Carpet Removal and Installation (Part 1)
Remove the toeboard carpet and backing which are held in place by small Phillips screws. Also, remove carpet along door sill and on rear wheel arches
(glued down) and from the floor (clipped in front, glued and held by seat runners in rear) and the transmission tunnel and inside footwells.
Do not remove the rear deck carpet (behind seats) yet so that you can first make sure the new door sill carpets are trimmed properly. USA specification cars
built after 1972 will have extra heat insulation material under the carpets due to the catalytic converter system. Be sure to replace this old material
to avoid a fire hazard.
Fitting Door Sill Carpet
Do one side at a time. Mask off the door sill to protect it from overspray of adhesive. Lay the new carpet dry in place, with the narrow end towards the front.
Make sure the front end of the carpet fits against the bulkhead and the carpet stretches all the way to meet the rear deck carpet. Apply adhesive only to the
top of the metal door sill and to the back of the door sill carpet (Fig. 6). When tacky, start at the front, only adhere the carpet to the car at the top of
the metal door sill pressing firmly into place. You will finish the application in the second step.
Make sure the new carpet fits slightly underneath the rear deck carpet. Allow to dry for approximately 30 minutes. While that side is drying, repeat above
procedure for other side of the car.
Figure 6: Apply adhesive to the top of metal door sill and the back of the sill carpet.
Figure 7: Cut a notch to allow for the seat belt attachment.
Now apply glue to side of metal sill on the first side and when tacky, press the carpet over the side and down, allowing some of the carpet to lie on the floor,
which will eventually be covered by the floor mat. Press out wrinkles and bumps as you go. When finished, pull the edge of the carpet up slightly and
cut a notch, with a razor knife or scissors, to allow for the seat belt attachment (Fig. 7). Repeat the procedure for other side.
Fit Wheel Arch Carpet
Figure 8: Trim the wheel arch carpet for a better fit.
The stitched line in the carpet will lie on top of the arch running back parallel with the side of the car when fitted properly. Press the dry carpet
in place and check for fit. Trim edges and around front of wheel well to allow for the rear deck carpet clips. Trim the inside of the seam, if needed,
to get a better fit (Fig. 8). Work the carpet down with your hands to press smoothly into place, then hold the new quarter panel in place to check the fit.
Apply glue to both wheel arch and carpet back and press into place when tacky.
Remove and Recover Cockpit Trim Rail
Figure 9
Using a 5/16" open end wrench, reach under the rail and undo the 5 to 7 nuts holding it in place. Remove bolts from rail by sliding out of track at the
slot near either end. Note the position of the old piping along the edge of the cockpit trim rail, then pull off the old cover. Apply glue to both rail
and vinyl, and lay out vinyl full length next to rail. Check alignment, then start applying vinyl at the center of the rail, keeping the piping at the
top edge as you work out towards the ends (Fig. 9). Trim excess vinyl so that when wrapped around rail it does not interfere with the sliding bolts.
Wrap around the rail and stick in place, smoothing wrinkles as you go. Leave excess at ends to trim off later. Replace hardware and refit the trim
rail in car, carefully aligning both ends with the edge of the quarter panels and door seal trim.
Figure 10: Screw the new rear quarter panel into existing hole.
Use screws, trim rings and a snap button in middle hole near the wheel arch. Reattach seat belt clip and convertible top hardware.
Refit the door seal by pressing it into place firmly and attach the chrome finishing plate with screw and pop rivet.
Screw or pop rivet in new rear cockpit panel. Make sure the top straps are pulled from behind and screw or rivet, with appropriate trim ring or snap
button, into existing hole in rear panel metal frame (Fig. 10).
