having the carpets replaced in my 1979...

[nchase007]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum! I am looking into replacing the carpets in my 79 vette. The interior of my car is black and the carpets have faded to a dark brown. I've seen kits in the Year One and Corvette America catalogs for about $350. I was wondering if any of you have gone through doing your own or if it is just worth it to pay an upholsterer to do it for you? Does anyone know what an upholsterer charges to do carpets?

Thanks guys,
Nate

 

[Vinn]

Welcome Nate! I've done the front area of my car and it wasn't bad at all. I've yet to install my rear carpet, but I know plenty of people here will chime in with some valuable advice, and possibly upholstery costs. Best of luck!

Vince

 

[Dave L.]

I did this job last winter. If you take your time its very rewarding job. Several guys on this board have websites showing how they did it. Bob Chadwick has a nice site http://home.comcast.net/~chadwick.robert/interior.htm with how its done. We can walk/talk you through it...Some of the best carpet sets I have seen are from Al Knoch and Mid-America has a nice set with insulation backing. I used Corvette America only because I get a very good discount from them. Welcome aboard...

 

[Andy]

Nate..Welcome to CAC..I had my carpets , front and back redone 3 years ago in my '76. Bought them from Mid America, but i did check Ecklers, Corvette America, Corvette Central etc....Part of my car was being restored, so I had my Corvette body man install this as well during his "down time". Came out great and the cost was MINIMAL! I 'll be replacing the carpet in my '79 soon and will look and see what Al Knoch has to offer as well possibly next year at Carlsile. If their are any BIG Corvette shows coming up in your area with large vendors present, stop by and see what they have first hand....

Andy

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum! I am looking into replacing the carpets in my 79 vette. The interior of my car is black and the carpets have faded to a dark brown. I've seen kits in the Year One and Corvette America catalogs for about $350. I was wondering if any of you have gone through doing your own or if it is just worth it to pay an upholsterer to do it for you? Does anyone know what an upholsterer charges to do carpets?

Thanks guys,
Nate

 

[Chas]

A one day job.....

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum! I am looking into replacing the carpets in my 79 vette. The interior of my car is black and the carpets have faded to a dark brown. I've seen kits in the Year One and Corvette America catalogs for about $350. I was wondering if any of you have gone through doing your own or if it is just worth it to pay an upholsterer to do it for you? Does anyone know what an upholsterer charges to do carpets?

Thanks guys,
Nate

after the interior is removed.I had my carpet done in a weekend...and i also put down sound proofing and heatshield material.measure twice, cut once. its not about the time required, its about the final product being the way you want it to look.your car is 25 yrs old, an extra day or two to complete a job like this is worth the effort.Good luck, let us know how you do.

Welcome the the CAC!

Chas

 

[craig32]

Nate,
Welcome aboard! I replaced the carpet in my '81 a month ago - nothing to it. All you need to do is take out the seats, carpet is molded - pretty much installs itself. I got mine from Wilcox - http://www.yankeelady.com/willcox/ - for $215. I had red carpet that faded to pink and orange, it's all dark red now, new seat covers to match. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Craig

 

[rmonty]

Nate, I agree with Craig . . . I bought my carpet set from Wilcox and it was a pretty easy job. Their prices are great and the carpet quality is very good. It is pretty simple to install your self as long as you pay close attention to how it was held in place before. I bought the mounted seat covers and some interior dye from Wilcox at the same time and my '79 looks great now.

Welcome to CAC!

 

[Yoda]

I did Rare a couple of years ago. I bought my carpet from Wally Knoch and I am still impressed with quality and fit. 81Mako bought his carpet from another vendor, and the quality was ok but, not as good as the carpet set I bought from Wally. Wally is member here at CAC and provides a great price, well under $350

Check out this Thread for a few photo's and more discussion

Bud

 

[wallyknoch]

Iron Cross {Wally Knoch}

Hello Nate,
E mail me at the Nitro Alley link and I`ll be glad to set you up with one of our top of the line Al Knoch carpet sets with a special forum members price.

Thanks Bud,

 

[Chas]

My post may have been misleading....

In cutting the carpet, Im talking about the seat belt holes....and i had to trim a bit , due to underlayments i added....Im not sure where i got it now, but i would have looked up Wally had i known then what i know now.
Chas

 

[Bob Chadwick]

If your car is like almost all of the sharks there is a heat radiation issue through the floorboards, firewall, etc. I can't recommend strongly enough the placement of the Reflectix under the carpet and over the drive shaft tunnel. It was the single biggest reduction in heat in the cabin of my Corvette.

It is very thin, fits easily and goes into place with the 3M adhesive. The only wear point is where your feet go and that area has the jute (sp) backing from the carpet to provide additional insulation.

 

[nchase007]

Hey thanks guys for all of your help, seriously I have got back so much helpful information. I'm excited to be part of this forum, and I'm also looking forward to learning what I can from you guys! It's cool that we all share the same interest/obsission with these beautiful cars.

Thanks again guys,
Nate

 

[Andy]

Thanks for replying on this one. The '81 looks GREAT with the light gray carpeting..EXACTLY like I believe mine should look. Any little problems that you ran into?? I know, measure twice, cut once..besides being careful....Would appreciate. My '79 has the oyster white dash and also the oyster white parking brake section. I plan on installing a custom White steering wheel if I can find one that won't break the bank..Yikes..thats another thread....

Thanks ..

Andy

I did Rare a couple of years ago. I bought my carpet from Wally Knoch and I am still impressed with quality and fit. 81Mako bought his carpet from another vendor, and the quality was ok but, not as good as the carpet set I bought from Wally. Wally is member here at CAC and provides a great price, well under $350

Check out this Thread for a few photo's and more discussion

Bud

 

[bill81vette]

BTW welcome to the forums!!!

 

[Yoda]

Thanks for replying on this one. The '81 looks GREAT with the light gray carpeting..EXACTLY like I believe mine should look. Any little problems that you ran into?? I know, measure twice, cut once..besides being careful....Would appreciate. My '79 has the oyster white dash and also the oyster white parking brake section. I plan on installing a custom White steering wheel if I can find one that won't break the bank..Yikes..thats another thread....

Thanks ..

Andy

Andy

I took my time and used the aluminum heat insulation barrier Bob Chadwick reference's. The only glueing I did was in the back compartment to form the carpet over the wheelwells and on the back under the rear window and the floors to make a nice neat fit. I used 3M spray glue for carpets, it was a blue glue that allowed a bit of flexabilty when fitting before setting up

I also used several 40lbs bags water softener salt to help get the exact curves and carpet to fit the best. I left the entire carpet kit lay out on the garage floor for a couple of days before I did the fit install, then the final install. Another set of hands is nice, but can sometimes be in the way, esp if you are like me and very anal about perfection :eek

It is a very rewarding project, you can step back and SEE the improvement and it gives your car that new smell back

Bud