A club member advised me that he had a pre-cut carpet kit for his MK 2 that had not been put into his car. That got my attention as I have been to several upholsterers attempting to get a new carpet fitted to the Mk 1 hotrod. When it comes down to the crunch of getting a start date they all seem to find that they are too busy to do it. This has been going on for over 12 months and at the mention of the pre-cut kit I thought here is an opportunity that should not be let pass. I'll have a crack at doing it myself!
Club member obligingly produced the kit and I had obtained a couple of sheets of 1/8-inch [or approximately 3 mm] plywood. We laid the carpet components out on the plywood and traced around them with a pencil. Some careful work with a band saw and subsequent sanding and a couple of coats of clear lacquer have left us in possession of a set of templates for a MK1/2 carpet. I went off to Daly's and bought 5 metres of "Fina" red carpet, which is about $20 a metre. It has a particularly good backing, which cuts well and does not need edge binding.
That all took place a few months ago and I have been trying to find time to get at the carpet problem. The Christmas break afforded the opportunity to grab a few extra days leave and after the usual household chores I was able at last to attack the car on Boxing Day. What I did not realise is the amazing number of pieces of carpet need to carpet a MK1/2. The kit contains no less than 17 pieces and even then I cut an extra 4 pieces where I believed carpet should be placed on the centre cross member supporting the front seat and on the face of the pressing supporting the rear seat.
So far I have spent about 8 hours on the job. This included removing the front seat mounting brackets, stripping them clean and recovering them in vinyl. I expect another day of work to complete the job. I am not aiming at concourse but simply want the vehicle to be neat and tidy.
I also have to re-carpet the white MK 1 3.4 and as have I advanced somewhat along the carpet laying learning curve I think it will be a much shorter job. For club members who wish to do their own thing with a MK 1/2 carpet I will eventually be willing to lend the template set.
Club member obligingly produced the kit and I had obtained a couple of sheets of 1/8-inch [or approximately 3 mm] plywood. We laid the carpet components out on the plywood and traced around them with a pencil. Some careful work with a band saw and subsequent sanding and a couple of coats of clear lacquer have left us in possession of a set of templates for a MK1/2 carpet. I went off to Daly's and bought 5 metres of "Fina" red carpet, which is about $20 a metre. It has a particularly good backing, which cuts well and does not need edge binding.
That all took place a few months ago and I have been trying to find time to get at the carpet problem. The Christmas break afforded the opportunity to grab a few extra days leave and after the usual household chores I was able at last to attack the car on Boxing Day. What I did not realise is the amazing number of pieces of carpet need to carpet a MK1/2. The kit contains no less than 17 pieces and even then I cut an extra 4 pieces where I believed carpet should be placed on the centre cross member supporting the front seat and on the face of the pressing supporting the rear seat.
So far I have spent about 8 hours on the job. This included removing the front seat mounting brackets, stripping them clean and recovering them in vinyl. I expect another day of work to complete the job. I am not aiming at concourse but simply want the vehicle to be neat and tidy.
I also have to re-carpet the white MK 1 3.4 and as have I advanced somewhat along the carpet laying learning curve I think it will be a much shorter job. For club members who wish to do their own thing with a MK 1/2 carpet I will eventually be willing to lend the template set.