Here is another Blog entry by our friend, Troy Kruger at Custom Show Boards. Be sure to check out his web site to view his great work.Opting to go with a custom interior color combination 15 years ago, the carpet in my ’66 convertible always sort of bothered me. I still enjoyed the car with the wrong carpet style until I finally decided a change was in order. I wanted the absolute best quality I could find, but my carpet color would have to be a non-original offering for ’66 to suit my taste. That’s where Brant at VA Classic Mustang came to help.
I had researched that “mass backed” carpeting was the best way to go, but Brant didn’t stock it so I had to place a custom order to get what I wanted. This also insured that my new carpeted floor mats and kick panel carpeting would match perfectly (and it did). Brant sent me various color samples until we found the one that would work. My carpeting arrived quickly and at a price I felt was a terrific value.
The extra bulk and weight of the mass backed carpet was immediately evident. I unpacked it on the morning of installation and laid it out in the sun so that it would be easier to work with once it was ready for installation. It didn’t take much to prepare this carpeting, as it stayed in its correctly molded contour easily enough. This was my first time attempting to install carpet, so I gave myself an entire day. I certainly needed the entire day for this project.
So out went the seats, full center console and old carpeting ( I can honestly say that removing the console without injuring anything was the hardest part of the whole job). A previous owner glued down a thick rubber style underlayment that I chose not to disturb since it still looked good and appeared to be doing the job. That thick underlayment, combined with the extra bulk of the Mass Backed carpeting did not allow my console to go back in without butchering the new carpet (and my knuckles), so I decided not to reinstall it.
The rear section went in great without the need for any trimming. The front had a little hole sliced out for the shifter, which I had to enlarge to make work around the reverse lockout on the 4-speed shifter. I was careful to make sure I didn’t cut too big or the small little chrome boot retainer wouldn’t cover up the hole correctly. The front carpet laid into place easily and starting from the center hump outward, I carefully planned for some trimming by the door sill area. Measure twice, cut once is the advice I’ve always heard. I used a large scissor type tool to trim the carpet while it was in place, and this worked very well. This trimming with the scissors could be done as the very last step after the holes are all found, and seats installed.
I opted not to use any spray adhesive, as I was concerned about locating and poking various holes for the seats and seat belt areas. This would have been impossible through this thick carpeting if it had all been glued into place. Finding and poking all the holes with various screw drivers and awls in place was a challenge without any help, but it eventually was done. With the seats, belts, sill trim and kick panels in place, I really don’t see a need for the adhesive with this good of a mass backed mold.
As I look back on the installation, I have pride in knowing I did it all myself and I didn’t damage anything in the process. The car looks great, and has a factory look. It matches my dash pad perfectly and is exactly what I needed it to be.
If you are considering installing new carpet in your Mustang, don’t hesitate to call the folks at VA Classic Mustang to take care of you. While you are at it, pony up and get the mass backed option, which is only available via special order. It will make the installation go much easier.
NOTE: If you wish to order the "mass backed" carpet for your Mustang, it is available by special order only for an additional $60.00. This option is not listed on our web site and is available only by calling us at 540-896-2695.
