Any lessons-learned, tips, or things you wish you'd done differently? Should I apply spray adhesive to the entire surface, or just key locations? Thanks.
Are you using pad and carpet or just carpet? Is it preformed carpet or are you cutting this up yourself? Dont get crazy with the spray adhesive you just might want to remove it some day. Spray a little on the floor and a little on the pad let it set about 30 seconds and lay together. Same with the carpet to pad. Glue it around the perimeter of the floor and drive shaft tunnel. Do this somewhere warm and it will help make the carpet more flexable.
I'd ask for a little more information. Is this for your 55 Chevy? What carpet are you laying down? Are you only using adhesive? No mechanical fasteners? My one bit of advice is to lay down some sort of sound and heat insulation first. It really helps to make you car feel more solid, and more enjoyable during the hotter days.
I've done quite a few carpets over the years both moulded and using flat, unformed stock and there a couple of things that will help out greatly. Here's the most important part: If you are using adhesive, don't use it until the bitter end when the carpet is all fitted up and you have already fitted and trimmed it. Because, and here's the second thing, if you are using flat, unformed stock and doing it yourself on the cheap, you want to make all your small relief and pie cuts with the carpet not stuck down so you can see how it's going to 'flow' across various floor features. If one is sticking it down as they go along, you may make a cut in the wrong place and wreck your remnant or it may end up in a place that shows. I seem to like Super77 (?) interior trim adhesive these days. There used to be something in a red, white, and blue can that I used to use (sorry, forgot the name) and it was bad ass. But I started to not be able to find it and changed to that. But I'll bet Sean (FatLuckys) would be the guy to ask about modern adhesive choices. Hope some of this helps.
How fancy a job are you planning? do you have a heavy duty sewing machine ? Different cars require different methods, of course, but a true custom installation needs bound edges and a smooth fit over the tunnel. Use a good insulating pad, glue it down well, then lightly glue the carpet to the pad, but cut and fit it all first. If you can get contact adhesive from an upholstery supplier you will have better results than 3m 77. fit it all first, then start at the middle and work to the sides. if you have sill plates to finish the sides be sure to leave the carpet plenty long and trim it off last. It is easy to trim off excess, looks bad trying to add on carpet cut too short. By the way use automotive carpet rather than house carpet, it is much easier to mold and bend. Patience is the key to a good job!!
If you are installing black carpet needto have some flat black aresol paint handy especially if you don't have the ability to sew you can spray the surface below the carpet in such places as corners and etc that might have a tendancy to open up later it helps to disgiuse the hole. Use a spray adheasive i would sugest going to home depot and buying a couple of quarts of conact cement like they use for applying formica to counter tops that is what i use and it works great you can spray it through an old siphon feed paint gun or cup gun i would also sugest insulation lowes has some double bubble it is silver and works very well and it is cheap Now fit your carpet make all your cuts i would sugest do the firewall first if you are creative you can do it in a couple of pieces one on the left around all the pedals and one on the right and use the center hump and cover the edges of the other two. then glue it, contact cement you need to spray both the car and the back of the carpet just takes a little, let dry about a min. then stick it . then start fitting the center make sure you get it fit ,the way you want then spray the back of the whole carpet let dry about a min. or three then put in the car, start on one side or the other, remember you only sprayed the carpet not the car so now that it is in the car you can start on one side fold the carpet back and spray the floor gently set the carpet in place and work it till you get it where you want it then go to the other side and do the same If you don't have any thresh holds aluminum strip about 1 inch wide looks great with corners rounded hope this helps Matt
When its time to make holes for seats or belts or ? try this. Take a old ½ or ¾ hole saw and grind the teeth off so it is sharp like a punch. Use it in a drill just like a hole saw, using the ¼ drill bit as a guide through the carpet pad and mounting hole in the floor. This is the best way of making nice holes that I have found.
Thanks guys. Keep 'em coming. A little background: It's a moulded carpet from ACC going into my '55 Chevy. I have some no-name "Dynamat-knockoff" sound deadner that I'll put under it so I can hear my wife screaming at me to slow down...
If you have any cuts that look like they will take your fingers off put down the knife and get some scissors. Make small X cuts at bolts and bolt holes.
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