1970 Interior

[Les G.]

I Purchased A 1970 Corvette Convertable About 6 Months Ago The Prior Owner Installed A New Interior. To Say The Least He Did Not Do A Good Job. I Want To Reinstall The Carpeting In Rear Compartment And Glue It Down Properly Mount The Dome Light It Is Just Hanging There. What Is The Best Way To Do This? The Car Is An Original 40k Vehicle And I Want To Reinstall This Carpet As It Came From The Factory Is There Instructions? Does The Carpet Have To Be Cut Or Trimmed In Any Area? Any Help Or Suggestion Is Greatly Appreciated.
Les

[Pat M.]

Re: 1970 Interior

Les - I installed new carpeting in my 70 a while back and was able to use the old carpeting as a template to see where to trim. If you're replacing your present carpet and it at least has a nice fit, you can do the same by laying the new over the old.
Otherwise, if you're simply reinstalling the present carpet you'll probably have to lay down each piece in the car and individually trim what needs it, and it'll be pretty obvious what does need it.
Click this previous thread to see pictures of how mine came out:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...62989&uid=3633

Good Luck.

[Barrett R.]

Re: 1970 Interior

I agree with Pat Moresi. Use the old carpet as a templet, and cut the new carpet a little wider. You can always trim away any excess, but if you cut too much, you'll have a problem. Instead of a scissor, use a pair of straight cut aviation metal snips. With the compound action of the jaws, they'll cut through carpet like butter.

Also, where you need to make holes for attaching seat belt anchors and to mount the seats, use a sharp awl to find the threaded hole. After locating the hole, use a soldering iron to enlarge the hole in the carpet so that carpet material doesn't gall the threads.

Barry

[Mark R.]

Re: 1970 Interior

Pat:

I clicked on the link to the pictures of the carpet instillation you did in your 1970 Corvette. Absolutely beautiful job. Your talent is evident. It's inspiring to see quality work done by fellow NCRS members.

Thanks for the pictures.

Mark

[Bill L.]

Re: 1970 Interior

Well if you do not have the original to use as a template it can be tricky. All the replacement carpets have the wrong shape on the rear bulkhead.

I had Tony's corvette re-stitch the webbing correctly and he had a template/original I could use to compare. Try and find a nice original or use the pics from Pat. You may have to pull the entire carpet up to fix it. One recommendation if you do it is to place the carpet in the hot sun so it lays and molds without bulges or bumps.

When you go to make the holes in the rear to push the rubber fasteners through the carpet. The best I have come up with per another member is to carefully use a pencil type soldering iron to make the hole. Use it carefully.

It is one of the easier jobs if you take your time. It was my first time and it turned out almost perfect. Kinda like the factory


Bill

[Pat M.]

Re: 1970 Interior

Pat:
I clicked on the link to the pictures of the carpet instillation you did in your 1970 Corvette. Absolutely beautiful job. Your talent is evident. It's inspiring to see quality work done by fellow NCRS members.Thanks for the pictures.
Mark

Thank you so much for the kind words, Mark.
I'm no pro, but I was determined to take my time and do it right. Doing it myself was VERY satisfying, and I hope to show others that it's not quite so intimidating as you might think.

[Reba W.]

Re: 1970 Interior

I have judged two cars in the past year that had the correct shape and binding on the rear bulkhead carpet. The owners told me that it came from Corvette America. Might check with them.