Carpet replacement and interior cleanup?

Larry

Larry

True Classic
I need to replace the carpet in my '79 X1/9 and also clean up the firewall (the somewhat padded area behind the seats) and door cards.

For the firewall, is there a recommended way to clean it? It's probably original and at 42+ years old, is probably showing 10 or so years of dirt. I've done some spot cleaning over the years but want to get it clean(er). Same with the door cards.

The carpet will probably be the big issue. It was replaced over 22 years ago by the previous mechanic who has since moved out of state so I can't ask him to do it again.

When I bought the car, he said he used outdoor carpeting he purchased at Home Depot. He did an amazing job - it looks to have been 1 piece with enough cuts to make things it look close to factory original. But after 20+ years - nearly all of it with the top off - it's showing its age and has ripped in a few high wear spots. This photo doesn't show the problems but can give an idea of how the carpet looks. He had the seats reupholstered as well and the material had held up well although the back bolsters are shot.

X-Interior.jpg

I'm looking for options to replace it and how to get it unglued from the car. The back edges along the firewall behind the seats are glued so getting it off, I suspect, will be a several day project. I know MWB sells carpet sets but I'm wondering if I can get this removed in more or less 1 piece (or several pieces) then I should be able to make a template and then use more home depot carpet. Or is that just silly?

Is a better option for the firewall to just replace the material? Is it even available?

Thanks....
 
I just replaced my carpet with the plush carpet from MWB. The PO removed the original carpet but there was some of the glue left on the walls. I used a wire brush on a drill and some acetone to remove what little glue that needed removal, note I repainted after removal. It sounds like your PO used a lot of glue to get such a good fit. When I replaced the carpet in my car I tried to keep the glue to a minimum. After doing this I can say the more glue you use the better the fit, at least at my skill level. Also take your time in doing this. The MWB was cut and stitched to fit but I still needed to make some cuts to get a good fit. Over all I would rate this carpet as no good/not bad in cut, fit and quality.

You also need to be careful because this carpet had a good padding below it which can create problems in tight areas or when you want a thinner area of carpet like on top of the tunnel where the padding was too thick to fit the center console properly. I also had to cut it out under the seat rail plates.

ARe you talking the fire wall behind the seats, mine is not carpetsed but has a vinal/padded service. Can you provide pictures?

1636038462118.png
 
KBabcock said:
I just replaced my carpet with the plush carpet from MWB. The PO removed the original carpet but there was some of the glue left on the walls. I used a wire brush on a drill and some acetone to remove what little glue that needed removal, note I repainted after removal.
Click to expand...
Hmm... I guess I was hoping it would be easier, but if that's what needs to be done, I guess that's what I'll do.
KBabcock said:
It sounds like your PO used a lot of glue to get such a good fit.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm assuming....
KBabcock said:
When I replaced the carpet in my car I tried to keep the glue to a minimum. After doing this I can say the more glue you use the better the fit, at least at my skill level. Also take your time in doing this. The MWB was cut and stitched to fit but I still needed to make some cuts to get a good fit. Over all I would rate this carpet as no good/not bad in cut, fit and quality.
Click to expand...
No good/not bad? So basically okay but not one you'd write rave reviews about?
KBabcock said:
You also need to be careful because this carpet had a good padding below it which can create problems in tight areas or when you want a thinner area of carpet like on top of the tunnel where the padding was too thick to fit the center console properly.
Click to expand...
How did you get the thinner area padding - was it a peel away until you got it to the thickness needed?

KBabcock said:
I also had to cut it out under the seat rail plates.
Click to expand...
What year is your car - I'm assuming something older than '84 because my seat rails look nothing like what you have.
KBabcock said:
ARe you talking the fire wall behind the seats, mine is not carpetsed but has a vinal/padded service. Can you provide pictures?
Click to expand...
That's what I mean - the area behind the seats that has a vinyl padded cover on it. I'm not near where the car is being worked on but should be there tomorrow and will get some photos then.
KBabcock said:
View attachment 54597
Click to expand...
The dash and instrument cluster looks great! Is there a writeup in here somewhere that described what you did? Were your doorcards new?
 
The carpeting looks nice but is of cheap quality, where I bent it several times during fitting the backing weave would start to seperate. The carpet also had not cut outs so you need to cut out all holes and openings. But it is a one piece which I was looking for which in the end made it more challenging to install.

My car is a 85. I bolted the plates down to compress the carpet for a week or so to make installation of the seats easier. This carpet is much thicker than the original. Looks and feels nice but will have to see if it has a negative impact on such a small footwell.

The carpet comes with a padding glued to it. This padding is cut to fit, meaning it is not in some areas where it would cause a poor fit. I have found that I still needed to remove sections of padding in some areas to get it to fit properly. So I pulled the padding away from the carpet and cut out sections that would have been too thick with the padding attached. Under the seat rail plates and under the center console for example. There where other areas I would encounter as I worked it.

When installing I would recommend getting some paint on adhesive, I used spray on but think paint on wold have been a better choice. Also I highly recommend getting the following scissors for trimming they are short and sharp which is what you need in such a tight work area. I had the seats, center console, and steering wheel removed when I did the job and it was still a tight work area. Peddles did get in the way as well.


I did not pull out the vinyl panel behind the driver's seat but did have the spare tire cover off and am still thinking of putting down some heat resistant matting just because what was there is now gone. For that I would just clean it up with acetone and use self adhesive matting over it. That should be fine.

The PO had done the dash, it was black and he painted part of it tan, it does look pretty good I think. Same with the door panels. He did a good job and I'm leaving them as is.
 
KBabcock said:
The carpeting looks nice but is of cheap quality, where I bent it several times during fitting the backing weave would start to seperate. The carpet also had not cut outs so you need to cut out all holes and openings. But it is a one piece which I was looking for which in the end made it more challenging to install.

My car is a 85. I bolted the plates down to compress the carpet for a week or so to make installation of the seats easier. This carpet is much thicker than the original. Looks and feels nice but will have to see if it has a negative impact on such a small footwell.

The carpet comes with a padding glued to it. This padding is cut to fit, meaning it is not in some areas where it would cause a poor fit. I have found that I still needed to remove sections of padding in some areas to get it to fit properly. So I pulled the padding away from the carpet and cut out sections that would have been too thick with the padding attached. Under the seat rail plates and under the center console for example. There where other areas I would encounter as I worked it.

When installing I would recommend getting some paint on adhesive, I used spray on but think paint on wold have been a better choice. Also I highly recommend getting the following scissors for trimming they are short and sharp which is what you need in such a tight work area. I had the seats, center console, and steering wheel removed when I did the job and it was still a tight work area. Peddles did get in the way as well.


I did not pull out the vinyl panel behind the driver's seat but did have the spare tire cover off and am still thinking of putting down some heat resistant matting just because what was there is now gone. For that I would just clean it up with acetone and use self adhesive matting over it. That should be fine.

The PO had done the dash, it was black and he painted part of it tan, it does look pretty good I think. Same with the door panels. He did a good job and I'm leaving them as is.
Click to expand...
I just purchased a carpet from MWB. Do you have any tips to help with the installation? As per your picture I see you kept the seam down the middle of the car. I regret not going for the 3 piece set on eBay. By the way getting the cable off the accelerator pedal is a bear.
 

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Larry said:
I need to replace the carpet in my '79 X1/9 and also clean up the firewall (the somewhat padded area behind the seats) and door cards.

For the firewall, is there a recommended way to clean it? It's probably original and at 42+ years old, is probably showing 10 or so years of dirt. I've done some spot cleaning over the years but want to get it clean(er). Same with the door cards.

The carpet will probably be the big issue. It was replaced over 22 years ago by the previous mechanic who has since moved out of state so I can't ask him to do it again.

When I bought the car, he said he used outdoor carpeting he purchased at Home Depot. He did an amazing job - it looks to have been 1 piece with enough cuts to make things it look close to factory original. But after 20+ years - nearly all of it with the top off - it's showing its age and has ripped in a few high wear spots. This photo doesn't show the problems but can give an idea of how the carpet looks. He had the seats reupholstered as well and the material had held up well although the back bolsters are shot.

View attachment 54586
I'm looking for options to replace it and how to get it unglued from the car. The back edges along the firewall behind the seats are glued so getting it off, I suspect, will be a several day project. I know MWB sells carpet sets but I'm wondering if I can get this removed in more or less 1 piece (or several pieces) then I should be able to make a template and then use more home depot carpet. Or is that just silly?

Is a better option for the firewall to just replace the material? Is it even available?

Thanks....
Click to expand...
How did your carpet replacement turn out?
 
Spike17128 said:
I just purchased a carpet from MWB. Do you have any tips to help with the installation? As per your picture I see you kept the seam down the middle of the car. I regret not going for the 3 piece set on eBay. By the way getting the cable off the accelerator pedal is a bear.
Click to expand...
Why do you regret not getting the 3-piece?
 
Larry said:
Why do you regret not getting the 3-piece?
Click to expand...
I think the 3 piece would be easier to put it. Everything is already cut our and ready to install. I asked the company for a close up of the carpet to make sure its what I wanted. They never responded. It one of the reasons I went with local vender.
I will tackle the job next weekend. I will let you know how it went. By the way 3 sections per side plus the center. Anyway good luck.



1712181945245.png
 
Spike17128 said:
I think the 3 piece would be easier to put it. Everything is already cut our and ready to install. I asked the company for a close up of the carpet to make sure its what I wanted. They never responded. It one of the reasons I went with local vender.
I will tackle the job next weekend. I will let you know how it went. By the way 3 sections per side plus the center. Anyway good luck.



View attachment 83256
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Silly question. What’s pictured here - how do the gaps between sections get filled? Or am I not seeing this right?
 
Spike17128 said:
Exactly
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But if it's just an overlap, then what prevents dirt and other crap from getting between each section? Do you use some sort of tape on the bottom of one of the overlapping pieces?

If an X was a hard top I wouldn't worry about it as much but the top is stowed on my X probably 90% of the year.
 
I know nothing about this carpet or their company other than the fact that I found them on a search once as a carpet supplier.

newark-auto.com

1974-83 Fiat X-1/9 Front and Rear Auto Carpet Kit

This replacement auto carpet kit is a great choice if your vehicle is in need of new, fresh carpeting. It includes two main floor pieces, one for the front and one for the rear, and covers from the firewall to the front of the rear seat. It also includes one bucket seat flap to cover the area...
newark-auto.com newark-auto.com
 
tigeravg said:
Just pulled the trigger on the same-ish 7 piece set from Germany.
Click to expand...
How are the results? I imagine it wasn't too bad installing. would you mind sharing the name of the company/distributor? I have a funny feeling I will be doing this a second time if I'm not happy with the results.
 
Michael Oxman said:
I know nothing about this carpet or their company other than the fact that I found them on a search once as a carpet supplier.

newark-auto.com

1974-83 Fiat X-1/9 Front and Rear Auto Carpet Kit

This replacement auto carpet kit is a great choice if your vehicle is in need of new, fresh carpeting. It includes two main floor pieces, one for the front and one for the rear, and covers from the firewall to the front of the rear seat. It also includes one bucket seat flap to cover the area...
newark-auto.com newark-auto.com
Click to expand...
Newark-auto has been referred to in other posts. @Dr.Jeff posted about them in a couple (actually several) threads posts (probably not a good thing to say "threads" in a post about carpets)... :)

https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/wtb-x1-9-carpet.41116/#post-385186
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/floor-carpet.38477/#post-343135
 
Spike17128 said:
I just purchased a carpet from MWB. Do you have any tips to help with the installation? As per your picture I see you kept the seam down the middle of the car. I regret not going for the 3 piece set on eBay. By the way getting the cable off the accelerator pedal is a bear.
Click to expand...
I guess after I have finished I have a few things to added. First what I wrote above has a lot of tips that I still stand by. I would use the paint on glue and use it generously in tight areas. I would install the carpeting when its warm so it sets better, more flexible. Start from the center and work your ways out, the hardest areas to fit was the sides going up infront of the door. If you have to trim some carpet off, be sure to leave extra then retrim as you get closer to pasting it down. Better to trim twice then find out your left too big a gap. Take you time and be careful think it through before glueing down.

I wanted the one piece carpet as I don't like all the seems. The one down the center on this one is not great but after I finished it, I was not bothered by it. I find it looks better then several carpets with overlap, just my opinion look more factory installed.

Like everything else on this car it has been a learning curve but that is half the fun. Good luck!
 
Larry said:
Newark-auto has been referred to in other posts. @Dr.Jeff posted about them in a couple (actually several) threads posts (probably not a good thing to say "threads" in a post about carpets)... :)

https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/wtb-x1-9-carpet.41116/#post-385186
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/floor-carpet.38477/#post-343135
Click to expand...
The owner of Newark told me his carpets are supplied (exclusively) to a few Fiat specialty vendors. So some of the ones from vendors being discussed here are likely the Newark product. As I've reported previously, they are not the best; I'd call them average overall quality and fit for aftermarket carpets. But I think for the price (if purchased directly from Newark) it's a very good value....especially considering the price of the few options that exist for the X. Although I will say the multi-piece one @Spike17128 linked earlier on eBay is a pretty good price (depending on shipping to the US). I don't recall that one offered in the past. However the choice of carpets really depends on your goals - is it going to be a concours show car or a hobby driver?

The Newark carpet is a molded one-piece design. There are pros and cons to that type in general. No seams may look cleaner but it's not necessarily the best fit. Vice versa, the cut and sewn (multi-piece) design has finished seams showing but I find they can be fitted much better as a result. Also, various aftermarket makers of the multi-piece products arrange their seams differently, giving a different result. Likewise the fit of molded ones varies between makers. So it can depend on the specific product as well.

Some makes of vehicles of the era came from the factory with one-piece, others with multi-piece. I've installed both types (aftermarket products) in various vehicles. It is personal preference - I kind of prefer a multi-piece design (if the edges are nicely finished, not all are). But in general a fresh new carpet of any quality looks much nicer than a old worn out faded one. Plus you can pick your preference of color for a bit of a custom look.
 
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