My light Oak interior has now morphed into nasty brown. I plan on replacing all carpet with black, can anyone recommend quality replacement? I have been cruising the bay for OEM pieces as well however I would like shiny new. TIA

 

Mid America and Top Flight Automotive have replacement carpet sets. Not sure on quality as I've never seen a set installed, however the bar is set pretty low with the OEM carpet.

Also, a custom auto upholsterer could pretty much install anything although it would be a pricier option. There was a C5 on the Forum a few ago that had a custom color carpet from Mercedes Benz installed.

 

Not much help, but good luck. I have seen replacement carpet sets for earlier models, but really have not seen many offerings for the C5.

However, try contacting Top Flight Automotive - I think I saw that they listed carpet replacement sets for the C5.

 

I went to what seemed a great expense for carpet when restoring my Ram. Maybe Corvette specific vendors have better options available, but I was not happy with the match to factory as it did not perfectly match in my case.

So I suggest you may have better luck chasing the resellers / wrecking yards and seeking a direct factory replacement carpet from a well cared for low miles car when they pop up.

The work itself is not hard. Removing the seats is heavy and having a second hand prevents scraping the valence covers with the seat bottom but it is still a 1 person job.

15mm for the seat bolts
disconnect the power dongle under the seat
remove seats (roof off helps, but not necessary)
Trim - seatbelt roller cover, valance cover, front of door frame covers have to come out - remove with upholstery tool or broad flat anything with a rag over it
foot rest has 2 bolts - 10mm I think
carpet can be removed from there without removing center console
reverse process to install new carpet
if you are comfortable carefully pushing the carpet up under the center console at the edges with a small plastic tool - all good - and that saves a little time
otherwise, may be easier to pull the arm rest and center console if preferred, and it may help the way the armrest pad underneath basically flops over the tunnel, carpet sidewall comes "up" and then the console goes down over that.

Some great opportunities here:

Insulation - sound and thermal - I recommend VetteNuts with the audio layer it goes in under the carpet

Shifter - if you're pulling the center console, now is the time to pop one in

Arm Rest Fix - the plastic bottoms of the arm rest at the rear ALL tend to crack and rip out when serviced - while it is out slap epoxy on the bottom, add a washer with some pressure, then add more epoxy to the edges to hold the washer.... so far, it has been a pretty permanent fix for mine

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I agree with the quality and fit being hit or miss. I replaced the carpet in my Grand Cherokee with vinyl offered by AAC however they don't offer C5 carpet. I do plan on sound deadening, as far as the shifter mine is equipped with a slush box much to my dismay.

 

I replaced my oak interior carpet with a black one from an ebay donor car. Very easy to do and no issues at all

 

One additional option if it is in good condition would by to spray dye it black. I have no experience with this yet.

 

^^ That did cross my mind however at 129,000 the carpet is hit pretty good in a few places. I mentioned AAC does not offer carpet for the C5, apparently I was wrong about that. I may use their product, the vinyl I put in the Jeep is pretty quality stuff.

 

Check the description out. Says made in USA…

https://www.mamotorworks.com/corvett...***-back-51899

 

Nice, thanks! Even the price is reasonable, within a C note of buying it off the bay.

 

you'll need to get these off of ebay unless you spray paint yours

 

I did notice the back panel is not included. I also have to source the door trim panels and associated trim though I think I am going to leave the knee bolsters tan, I think a subtle black and tan would look ok.

 

I went with ACC replacement carpet through OC Autocarpets:
https://www.ocautocarpets.com/catalo...y=auto-carpets
They are in the car, but they are not impressive. ACC molds their carpet similar to GM shape, but not quite the same. My carpets have several burns, I assume from the molding process. And my favorite aspect, the stitched edging around the shifter was loose and crooked to the point of ugly.
A far better choice would be good used from Vettenuts or Dino’s, etc.

 

Thank you for that input, this is what I like about this forum.

 

Tyler at All American Classics or Fparts should have full used factory replacements, they go through a lot of cars.

 

Bookmarked!

Here’s my list with the above added:

Corvette Dismantlers Links

 

I can also HIGHLY recommend two other companies for both the parts availability and the character of their staff from direct experiences:

VetteNuts (TN)

Next Gen Parts Place (MA)

I benefit from being about one hour from Next Gen and have enjoyed the opportunity to walk and sift through their VERY ORGANIZED collection of parts in person before selecting what I needed, and then also spotting other stuff I wanted before heading home again.

 

I thought VetteNuts discontinued their dismantling operation…?

 

I couldn't say. Their website looks plenty active though.

 

I stand corrected. I must have been thinking of another company…