will take some pics as I go and post my progress this weekend. I am still a little concearned abot the fit of the rear piece that goes up the back wall and then down the rear cargo area to the compartment doors. I swear it looks like it is going to be short. But I haven't ordered my compartmetent doors yet so that may make everything work out.

Thanks again
Wade :cheers:

 

You'll find that the carpet doesn't go all the way to the top. The "wings" that fill in above the wheel wells will define how for up you go. Too high and there will be a space there. Two low and they won't fit right.

When you are putting in the back go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get the 3 large plastic compression screws that holds the very back in place.

The wings and screws are visible in this picture. http://home.attbi.com/~jchadwick/DSCN0003.JPG

By the way, I didn't glue any of my carpet down. It wasn't glued to begin with and it stays in place perfectly.

Bob

 

Thanks Bob. After looking at this pic I think I understand it now. As I stated before. The previous owner had ripped everything out before I bought the car. I guess there is something to say about buying a car partially in boxes. :smash: I think that when I put my insulation in I went to high up and now it is showing and makes it look kinda funny. I either need to get some black spray paint and spray the insulation or trim the insulation back some so that only the bare wall shows then paint it black to blend in.

Thanks
Wade

 

All the carpet sets are cut a little on the big side, Vettfixer has the right advice. just take your time and it will work out fine. Measure and then cut and a can of two of the spray adhesive will make doing this job much easier. I'd do the rear carpet first as it's easier to get at. Good luck ! :yesnod:

 

It's easier to work from the back, this way you're not crawling over the freshly laid carpet in the cockpit.
Also, I found it very helpful to make a cardboard template of the seat frame bolt holes in the floor. This saved a lot of time looking for them once the carpet was in.

 

Hi Blackrat,
I've got a front carpet set to install (had it 15 months now!!!) & the advice I got from a Vette specialist (who does top quality restorations, so I respect him) is as above, but one other thing he said was to fit it on a warm day & to run the engine for 1/2 hour with the heater fan going full blast to get the cabin warm. That way everything has expanded when the carpet goes in, so you won't get any nasty surprises the 1st time you go for a ride on a hot day. He also said to allow 1 day to change the front carpet (including removal of the old stuff).
:cheers:

 

Thanks UKPaul. It is supposed to be in the high 60's low 70's this weekend. So I am going to put it out in the sun Saturday morning and hopefully by the afternoon it will be good to go. Don't have an engine in it yet but the heater suggestion is a good idea.

Thanks
Wade
:cheers:

 

I just finished mine (seems like a popular winter project). Got my kit from Corvette Central, got the 3M spray adhesive (8088) from local store (took 3 cans). Quite simple, actually (EXCEPT FOR THE 3 DOOR REAR COMPARTMENT--see below)

I had to do just a little trimming here and there, but it will be obvious as you slowly and carefully fit each piece before spraying the adhesive. Also, I wiped all surfaces with lacquer thinner first before spraying.

Front or back first doesn't matter, but the two floor pieces have to go in before the vertical riser behind the front seats, and the two rear wheel well pieces need to go in before the large rear piece. On the large rear piece, the critical edge is the front leading edge that goes just over the lip under where the 3-door compartment screws down. I trimmed the jute backing so that only carpet (no padding) overlapped the lip, flush with the leading edge. Also, save a couple larger scraps, as the carpet set doesn't include a piece to carpet the 2-inch horizontal strip just forward of the rear compartment. Then glue that horizontal strip down before re-installing the rear storage compartment.

3 DOOR COMPARTMENT carpeting took longer and was twice the work than all the other carpeting combined. If the new carpet matches what's already installed in the 3-doors, you may seriously consider leaving the compartment doors as is. In my case, the 3 door compartment frame was cracked in a couple of places, so I wanted to replace it, and the carpeting. You will also need to order the original aluminum flat head rivets to keep it stock looking, as the doors are riveted to the frame (a rivet gun will be too forceful and will likely crack the new plastic, so it's better to hammer the flat head rivets in). The original trim framing around the carpet on each compartment door is actually laminated on with the original fiberglass. So you have to break it off in small pieces (WARNING: wear gloves!!!! I didn’t at first and have a gazillion fiberglass slivers in my hands to deal with). The doors are fiberglass. You can buy new door frames to hold the new carpet sections also at Corvette Central, along with a complete screw kit for the whole area. Mine looks great now, but the compartment doors sure took a lot of work.