Installing a new Carpet any tips or tricks?..1970 Plymouth Satellite auto

[Acworld34]

HI,

Just got the Carpet from ACC today and laid it out hoping it will flatten. It actually isn't that bad when it came.

This is my first time. The only big things are the gas pedal and seat belts that i will need to trim. What is the best things for the gas pedal? should i remove it and how? I'm sure there are bolts somewhere.

seat belts should i just put a slit in the carpet and slide them through?

What tools should i use? do you think a box cutter with a razor.

any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Aron Gleason]

I was told to get either a box knife or a solder iron.

 

[Acworld34]

I was told to get either a box knife or a solder iron.

cutting for the gas pedal location.. do you know how i should approach that?

 

[R413]

Remove everything from the floor. Put the carpet in, then start fitting it to,the trans tunnel. Read gas pedal part below.

Take your time. Think 2 steps ahead. It’s not a quick job. Any wrong cut looks terrible. Mark with a sharpie from below can help.

Gas pedal has 2 studs through the floor with nuts on them. The exhaust pipe Could be blocking them. Gas pedal needs a rectangle hole cut in the heel pad front corner. Check out how the carpet lays in the floor bump and get this right.

Do you have a carpet in there now?

 

[Hemi 354]

And.....just for the hell of it, I painted my floor-pan with POR-15.

 

[R413]

Be careful with that POOR15. I won’t buy any car with that crud applied to it. It’s a band aid.

 

[Jaysam]

Acworld34,
Who is ACC? I just ordered mine not long ago from Classic Industries. Really not happy with it. It seems poor quality compared to original carpet.

 

[Hemi 354]

Actually, I have a perfect floor-pan. I only used POR-15 to prevent any rust from forming. But, each to their own.

 

[R413]

That is a shame you did that Mess on a perfect floor pan. How about some quality paint instead?

 

[69 GeeTeeX]

I always use a cheap round stick style soldering iron to make holes for seat belts and seat tracks. Lay carpet in place and have someone hold it down and go under vehicle find holes and push hot soldering iron through the carpet. Perfect every time and melts carpet so the loops don’t unravel around hole.

 

[monaco66coupe]

go to home depot and buy some actual carpet cutters. it makes cutting easy. with the belts, use a sharp screwdriver and poke from beneath the car. then use the smaller cutters to slot out in all four directions until the hole is big enough, then trim off the excess.Carpets are notoriously cut poorly. So set the back carpet in where the molding fits the snuggest. That is when I keep the carpet tight in order to cut the holes for the belts.Then find pictures of an original Installation, and align the rubber protector sown into the carpet under the driver's feet just underneath and to the rear of the bake pedal.
and take your time. Measure twice, cut once! once you see there is always too much carpet in the front, gently pull it back and trim the front until the carpet is all the way up to the heater box, and the speedo cable hole on the left. go slowly, if you cut wrong, it will look crappy as previous member said.
I just did this to my Dart last sunday, so it is fresh in my mind. If you want to see an example of the location of the rubber pad, I can send one. I can also send a picture of an unrestored original done by chrysler in the B and C body. I could not remember myself where the most original placement was, so fortunately I have good examples.
I can post a picture of the cutters I used as well.

 

[chtampa]

There are hook blade inserts for utility knives. Work wonderful.

Base of gas pedal goes in the corner of the foot pad.

 

[beanhead]

For holes I use an old 1/4"-drive deep socket, maybe 5/16" or so....heat the end up with a handheld propane torch and it slides right through, it actually makes a small hole and cauterizes the fiber and removes the 'slug' for perfect fitment. Need a different size hole, use a different socket.
Yes on laying it out in the sun first to relax it some. The best tool for dialing in the installation is a small household steamer, it will make the carpet conform to every funky edge and shape of the floor pan.
(Nothing worse IMO than loose spots).
Getting through the rubber heel pad can be tricky, for that I've always just put a fresh razor blade in my carpet knife and gone slowly to get through the layers.

Acworld34,
Who is ACC? I just ordered mine not long ago from Classic Industries. Really not happy with it. It seems poor quality compared to original carpet.

ACC is the manufacturer of the carpet kits, from whom you can also purchase directly. Everyone else (Legendary included) is a reseller of the ACC kits.

 

[towtruckAl]

I use big welding magnets to hold in place . works good for me . and always compare to org if you have it .

 

[Sixpactogo]

After making an X with an box cutter for a seat belt, I ruined an area of carpet when the bolt grabbed a carpet thread and pulled some threads out for about a foot before I noticed it. Now I burn a hole for those seat belt bolts and seat tracks with a tool I made so that won't happen again. When you burn a hole, it melts the carpet around the hole avoiding the chance of pulling threads. I push a scratch awl up through the carpet from the bottom to mark where the hole should be. I then use a benzomatic torch to heat the end of pipe on the tool and slide it down over the scratch awl. The tool I made is a 1/4" X 6" pipe embedded in a 1" dowel. It makes a perfect 1/2" hole for the seat belt bolt and it is always in the right spot. Here is a pic of the tool I made. My upholstery guy liked it so much I made one for him. Hope it helps.

 

[chtampa]

After making an X with an box cutter for a seat belt, I ruined an area of carpet when the bolt grabbed a carpet thread and pulled some threads out for about a foot before I noticed it. Now I burn a hole for those seat belt bolts and seat tracks with a tool I made so that won't happen again. When you burn a hole, it melts the carpet around the hole avoiding the chance of pulling threads. I push a scratch awl up through the carpet from the bottom to mark where the hole should be. I then use a benzomatic torch to heat the end of pipe on the tool and slide it down over the scratch awl. The tool I made is a 1/4" X 6" pipe embedded in a 1" dowel. It makes a perfect 1/2" hole for the seat belt bolt and it is always in the right spot. Here is a pic of the tool I made. My upholstery guy liked it so much I made one for him. Hope it helps.View attachment 1079368

I used electrical conduit and a torch.

 

[Acworld34]

Remove everything from the floor. Put the carpet in, then start fitting it to,the trans tunnel. Read gas pedal part below.

Take your time. Think 2 steps ahead. It’s not a quick job. Any wrong cut looks terrible. Mark with a sharpie from below can help.

Gas pedal has 2 studs through the floor with nuts on them. The exhaust pipe Could be blocking them. Gas pedal needs a rectangle hole cut in the heel pad front corner. Check out how the carpet lays in the floor bump and get this right.

Do you have a carpet in there now?

Great replies guys and tricks. I did have the old carpet that came out of it and it looked horrible. I didn't take pics inside the Car and i had to rip it out. (the part around the gas pedal) I have since pulled everything out seats, back seat bottom....and was looking to take the gas pedal out. Any pics of carpet in a BBody.... It is an auto with no floor console so this should be pretty simple.

I am guessing if i get the rectangle hole for the gas pedal right that will line up everything else. I don't remember how far my Carpet went up to the firewall.

I will post pictures after i am done.

 

[R413]

Don’t be concerned with how far up the firewall it goes, it’s usually different on every aftermarket carpet. The placement of the heel pad is the big thing.

 

[NJRR]

Here are some pics of the installation in my 70 RR.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Do you have one of these too?