70's Rear Compartment Restoration

[Jeff Gunn]

I was looking at the rear compartment cover on my '74 coupe, hoping to restore it. My first and biggest question is how do you get the old carpet off the doors, is it glued or held by some other means? Second question would be attaching the new pieces, but that will probably be obcious after I figure out how to get the old ones off. I have the carpet pieces from my Al Knoch carpet kit, but they are not cut for the latches. What is the best tool for cutting this lightweight carpet? Any other tips are appreciated! Thanks, Jeff


Jeff's '74 Corvette Restoration Project

[Jerry Clark]

Re: 70's Rear Compartment Restoration

Hi Jeff:

The carpet is held in place with contact cement, you should be able to get under a corner and just peel the old carpet off, after removing all trim hardware. Buy a can of contact cement, 3M makes some great contact cement, spray it on the back of the carpet and the mating side of the door, let it dry almost completely and apply the carpet, get it correctly positioned the first time as it will be all but impossible to move once contact is made. The latch cutouts can be made with any razor knife, exacto etc. Be careful of the attaching screws, they will strip easily in the door material.

jerry