body and interior Carpet / Upholstery Replacement

[John_in_VA]

I got a quote from an auto parts store for fatmat @ $10/sqft.  Crazy.

Check out http://www.raamaudio.com/.

[John_in_VA]

I need just a roll of a length of carpet at some standard width.

Every town has a carpet store, at least around here. Take your old carpet (or a portion of it) so the salesperson can suggest something in a similar weight for the job.

[PaulTWinterton]

Anyone know a good source for carpet that i can cut up myself? Is there a specific term for this type of carpet? House carpet for instance has gnarly adhesive that i definitely dont want... @esty i'd buy your kit, but i want to do as much myself as i can :]

Some of us have been there. You'll never do as nice a job as Esty can. It eventually will look incorrect, frayed, imperfect. In the long run, professional carpet pieces will outlive DIY.

You could justify by installing yourself. It's still a rewarding job.

I'm just saying.

Thanks for the deadening material links. I only need the material for the inside of the doors. The original stuff, cracked and fell off after 40 years. I'm sure new material inside the doors will be an improvement in noise reduction and door closing THUNK.

[gregpark]

Definitely do-able yourself if you go with the multi piece method, and you use the old pieces as templates. A molded one piece job is tricky to do and involves making paper templates, hand sewing from the back with carpet thread and a big curved needle to do a cross stitch covered with latex afterward (not something for the inexperienced). Go to a retail carpet store and select a high end nylon looped carpet. Nylon because it's the most cleanable and the newer nylon synthetics last as long as wool. High end because you'll only need to order 4 or 5 square yards so you might as well get an excellent quality. Most carpet comes 12 feet wide, and a 3x12 (4 sq. yd.s) is easily enough to do your car (save the extra for future replacement mats). If you want to do your trunk too, then order a 4x12 (5.3 sq. yd.s). You want a loop pile because it will hold up and not pack as easily (natural spring action in the loop). Make sure the carpet you order has the newer "soft back". You don't want the conventional jute backed because it's abrasive, stiff with latex and won't conform to the floor as well. Ask your carpet shop to recommend a binder who can bind the edges of your cut mats in the color of your choice. When the bound mats come back, treat the binding with Scotchguard in several applications as the binding tape will not come with a factory applied stain guard like your carpet. Your mats can be installed with two faced taped (just spot tape so you can easily remove them for cleaning). Never steam clean your mats as it will defeat the factory stain guard and leave your floors vulnerable to stains forever (hand wash and dry out of the car). I would also recommend using 1/4" thick 80 or 100 oz. acoustical pad under your mats for sound deadening and a nice firm feel.   Piece of cake!   

[flagoworld]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will go to a nearby carpet store and see what I can come up with.

 

Of course I will not do as good a job as if it were professionally done, but at least I will obtain the experience of doing it myself. :]

[willys]

nice -

[MikeD]

Anyone know a good source for carpet that i can cut up myself? Is there a specific term for this type of carpet? House carpet for instance has gnarly adhesive that i definitely dont want...

@esty i'd buy your kit, but i want to do as much myself as i can :]

I did exactly what you want to do.  I sourced carpet that closely matched my original 74 tii carpet and used the old carpet as a pattern.  After it was cut out I had the edges sewn.  The carpet I used from a carpet store is:

 

Patcraft Broadloom Cloisonne II Antron

Brilliance Nylon....

 

It wasn't easy but the results were very good.  Buying a ready made carpet set is much easier but if you want to do it yourself it is doable.

[gregpark]

It will be every bit as good as a professional job if you trace your mats properly and have it professionally bound. In fact, it will be better than an ordered kit because you can select a superior carpet. 

[flagoworld]

Alright! Update! Time to remove that nasty tar.

 

I bought 30lbs of dry ice. I broke it up, placed it in old bed sheets and let it sit a while. After 30 minutes or so per floor area, I moved it to the next floor area and started chipping off the tar. A tiny pry bar and a hammer worked well. In total I used 20lbs of the ice, as the 2 sacks could just be moved around to the next floor area before the ice fully evaporated.

 

Here are some images.

 

I was very pleased with how easy it was to get the tar off, however was very sad to see the amount of rust on the driver side floor.

 

Next step is to really work on that rust, as a first pass of the rust remover only got some off. It got dark, so the project waits for another day. Tuesday, I hope.

 

[flagoworld]

Note to self: $6 wire cup brush = best purchase of life

[joeconejo]

Something else that might prove useful- Replace the plastic fuel line running through the cabin now if it is still being used. 

 

I recently finished my interior only to discover a couple cracks that dumped a good quarter gallon of gas into the front floorboard which required removing the carpet and insulation again.

 

It melted the self adhesive foil backed flashing and left a giant pool of gas /tar on the garage floor. I must have disturbed it removing the original tar, not sure, but for $35 it is well worth doing now.

[flagoworld]

Well, I have made some great progress, though it has been a while since I have posted. The Sun is finally showing its face here in Seattle, WA, and I have gotten to spend some quality time on my car.

 

I have finally removed all of the rust (whew, it was A LOT), put in most of the sound dampening, and begun removing rust from the various internal parts.

 

I have also replaced my distributor rotor and cap, checked my spark plugs, and determined that after I do a carb tuning I need to replace them. There is carbon buildup from running rich. I'm waiting on a compression tester extension so I can fit the darned thing into the abyss that is the spark plug ports in the M10.

 

Additional side note, I found someone nearby who will come to my house and both bring me a replacement steel port plug for the shiny new hole in the drivers side floor, and also weld the E-brake bracket back into place. Woot!

[flagoworld]

Yay! Don't mind the ghetto foam job. It's going below the carpet anyways. The important part is that it's removable... Just in case.

 

 

[esty]

fwiw....my opinion...all that foam will cause your carpet to fit like crap...especially so around the pedals

 

good job though...are you having fun yet?

[flagoworld]

You think? It's not much thicker than the foam that was there originally... Though with your experience you're most likely correct. We will see. Good thing i made it so I can pull it right out.

 

Yes, I have been having fun with most of it, except the rust removal. ;p

Edited March 19, 2015 by flagoworld