[Terry Gartner]

Who is the best vendor for carpet. I replaced the rug in my 72 and just a couple years later its already discolored.

[screamingchief]

AFAIK they all will do that if they're parked in the sun for any amount of time.

I went ahead and redyed the carpet in my '72 bird,used the VHT dye in the spray cans.

We'll see how well that holds up once I get the car on the road again.

FWIW

Bret P.

[P Glade]

To my knowledge there are TWO "molders" of the Abody carpet sets....Auto Custom Carpets (ACC) and Trim Parts. I call them "molders" because that's WHAT THEY DO. They DON'T manufacture the actual carpet stock.

>Both ACC and Trim Parts purchase the flat rolls of carpet (carpet stock) from the same mill...I believe from Dorsett Mills. So, don't expect any differences in quality of the carpet material itself.

>As far as the molding process, I've seen decent stuff as well as TERRIBLY FITTING stuff from ACC-sourced carpets (ie...Legendary, etc sell these carpets made by ACC and/or Trim Parts). Haven't installed a Trim Parts-molded set yet but hear the similar praise as well as similar complaints about their sets.

>The typical problem seems to occur when people order a manual floor shift carpet. On Buicks and Olds's it seems whatever shifter hump ACC and Trim Parts use to add this feature is WAY TOO LARGE. I advise anyone needing carpet for a manual floor shift car to order regular AUTO ON THE COLUMN carpet and deal with cutting any hole for the shifter yourself. I've installed an ACC set in a '70 Olds 4 speed that was ordered as the floor-shift carpet and it was A MESS. Had to cut out sections over the tunnel (a separate problem from the shifter hump), etc.

In the process of installing an ACC set on a '70 Olds W31 4 spd floor shift car. Had the guy specify auto on the column and so far it seems to fit a lot better than the alternative. Slightly big over the tunnel but nothing terrible at all. One oddly molded area on the P side floorpan/trans tunnel/heelpan intersection....I've seen this before on their sets at this spot.

If anything, ask that it be left as untrimmed as possible....I've installed ACC sets that were trimmed short up at the firewall pad area on the P side as well as cut short where the carpet is supposed to sit under the kick panels. They also seem to be lacking material where the carpet goes up under the front edge of the rear seat bottom...we got extra there on this latest set and it's much better.

It's worth the extra effort required to get a "untrimmed" or "generously trimmed" carpet set.

[Loffen]

What about SMS auto fabrics ? Just asking since I am going to order from them as they have the correct color for my car (Sienna)

[Rob B]

I had the same problem on my 70 GTO with the 4spd hump being to big. Its an ACC carpet set. Glad I'm not the only one with that issue. Luckily I have the console to hide it.

[MescaBug]

I used ACC 2 times. Both automatic console cars w/black interior. Fit was excellent. There is a very light, almost unnoticable discoloration between the exposed carpet and the under-seat/rubber mats. I have it in the GTO for 3 years now.

Both carpets had to be heated under the sun for a while... They pack it so tight in the box...

When properly fitted over the transmission tunnel, the dimmer switch hole was a little bit off. I had to stretch the carpet.

[P Glade]

Originally Posted by Loffen

What about SMS auto fabrics ? Just asking since I am going to order from them as they have the correct color for my car (Sienna)

Good point!! I didn't even consider SMS. Maybe they also mold the carpet sets. They always seem to get good reviews for their door panels, etc.

I did notice on their website that they mention "SMS supplies pre-made carpet sets for most American cars...." which could be another way of saying "somebody else molds the carpets for us" (ie ACC or Trim Parts).

Probably worth a call or email to them to find out. My bet is they're also reselling carpet sets made by ACC and/or Trim Parts after reading their description.

ONE LAST BIT OF ADVICE: DON'T throw out the box the carpet comes in!!! We had a problem on a set for '72 Cutlass and the customer had tossed the box. ACC wanted some info that was printed on the box flap (Lot numbers or something like that) and since the guy didn't have the box that was enough reason for them to "deny his claim". Granted, the guy had purchased the carpet set, through Legendary, at least a year before we went to install it but the lack of a box was the reason they provided. So...even if you aren't going to be installing it for awhile it never hurts to pull the stuff out, give it a good looking over and at least try a "test fitting" to make sure there aren't any glaring errors in the carpet pieces (cut short, misplaced heel pad, unworkable molded areas, etc).

[Loffen]

[QUOTE=P Glade;4610859]Good point!! I didn't even consider SMS. Maybe they also mold the carpet sets. They always seem to get good reviews for their door panels, etc.

I did notice on their website that they mention "SMS supplies pre-made carpet sets for most American cars...." which could be another way of saying "somebody else molds the carpets for us" (ie ACC or Trim Parts).

Probably worth a call or email to them to find out. My bet is they're also reselling carpet sets made by ACC and/or Trim Parts after reading their description.

QUOTE]

I have talked to them, and they do deliver pre molded sets (two weeks delivery time) but I wonder how the quality is of their mold.. anyways so do I not have any other choice when it comes to color so I guess I will place an order anyways... Uhmm expencive 200 Usd +++ for a carpet....

[Jack Peters]

P Glade,
Thanks for the warning......Re: 4 speed.

[P Glade]

Loffen - what you mention STILL DOESN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION...."Does SMS make (ie mold) the carpet sets OR are they just another reseller of ACC or Trim Parts's carpet sets?? THAT'S THE QUESTION YOU NEED TO ASK THEM. The two week leadtime makes me think they are ordering it from ACC or Trim Parts.

Still.....if it's from ACC or Trim Parts we've discussed the quality and possible problems above. Overall, the carpet sets can be installed and will look great but sometimes it'll take a little patience, work and extra padding to get things looking the way you want them to. It WOULD be interesting if they actually mold their own carpets and to see how they "stack up" to the other offerings.

Jack - Thanks. As I mentioned, I'm involved with an ACC carpet install on a factory 4 speed '70 W31 right now and I had the customer order the auto on the column set.
The VAST majority of the shifter floor hump on these '70-2 Olds's is covered by the console if the car has one. There's a small part of the spot-welded-on shifter hump that travels down the D side of the trans tunnel....below the console. We haven't had any problems so far with getting the carpet to look nice around this area.

When I did the install on another '70 Olds 4 spd car a few years ago, the shop had ordered the set for the manual floor shift. The hump molded in for the shifter was a bit too big BUT the overall trans tunnel was EXTREMELY OVERSIZED. Ended up having to cut a section out of the carpet forward of the shift hump just to get the tunnel to lay down right. Also had to gather up and hog ring tighter some other areas behind the shifter hump. This was a console car as well (fortunately!) but it would have been unuseable on a non-console car....just entirely to oversized. That set was also a bit short under the kick panels and up around the P side firewall pad...thus my suggestion to get "untrimmed", etc.

ONE OTHER AREA COMES TO MIND...the top of the trans tunnel in the backseat area. There's a molded-in extra hump in the current ('70 W31) carpet set. This is on top of the tunnel just forward of the front edge of the rear seat bottom. Easy fix is to add some jute panels to fill the gap and support this otherwise empty space from below. Otherwise, this slightly humped area will settle down over time and you'll have an odd low spot of carpet drooping down over the top of the tunnel back there. Had the same experience on an ACC set in a '73 T/A a few years back as well. If anything, they are consistent on some of these "defects".

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by Jack Peters

P Glade,
Thanks for the warning......Re: 4 speed.

Jack, for your T-37 you'll still want to order the "manual trans" carpet, the manual trans shifter porch Patton mentions is much less pronounced in design in the '68-72 Olds & Buick A-bodies. Like Patton, I've dealt wirh a bunch of ACC & TrimParts carpet & agree 100% with his list of fallacies of whats avail reproduction wise.

[gtohurstjudge]

This thread has made my anger well up again regarding the lies
that Original Parts Group tells in their catalog regarding the carpet they sell. They
actually imply that their carpet is from a different supplier than everybody else's carpet
and claim that they teamed up with Dorsett industries, who made the carpet for GM
back in the sixties and 70's to provide oem quality carpet with oem fit and durablility.
They refer to their carpet as "Raylon", a special blend that nobody else sells. I got all
excited when I read all this and ordered a set of carpets for my GTO....What did I get?
the same crappy carpet in an ACC box! Boy was I pissed!

['ol Pinion head]

no reason to buy from OPGI...

[P Glade]

Pinion Head - Good point on the differences in the shifter humps. I'll try to snap a pic or two of a bare 4 spd '70 Olds Abody floorboard to show how little of the shifter hump area protrudes out past the side of the trans tunnel.

It sounds like the Pontiac version may be a lot "boxier" and protrude further out towards the L side (D side) of the car from the tunnel.

I think it's been discussed in many of these "carpet" threads before that it's likely they use a one-mold-fits-all type setup for these manual floor shift carpets. The hump area has to be large enough to cover whichever car has the most prevalent/protruding shifter hump and any other A-body with a smaller/less protruding hump gets covered by the same set/mold as well.

['ol Pinion head]

Same hands on deal here Patton. BTW, the '68-72 Malibu-Chevelle manual trans fllor hump is not very big either.

Totally understand the coverage issue, it esp p!sses me off when the carpet will not reach properly under the kickpanels. I'm also not real big on using all the heavy sound deadener & dynomat stuff... just enough tar based floor insulation to keep the heat from under my heals. One of my keepers came from factory with only minimal front floorpan tar insulation & that's the way I like 'em

['ol Pinion head]

Manual trans shifter humps/porches[/b]

Here we go, all in repro form, one of the few things that can get stamped out close to original.


?-72 Cutlass-442 :
(I was looking at a rough '69 F85 post stick car a few years back, don't remember it being different...)

http://compare.ebay.com/like/3503083...Types&var=sbar


'67 GTO w console, all '68-72 LeMans-GTO :
(I prob have a dozen of these nice used)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-SPEED-TUNN...sories&vxp=mtr

'68-72 Malibu-Chevelle:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-1972-Ch...sories&vxp=mtr

[P Glade]

Here's one pic of an original '70 Olds shifter porch/hump installation. The thing doesn't seem to protrude out the the L as much as others possibly. Have never done a side-by-side comparison to see.

[bigborehunter]

"This thread has made my anger well up again regarding the lies
that Original Parts Group tells in their catalog regarding the carpet they sell. They
actually imply that their carpet is from a different supplier than everybody else's carpet
and claim that they teamed up with Dorsett industries, who made the carpet for GM
back in the sixties and 70's to provide oem quality carpet with oem fit and durablility."

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Robbins industries in GA also a Pontiac GTO carpet supplier?

[Loffen]

Fraser was one for sure

[rexs73gto]

I ordered a new carpet for my 73 GTO & it fit bad, it is a 4 spd to , the first one I had to send back because it was cut so short on top that it didn't even go up as far as the dimmer switch, the 2nd one was a little better but still didn't fit much better. It fit on the sides ok but the rear part was just bearly long enough & the front just barly came up to the dimmer, but I made it work. I spent the extra money for the new plush cut pile carpet because I thought it was going to fit better. Also the new carpet was a 1 peice carpet & my original was a 2 piece. The carpet I replaced was the 2nd carpet in the car & it had been i there for 15 years & it fit good. I was told when I bought the carpet that they didn't make one for a car with a 4 spd so I had to take one for an auto on the floor. Never again form auto custom carpets through AMES. And it was black the most common color. It fit terrible. But after sitting in the sun for 5 hours & lots of pulling & tugging & trying to heat it with a heat gun to streach it, it's in & looks ok, now.....