Shop installing my carpet contacted me to ask if there’s easier/simple ways to remove a couple parts that need to come out for carpet install. 1. the spare tire hood release. The carpet goes behind it and seems to be causing some consternation. and 2. the “ledge” / tray piece and retainer in front of back window (I think #s 21 and 23 in diagram below). That doesn’t want to come out without a SWAT team assistance and I’ve heard horror stories about trying to find a replacement rear window if we make a mistake. Any magic on simple removal of these 2 items would be a great help, thank you. Image Unavailable, Please Login
#23 is attached with a stud. The nut is accessible in the engine bay, too of the firewall. If my memory is correct, #21 is riveted. Remove the quarter side glass to access the rivets. Another note: all the rear shelf elements have to be removed in a particular order, as some parts fit on top of other parts. Reassemble in reverse order.
This is all correct for for my '81, part number 20 is also riveted accessible after removing quarter glass
1. Remove quarter glass by firmly pushing it out from the inside 2. Drill out any rivets you can see after the glass and seals have come out 3. From inside the engine compartment, remove any cover plates or access plates or insulation plate at the top of the firewall immediately under the rear window 4. From inside the engine compartment, remove the little nut holding down the little stud on item 23 5. This step may not be necessary for a 79: remove the small nuts holding down the stud on item 21. 6. From inside the passenger compartment, remove item 26. Rivets need to be drilled out 7. Remove 23 8. Remove 21 9. Remove 20 (the two small L/R piece) 10. Remove 25, the one piece long piece below the glass windshield. As for the release handle for the trunk, Remove the screw holding the tray in. It is fiddly but … it's a Ferrari
Just to say, I've managed to remove all the parcel shelf area trim myself within the last week, in order to replace the grotty fabric, and my observation about the wall of carpet behind the seats is that it simply tucks just under the parcel shelf (a couple of cm at most), which means that (on my car at least, 81' gtsi), you'd be able to re-carpet this piece simply by loosening the parcel shelf trim, rather than completely removing it. Hope that's helpful.
If your guys destroy the aluminum on the parcel shelf, good news. I have it available, it was horrible to remove
Thanks for everyone’s help. Carpet is about done. Seats are back from the upholsterer. Getting closer. Is it my imagination or is it very difficult to buy floor mats? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Can’t believe how nasty my old carpet color was. This looks great with the door panels and the new seats. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Floor mats are hard to buy. Either not what one wants, not the right color, or WAY too expensive. I bougth a set from someone here, oh, 10 years ago for a real good price and washing machine dyed them to a shade that works with my car. Doug
Yeah, Doug, what is that? I’ve looked all night for some simple classy mats and they are either gaudy or wrong or $500. WTF? That pile of ugly carpet I posted includes 2 carpet pieces with heel rubber that looks like bad old mats, plus the seller gave me a couple of awful mats that were filthy and garish. I think black would be a good idea for driving. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Take those two mats you have to use as patterns and take them to some upholster that can sew some edge onto carpet of your choice. Green and white shag comes to mind for that '70s retro look... LOL. Or, wash those mats in the machine and then buy some black Ritz dye and machine wash dye them. Its a cheap experiment. Doug
Hmmm... these mats dyed black with the horse could be an interesting look. My only problem is, I have had horrifying luck with dye use of any kind in my Corvettes. I’m thinking of having my feet on black dyed mats, maybe even wet? Then possibly stepping on brand new light colored carpet. I’m gonna pass. These could be an interesting pattern, though. I have actually seen Ferrari mats between $550 and $900 in the last day. WHAT?
OK, upon further review it seems like the mat set from the cars original carpeting were actually just the pieces originally placed in the driver and passenger wells? They don’t seem to have glue under them and were removable, and they had heel pads. So these parts of the original carpet set were removable, like a set of “mats?” They are in remarkably good, if ugly-colored, shape. The other set is just a dirty set of aftermarket mats that look like they might have been expensive at one time. It doesn’t seem that my replacement carpeting came with pieces like the brown set from the original car, just a correctly cut set of carpet with no heel pads. Here’s better pictures: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Maybe try following the dye instructions? Use a colorfast follow up treatment and rinse the dyed mats as directed to avoid bleeding. Its a $10 experiment to see if you can save $500 on mats. If it doesn't work to your liking, you are out $10. And avoid driving your car in the rain if you are still not sure about color bleeding. A simple trip thru the washing machine may help those mats immensely. Doug
Word to the wise: Be certain to do your washing machine dye experiments at your closest local laundromat, and not the machine at home which your wife uses!
There is simply no way I would do dyeing in my home washer. I’d be looking for a refrigerator box to live in, lol.
I’ve been looking at some different options. One vendor looked at my old dirty mats and said they were old-school Keith Collins mats, very expensive back in the day. Kinda like the wheels I took off.
Coco mats in complementary colors are a great option. I had to do a custom template for my 85 QV, but they probably still have it on file...