i need some carpet for my 51 shoebox coupe. but it has a different tunnel. anyone lay their own? hows it look? where to look for it? all i can find is pre cut kits. thanks for any info .
I bought a roll of cheap black for $20 at a swap meet. I made it two pieces. The back half layed over the hump nice, I needed to cut a slit in the front so it would fold over the tunnel, but it looks good. I've got some cheap floor mats to keep from wearing a hole in it, but you could probably find some better stuff and do the same.
Carpet 101 I could explain it, but pictures work better! Measure and cut carpet. Usually around 72" for most cars. A 36" to 40" width works best. Start by folding carpet in half and placing on center hump. Make shure the sides stay seated down on sides of hump. Measure to enshure enough length folded to reach firewall pad. Mark a upside down "T" at hump center. And two lines down each side. Cut carpet directly up center, then down each side mark. Fold carpet back againt toeboards and lay in place. Tuck upper hump tunnel pieces behind lower hump section. Some trimming of excess will help. Make shure corners are seated again, and carpet is flat and smooth. One side flap will need to be cut directly up the center hump and placed over top of the other as pictured. Mark all edges with chalk, including alighnment marks for sewing. Mark and cut around pedals, dimmer, ect. Now is the time to locate and mark a heel pad as well. The rear is marked in a similar manner. It is now removed and trimmed for sewing. This picture shows how much to cut out for sewing. A 1/2" seam allowance must be left or carpet will be to short. Continued......
Continued; This is what the carpet should look like when trimmed with correct seam allowance. The marks should line up when sewn. An edge binding is sewn on all exposed edges for finish and to protect the edges from fraying. Reinstall and glue down in position. Should look good!! Thanks, and I hope this helps, Roy. P.S. Have pictures of custom floor matts using the same carpet if your interested.
wow nsidemn!! i wasnt expecting that much . thank you for a awesome post! now its time to get sum carpet.
Floor Matts! These are really eeasy to make and really add a lot to your interior. You are going to need about a yard more carpet, ussually 24" to 28" in front and 12" to 16" in rear. Rough cut the size desired and place on floor. Draw around with a piece of chalk and trim. After you have your desired shape, the carpet is glued to a heavy nipple backed runner. Both pieces need to be glued very well and allowed to tack up or dry to touch. Then they are rolled with a heavy roller to achieve best bond. Trim the rubber to match your carpet and then trim about an inch of the nibs from the backside. This gives a flat area to sew the edge binding on. A heel pad can bee glued and sewn on for extra protection, and they look better. This heel pad is a medium size. They are made smaller (which I prefer in rods) and larger. Just a peek at the outside of this sweet Vicky. Roy.
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