1989 Carpet Help?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 768
Likes: 22
From: California
FL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor'13
1989 Carpet Help?
On my 1989 corvette I just finished installing almost all the carpet all I have left is the part under the dash on the passenger and drivers side about where your knees would be and where the floor mats would go.
I can not figure out how to take off the panels on the driver and passenger side near your knees so that I can replace the carpet on it.
Any help would be appreciated whether it is a video on how to or just some instructions.
Also just wondering what are the best kinds of spark plugs for a 1989 corvette? I need to replace mine and want better than what i have as the ones I have now are not that great.
Thanks
I can not figure out how to take off the panels on the driver and passenger side near your knees so that I can replace the carpet on it.
Any help would be appreciated whether it is a video on how to or just some instructions.
Also just wondering what are the best kinds of spark plugs for a 1989 corvette? I need to replace mine and want better than what i have as the ones I have now are not that great.
Thanks
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 768
Likes: 22
From: California
FL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor'13
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Passenger side is held on by 3 machine screws. Driver's has 2 and then a pinch washer near the accelerator which you can pry off with a flatbladed screwdriver. Once you've got the pads out of the vehicle, it should be easier to glue on your new pieces.
Stock plugs are fine and should last for 100,000 miles on any vehicle with electronic fuel injection assuming no one has dumped leaded fuel in it and it hasn't sucked coolant through a head gasket leak (all too common on the '89). Removing them will often tell you if there's a problem. Rust on the threads, particularly at #7, means it needs more than new plugs. Heavy fouling, the rings or valve guides are shot. Lot's of soot, it's probably sucking air from somewhere other than the MAF making it run too rich. If one is sparkling clean and the others aren't so great - see 1, it's sucking coolant.
When you do the plugs, you might want to remove the a/c compressor for a straight shot at 2 & 4. You'll need to unbolt the Accumulator too and just move everything in one piece out of the way. You don't have to discharge it as there's enough flex in the hoses to move it.
Stock plugs are fine and should last for 100,000 miles on any vehicle with electronic fuel injection assuming no one has dumped leaded fuel in it and it hasn't sucked coolant through a head gasket leak (all too common on the '89). Removing them will often tell you if there's a problem. Rust on the threads, particularly at #7, means it needs more than new plugs. Heavy fouling, the rings or valve guides are shot. Lot's of soot, it's probably sucking air from somewhere other than the MAF making it run too rich. If one is sparkling clean and the others aren't so great - see 1, it's sucking coolant.
When you do the plugs, you might want to remove the a/c compressor for a straight shot at 2 & 4. You'll need to unbolt the Accumulator too and just move everything in one piece out of the way. You don't have to discharge it as there's enough flex in the hoses to move it.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 768
Likes: 22
From: California
FL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor'13
Passenger side is held on by 3 machine screws. Driver's has 2 and then a pinch washer near the accelerator which you can pry off with a flatbladed screwdriver. Once you've got the pads out of the vehicle, it should be easier to glue on your new pieces.
Stock plugs are fine and should last for 100,000 miles on any vehicle with electronic fuel injection assuming no one has dumped leaded fuel in it and it hasn't sucked coolant through a head gasket leak (all too common on the '89). Removing them will often tell you if there's a problem. Rust on the threads, particularly at #7, means it needs more than new plugs. Heavy fouling, the rings or valve guides are shot. Lot's of soot, it's probably sucking air from somewhere other than the MAF making it run too rich. If one is sparkling clean and the others aren't so great - see 1, it's sucking coolant.
When you do the plugs, you might want to remove the a/c compressor for a straight shot at 2 & 4. You'll need to unbolt the Accumulator too and just move everything in one piece out of the way. You don't have to discharge it as there's enough flex in the hoses to move it.
Stock plugs are fine and should last for 100,000 miles on any vehicle with electronic fuel injection assuming no one has dumped leaded fuel in it and it hasn't sucked coolant through a head gasket leak (all too common on the '89). Removing them will often tell you if there's a problem. Rust on the threads, particularly at #7, means it needs more than new plugs. Heavy fouling, the rings or valve guides are shot. Lot's of soot, it's probably sucking air from somewhere other than the MAF making it run too rich. If one is sparkling clean and the others aren't so great - see 1, it's sucking coolant.
When you do the plugs, you might want to remove the a/c compressor for a straight shot at 2 & 4. You'll need to unbolt the Accumulator too and just move everything in one piece out of the way. You don't have to discharge it as there's enough flex in the hoses to move it.
On the spark plugs I need to buy new ones as all of them but 2 are beyond repair and I was wondering what was the best kind to buy.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,220
Likes: 446
From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
SunCr (though normally spot on), is wrong about the PS carpeted panel removal. It's a PITA, a ROYAL pita. (I believe he's thinking of the plastic hush panel (further behind the carpeted piece).
There are 4 bolts (studs) that point up into the (under) dash. There are 4-bolts that require removal to get it down/off. Even when/if you get to the bolts, it's not easy to pull it down and push it back up.
I'm not really dramatizing, I really didn't care for this panel's mounting method...It's a friggin' vanity panel...not motor mounts!
To get to the 4-bolts, I finally had to remove the bread box. Even that's a pita to get off -- requiring a loose hack-saw blade to cut thru it's bracket. (per instructions that came with a flat-panel replacement)
I vote (for your sanity) to pull that carpet off as the panel is mounted. You'll be much happier -- even if you have to mask off/spray whatever glue you're using for mounting.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 768
Likes: 22
From: California
FL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor'13
This is what I was thinking of recommending.
SunCr (though normally spot on), is wrong about the PS carpeted panel removal. It's a PITA, a ROYAL pita. (I believe he's thinking of the plastic hush panel (further behind the carpeted piece).
There are 4 bolts (studs) that point up into the (under) dash. There are 4-bolts that require removal to get it down/off. Even when/if you get to the bolts, it's not easy to pull it down and push it back up.
I'm not really dramatizing, I really didn't care for this panel's mounting method...It's a friggin' vanity panel...not motor mounts!
To get to the 4-bolts, I finally had to remove the bread box. Even that's a pita to get off -- requiring a loose hack-saw blade to cut thru it's bracket. (per instructions that came with a flat-panel replacement)
I vote (for your sanity) to pull that carpet off as the panel is mounted. You'll be much happier -- even if you have to mask off/spray whatever glue you're using for mounting.
SunCr (though normally spot on), is wrong about the PS carpeted panel removal. It's a PITA, a ROYAL pita. (I believe he's thinking of the plastic hush panel (further behind the carpeted piece).
There are 4 bolts (studs) that point up into the (under) dash. There are 4-bolts that require removal to get it down/off. Even when/if you get to the bolts, it's not easy to pull it down and push it back up.
I'm not really dramatizing, I really didn't care for this panel's mounting method...It's a friggin' vanity panel...not motor mounts!
To get to the 4-bolts, I finally had to remove the bread box. Even that's a pita to get off -- requiring a loose hack-saw blade to cut thru it's bracket. (per instructions that came with a flat-panel replacement)
I vote (for your sanity) to pull that carpet off as the panel is mounted. You'll be much happier -- even if you have to mask off/spray whatever glue you're using for mounting.
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Race Director
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From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
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The DS is held on by several points IIRC. There are two screws imbedded in deep recessed "tubes". The carpet fiber will tend to hide those two recessed holes. But, they are at least 1/2-3/4" and can be felt if you use your fingers. They are either small hex or philips head. Use a flashlight to decide.
You have to remove the hush panel (rear plastic panel) first.
I'm thinking there's at least two screws that go in from the outer end of the dash (below the defroster donut.
Finally, I think there's a screw on either side of the steering column -- near the front edge of the knee pad.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 841
Likes: 1
In my opinion, the best contact cement is Dap in the red can, it's a brush on cement and that stuff is the best and I've used them all. I've done tons of interior work on cars and boats and the one thing thats gonna make a big difference to the way the carpet will stick, is if it's bound on the back. The carpet should have a thin plastic coating on the back, it the carpet is "raw" it will tend to soak-up the glue and not adhear well. What I used to do is use cove base cement on the carpet backing and let it dry, that creates a hard rigid backing and makes the carpet stiff. This gives the carpet the backing it needs for the contact cement to grab onto.
Last edited by caddyboy84; May 1, 2012 at 12:21 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Holy Crap! Never had an issue taking these panels off - maybe because it's an '89 and that means at least 2 or 3 ECMs (hell, I had 3 replaced under warranty!). Anyway, they're 8 mm sheet metal screws so get the seat all the way back, lay on your back and you should be able to find them. As you drop it down you're going to have to disconnect the courtesy light, but that's fairly simple too.
As I said on plugs, stock AC Delco is fine. There are no miracle plugs and the tech is to have a clean burn so that they last. Just be sure that you've got good access or your next post might be - how do I repair a cross threaded plug hole?
As I said on plugs, stock AC Delco is fine. There are no miracle plugs and the tech is to have a clean burn so that they last. Just be sure that you've got good access or your next post might be - how do I repair a cross threaded plug hole?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
Sent you a PM but finally realized you're doing the carpet which means a whole lot more comes off - I've been referring to the plastic hush panels, which I would remove anyway. From there, it's dropping the column, removing the dash trim, upper panel and Bread Box which is a pain to access (as Gregg pointed out). You're also going to be removing some of the a/c duct work, but that'll give you an opportunity to seal it up with some duct tape so that your a/c isn't blowing on the ECM (factory seals were foam and it's usually long gone). For me, I just take off anything that's in the way until it's easy so I think its a matter of what makes it easy for you.
