Molding Carpet to 4 Speed Hump

[Cav73]

Hi, I am in process of shaping a new ACC front to the floor pan in my Challenger. This is the standard carpet, not the one with the mass backing. The rear carpet is in and sitting nicely. Per discussion on the forum, I used weights and double-sided tape to pin the carpet down, and a soldering iron to punch the holes for the seatbelt bolts.

I am doing the same process with the front section. I left the weights in place for weeks because it is winter now and the carpet is stiff from cold. However, it warmed up enough today for me to put the trim ring in place around the 4 speed shifter. I used thin strips of carpet tape to hold the carpet down around the shifter boot.

My question now is how to go about shaping the carpet directly below the shifter boot, where the right front corner of the seat will go. I have seen pictures showing the carpet was molded really tight here on the originals but this is a complex shape with sharp bends, not a gentle drop off. My thought is to use a heating pad or shop light to warm the carpet and make it flexible, but it looks like it will bunch up badly when pressing it down. It already has a sharp wrinkle forming at the trim ring at 7'clock. I have a heat gun but I am not enthusiastic about using it because I do not want to melt the carpet fibers.

I would welcome any thoughts from those of you who have tackled this before. I have carpet tape in place along the transmission hump on both sides, but it is still sealed on top - it is only sticking to the floor as yet.

Thanks!

 

[pschlosser]

sharp bends? hmm... bear in mind, the carpet has a hole cutout for the shifter proper. what are these sharp bends, you speak of? I don't have access to a pistol grip shifter car to compare to, at the moment, so working from memory... the carpet going over the hump lays flat onto the sheet metal hump, and flows downward toward the seats on a nice curve, and across the lower flat regions of the floor pan. a diagram or picture may help us see it, and better advise you.

 

[Avalanche]

I put a new carpet in years ago, 4 speed, and it layed down tight on the hump and down the sides. Do you think that you have an auto carpet instead of manual?

 

[Ronbo73]

I bought a hand held steamer unit from Harbor Freight that helped with relaxing my carpet and headliner. They are cheap and worth it. I would not use any direct heat from above (like a heat lamp) because you may melt the carpet fibers by mistake.

 

[Cav73]

Thank you. I want to avoid melting fibers also; I did damage a few on the rear carpet before I knew better. I will check out what Harbor Freight has, there is one nearby.

I do not have a photo at the moment, but I attached a sketch showing the area I am most concerned about - it is in yellow and a red arrow points it out too.

Green arrows are to show the contours where the floor meets the transmission hump - it is much steeper on the driver side than the passenger side.

I hope this helps!

The yellow area is where I see the most difficulty. I plan to attach the carpet to the floor along the hump on one side first (using carpet tape underneath along the joint), then stretch it across to the other side and weight it down before unsealing the tape.

 

[pschlosser]

i think that yellow area is hidden below the center console, so a slice in the carpet to allow the flat parts to lay flat might do the trick. there may not be enough carpet to traverse down the vertical backside of the shifter tunnel

 

[larry4406]

Maybe this will help. Start reading at Post 203

1970 FE5 'Cuda Build in Your Restoration project (ROSEVILLE MOPARTS) - Page 14

I wrote it into the contract with my body and paint guy that he installed all the side Glass, he agreed because neither one of us wanted to have the p

forum.e-bodies.org

 

[Cav73]

Thanks for comments everyone.

Avalanche, it is definitely a 4 speed carpet, from ACC. I think the main issue now is it is very cold out and thus the carpet is cold too, so it is stiff. It may go into that "corner pocket" more easily once I warm it thoroughly. Working on how (thanks to RonBo73 regarding the hand steamer as I may do that). I had to remove the padding at the center of the front section, between the shifter and the firewall, so I could get it to lay flatter. The floor and transmission hump are covered with dynamat-type material so I don't think I lost anything by removing the padding.

Pschlosser, I decided to skip putting in a console, at least for now, so I will have to deal with the carpet in that yellow area as best I can. The tranmission hump between the seats is original, and has a console mount. But, this car was originally an automatic, so the 4 speed hump came from a manual parts car I had. There is no front mount for the console, which I would have to install. I actually like the look without the console. I am thinking of using the rear bracket to mount a fire extinguisher.

I will consider cutting the carpet to allow it to go into that little corner flat, without pulling in material and making the rear edge of the front section pull out of place. But, making that cut "disappear" may be above my current skill level. As it is I accidentally cut a diagonal a quarter inch past the trim ring and it is visible - I have to figure out how to fix that using the forum or other sources on boneheaded amateur carpet mistakes 101...

Honestly, I think I am just impatient because cold weather and other demands are holding me up. I am looking forward to getting the seats and steering column back in - I've repainted the seat brackets and the original front seats still look really good. I am going to rebuild the column but that will have to be a bit down the road, after I get the engine running again and the brakes sorted. There is still a lot of interior work to do, including new package tray install, headliner, cleaning and lubricating the window regulators, painting and installing all the interior plastic etc. Rear seat bench is OK but the back cushion is a mess, so I will probably recover both down the road.

Pic below shows the actual spot I was asking about, at lower right corner of the shifter (from this angle) and to the left of the hammer. Front carpet was temporarily removed for this shot. It is back in place now. I will add an updated photo.

Thanks again!

 

[Cav73]

Also, based on that #203 photo from the 1970 FE5 'Cuda Build thread, maybe the carpet is not supposed to be tight all the way down to the floor? It does not look like his is tightened all the way to the floor in that pic. If it is just supposed to flare down gently there, that could be the answer.

 

[Ronbo73]

I read that you are going to install the headliner so I would definitely buy the handheld steamer from Harbor Freight. My buddy and I spent a lot of time getting every wrinkle out of the headliner and then we used the steam on one spot we couldn't get unwrinkled. Guess what, the steam took that wrinkle out in 3 seconds. Moral of the story, don't fight the wrinkles. Get them as close as you can and use the steam to relax the material. If we used the steam sooner we would've had the headliner installed much quicker. Now we know, and knowing is half the battle..

 

[Cav73]

Thanks RonBo73, the steamer sounds like the way to go.

Here is photo of the carpet in place, with trim ring and shifter installed. You can see marks where I had weights on the carpet to give it some shape. I had good luck with the back carpet using a heat gun under the carpet to heat up the backing, then molding it down onto carpet tape where the seat platform joins the footwells, etc. but that is harder to do up front. When we get one our mid-Atlantic thaws I will give it another try.

 

[terrywalker]

I just went through this in my 71 Challenger this summer. Letting the carpet lay out in the car helps. Here's 4 photos to show you what I did from laying it out to the finish. There's still a little bit up on the back corner of the tunnel hump you had circled. I plan on steaming it at having a heavy weight placed there soon. It looks pretty good considering the carpet only got to set out for a short time before install. Photo 1 is initial layout. Here's the link to my install:
OER carpet feedback?
Terry W.

 

[pschlosser]

a space heater set on low, like a ceramic one with a fan, with the windows rolled up, will keep it 80-90F in there with the carpet. doing that for 24 hours can make things more workable in the winter months. of course, follow safety protocols and check on it frequently until you gain confidence it will not over heat and catch fire. the space heater should self-regulate with its built-in thermostat.

this little burble is hard to avoid. see how the 2x4 is trying to hold it down in other photos of post #12? you may have to live with some of it.

 

[MoparCarGuy]

I do not know about the Auto Custom Carpets fitment but the OER carpet kit ME600501 from Classic Industries fit perfectly in the area giving you problems. Even the rear section was a tight fit in that area before the front section was installed at the overlapped area.

 

[Daves69]

Just throwing this out there. I haven't tried it, but how about a couple shots of 3m 77 on the carpet backing and on the corresponding deadener area where needed? Weight it down over night.

 

[Cav73]

Terrywalker, thanks for the photos and link.

I will use a steamer and as suggested by Pschlosser, a space heater too - I actually have a small electric one I can use to heat the interior. Thanks for these suggestions.

MoparCarGuy, the ACC carpet may not be as good as the Classic Industries product, not sure, but it came with good reviews. I think part of the problem is that it is very stiff in this weather here - I just got it in September or October and it took a lot of work to get the rear section in over several weeks. It got cold before I got to the front section, and then it took time to measure and test fit before I cut out the shifter opening - I did not want to destroy it. Even then I cut too far and have to fix that error. Anyway, I will work on the heat aspect first and see what I can do to shape the carpet into that deep pocket. Also, my rear carpet does not extend into the pocket at all, it just comes to the edge of it. The front overlaps the rear with room to spare though. BTW I like that plum crazy paint - my 2013 R/T is the same color.

Daves69, thanks for the suggestion on the 3M spray. I put double sided carpet tape down in the pocket where the floor meets the transmission hump, and I just need to pull off the paper top to expose it. I will try and heat the carpet and press it down before uncovering the tape. Maybe I will use the spray as well. Other posts on this forum recommended the tape, and also not sticking the carpet to the floor (apparently to allow easier carpet removal at some time down the road). So far, not being a pro at this, I think adhesive is essential.

I appreciate all the advice and will post new pics to this thread asap. This forum is an incredible resource.

As Terrywalker suggests, I may have to live with this not being perfect. Well, the rest of this car ain't perfect either! Just for starters, after having the car redone and repainted and a new vinyl top installed, when we installed the stainless trim under the back window we found it did not extend all the way to the stainless drip rails at the bottom of the rear window opening - leaving a half inch gap on each side! The trim came from a different Challenger. Fixing that will be a whole other thread someday...

 

[grumpyb]

I worked in a factory making molded carpet for new cars and if the carpet has shiny backing on it get a heat gun and heat the underside until it gets flexible and lay it down and press it in until it cools , you can do a small section at a time if needed just don't get it real close and it won't melt it, I have done it with a propane torch but I worked with carpet for 20 years , if you have some old carpet you could practice first.

 

[Cav73]

Grumpyb, thanks! I tried that with the rear carpet section where the seat platform rises up from the floor pans and it worked pretty well. I also put down carpet tape right where the carpet bends upwards, so when I pressed the carpet down it stayed put. I was worried about trying this method with the front carpet in the "pocket" where the transmission hump does a 90 degree turn to the left, right below the shifter. I am concerned it will wrinkle badly, so I plan to use a steamer. I probably will end up using both.