[1967gto1]

I am replacing the carpet in my 67 GTO. I want to install the bucket seats on top of the carpet like it was done on my old carpet. The concourse judges say that the seats should be mounted underneath the carpet. If I do it like the judges say it should be done, should I cut three sides of a square/rectangular flap and lay the flap over the seat mount? Thoughts? Thanks.

[bill ryder]

Make a T cut with the bottom of the T pointing to the dash. Just enough to get the foot over the stud or hole. You may need to reach under the carpet to install the nuts. I am a 64-65 guy so I don't exactly know what hardware a 67 uses to secure your seat track feet.

"Bill"!

[1967gto1]

Bill, Three of the four mounts are studs with securing washers and nuts, the fourth is a bolt.

[OG68]

From the Chevelle Forum

Fit and install your carpet making all your cuts for seatbelts, shifter, console, anything else that is needed on you car.
Making the seat track cuts should be the last thing you do before trimming the edges and installing your door sills.

1. Locate your forward mount points for your seat(s) make a 1.5" cut left to right, about .5"aft of those mount points. Center of the cut should be center of the mount point.

2. From the center of the 1.5" cut,make a cut all the way back to the seam for the front to rear carpet.You will make 1 of these cuts for each forward seat mount point.



3. For the rear mount bolts repeat the cuts as above. Except the 1.5" cut will be towards the forward side of the mount bolts. Make the lengthwise cut meet the lengthwise cuts you made in the front carpet pieces.

4. Now from the under seat seam, roll rear carpet section aft and the front carpet section forward.

5. Install seat securing it to the floor with proper hardware and to proper torque.

6. Roll/Stuff rear carpet piece under your seat(s). Now do the front carpet. Front carpet lays over the top of the rear carpet.

Installation complete Seat plastic trim was removed for clarity



As far as installing the carpet I recommend doing it outside in the sun. This is perfect time of year. Doing it in the sun will make the carpet more pliable. If there are any areas the sun won't reach you can use a hair dryer to soften it up. A good sharp razor knife is mandatory.

I installed carpet professionally for 20 years so it seems easy to me. One tip I will give for cutting the edges is the following. When cutting the carpet to fit use a magic marker to mark the carpet backing.

For example you are trying to cut the carpet at the door sill. On the backing of the carpet place a dot with a magic market near the front of the sill, another near the middle of the sill and still one more dot near the rear of the sill. Place these dots where you want the finished carpet to terminate.

Then flip the carpet upside down by pulling it into the interior of the car. Slip a piece of plywood between the carpet on the floor and the carpet turned upside down. The plywood doesn't have to be that wide. About 1 foot wide is good. The plywood is used so you don't cut through to the carpet underneath. On the flipped over carpet take a straight edge and connect the dots made by the magic marker. Then run your sharp razor along the straight edge. This will make a very good precise cut and you can use that method around all edges. When you can't get the carpet to lay flat just put your magic marker dots closer together.

When/if you trim the sides, make sure you have enough carpet, but not the padding, going under the sill plates. I leave enough under the plates to run the sill plate screws through the carpet so it can't pull out. On the rear (aft) end, I wouldn't trim anything there, except for the rear seat cushion (front edge) slots/holes. The more carpet you can extend under the rear seat, the better.

[1967gto1]

Thanks OG68 for the info. I replaced the carpet in my 1980 z-28 a couple of years ago but I wasn't to concerned about it being factory correct. I just punched out holes for the seat mounts and set the seats on top of the carpet. The GTO I'm trying to do factory correct.

[Greg Reid]

I installed my carpets 10 or 12 years ago and used that exact same Chevelle illustration that Ed posted above.
By the way, I was watching roadkill garage the other night and he used one of those cone-shaped uni-bits to drill through the carpet and it went through perfectly. Didn't grab a single thread. Probably better and more convenient than a soldering iron.

[bill ryder]

That picture was of a factory carpet, correct? I do not disagree with what has been stated. I just do it differently. I cut for the seat when carpet is IN THE CAR. I do not leave the no carpet gap under the front seat. I overlap the front carpet and the rear carpet. After carpet is located on shifter hump, dimmer switch, and heel pad, trimming sides for sill plates, I cut the T slots. Keeps me from worrying about a wrong cut. Guess there are many ways to get the job done. I do know of the factory gap under the seats. Have been judged since 1990. Have never been docked. Enjoy. Carpets are a PITA. Warmer is better....

Pictures of original 64 carpet.

"Bill"!

[6262]

Greg, would it be possible to link to the bits used by you or to that episode of Roadkill?

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

I installed my carpets 10 or 12 years ago and used that exact same Chevelle illustration that Ed posted above.
By the way, I was watching roadkill garage the other night and he used one of those cone-shaped uni-bits to drill through the carpet and it went through perfectly. Didn't grab a single thread. Probably better and more convenient than a soldering iron.

[Greg Reid]

What I used was exactly what is posted above in OG68's post above.
Ask for Roadkill, I don't know if you ever watched it but they are not trying to do anything restorative to a car other than drive it. He just had a very good way to drill through carpet. If you've ever done it the drill bit will wrap the yarn up immediately. I always use a soldering iron just to melt a hole through it but using the uni-bit it did not grab any thread. Just cut through clean.

[6262]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

What I used was exactly what is posted above in OG68's post above.
Ask for Roadkill, I don't know if you ever watched it but they are not trying to do anything restorative to a car other than drive it. He just had a very good way to drill through carpet. If you've ever done it the drill bit will wrap the yarn up immediately. I always use a soldering iron just to melt a hole through it but using the uni-bit it did not grab any thread. Just cut through clean.

Thanks, Greg, I don't need to know the episode but I would like to know what "those cone-shaped uni-bits" are which you mentioned I need to install a carpet, too.

Do you mean something along those lines with the step?

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-...lls-91616.html

[Greg Reid]

Yes, exactly. I never heard them called by that name until I heard him say it but that's what he used. Haven't tried it myself but when he did it the bit went through it immediately without pulling a single thread.