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Beetle interior trimming - Carpet kit or carpet by the metre DIY? What's better?

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pfillery Insano Dub Head

734 posts · joined Dec 2011 ·

#957246
Has anyone got any sage advice when it comes to carpet kits for a 66 bug? I've seen the cheapish ones on the net for about $170 delivered from oz suppliers, but are they going to give good full coverage? I understand they will be hemmed and edged etc, but is there really a huge benefit going this way, especially if something isn't right, or if I've moved something and the original kit doesn'r cover the right bits?

I've trimmed whole cars using marine carpet and underlay before (and even did a type 3 in seconds household carpet which is a lot harder to do) so it isn't foreign to me, just wondering if most of the kits come with things like seatbelt bolt holes, heater vents etc cut out or are they left whole for those cars without belts? And the same goes for the footrests on the passenger side - mine doesn't have that so trimming it myself will obviously allow for that.

After all, carpet kits are all just flat bits anyway.....

Any recommendations of premade kits that are really good and ones to avoid like the plague? I've heard TMI are not great and that some ordered from O/S are LHD.

cam070 Custom Title Time!

1,332 posts · joined Jul 2009 ·

#957413
FYI TMI do a range for RHD cars

zayus Wolfsburg Wizard

437 posts · joined Sep 2002 ·

#957484
Hey hey,

Have you considered buying a roll of carpet & cutting it to shape, by using your existing carpet as the template?
Or has the carpet been removed, making this option impossible?

pfillery Insano Dub Head

734 posts · joined Dec 2011 ·

#957501
No carpet in it. All removed for pan off restoration. I priced a TMI kit and including the bits for the back was around $600 which seems a bit high.

I've done cars from scratch without a template before but it takes more time. May not be able to avoid it though.

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#957533
My carpet was not flat... it was formed to fit over the tunnel etc.. Moulded carpets was the place..

but that was many years ago..

they used to advertise in car magazines..

bought mine in 1998..

the floor heater vents changed over the years, so there are many things that are NOT cut out, so still a lot of work to do..

a custom made trimmed carpet looks like a million dollars.. lol

LEE


pfillery wrote:Has anyone got any sage advice when it comes to carpet kits for a 66 bug? I've seen the cheapish ones on the net for about $170 delivered from oz suppliers, but are they going to give good full coverage? I understand they will be hemmed and edged etc, but is there really a huge benefit going this way, especially if something isn't right, or if I've moved something and the original kit doesn'r cover the right bits?



After all, carpet kits are all just flat bits anyway.....

Any recommendations of premade kits that are really good and ones to avoid like the plague? I've heard TMI are not great and that some ordered from O/S are LHD.
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

hus22l Officially Full-On Dubber

229 posts · joined Apr 2012 ·

#957544
I got mine from Knox in Melbourne , they have a back piece that is moulded and will fit, buy fronts you will have to cut. I bought by the metre, and got an upholsterer to put a trim around it. Looks sweet! I would post a photo, but what a mission from an iPhone!

65busser Moderator Custom Title Time!

1,795 posts · joined Nov 2002 ·

#957643
There are carpet kits and there are carpet kits. There are variations in carpet quality and owners have different requirements. Some just want to cover the floor, doesn't matter too much whether it fits like it should. Some want it to fit but not concerned about how long it will last because they're selling the car or just want to make it look better than the ratty old original.
Some want it to fit and last, other's want it to be special for their show car.
Some want to carpet just the front, others want to do the lot including behind the back seat.
You can pay $200 or less for a moulded kit which will be made from the cheapest synthetic 'fluffy' stuff with string binding like your door mat at home and will be a vague fit and go flat in six months. It won't have bound cut outs for the handbrake, gearshift, heater tap or heater vents.
You can go to the other end of the spectrum and go the whole hog and have it hand made in German Square Weave like the original with herringbone cloth binding, scuff pads for the driver's feet etc etc but $200 won't buy 1/3 of the piece of carpet required. Or you can go somewhere in between.
The TMI kits fit right in the middle as far as the ideal mix of quality of carpet, quality of fit and durability. Thing is you have to know what you're ordering. There are so many ways to get it wrong and all the reports of TMI kits not fitting are a result of insufficient detail in the order.
TMI's knowledge of Aussie RHD VW's is limited to say the least but they can make the perfect kit if you know what they don't and order the correct codes.
I've sent patterns and actual carpet pieces to TMI over the years and have codes specific to our kits. If we don't supply the right kit, we take the blame.
It also helps to know what your car has and doesn't have when ordering. If your car is in a changeover year for example and you order on line or over the phone to the local shop, chances are you won't be happy.
Same applies for seat covers, door cards and headliners.
$600 might sound like a lot to some, not much to others but how relative is it to what you want and what you get for your money?

Cheers
Brad

www.busnbug.com

zoofish Officially Full-On Dubber

205 posts · joined Feb 2010 ·

#958032
pfillery wrote:Has anyone got any sage advice when it comes to carpet kits for a 66 bug? I've seen the cheapish ones on the net for about $170 delivered from oz suppliers, but are they going to give good full coverage? I understand they will be hemmed and edged etc, but is there really a huge benefit going this way, especially if something isn't right, or if I've moved something and the original kit doesn'r cover the right bits?

I've trimmed whole cars using marine carpet and underlay before (and even did a type 3 in seconds household carpet which is a lot harder to do) so it isn't foreign to me, just wondering if most of the kits come with things like seatbelt bolt holes, heater vents etc cut out or are they left whole for those cars without belts? And the same goes for the footrests on the passenger side - mine doesn't have that so trimming it myself will obviously allow for that.

After all, carpet kits are all just flat bits anyway.....

Any recommendations of premade kits that are really good and ones to avoid like the plague? I've heard TMI are not great and that some ordered from O/S are LHD.
I had the same concerns around quality of figment, so I went bought a 5m roll of Tan German Square Weave Carpet and matching cloth binding and then found a local interior trimmer in Sydney to make the carpet to fit the car. The cheapest part of the whole exercise was the installation - $380, naturally the GSW Carpet and cloth binding were the most expensive part, but I'm happy with the outcome. Not the best pic, but it looks trick.

snitz Wolfsburg Wizard

605 posts · joined Sep 2008 ·

#958180
I love that carpet and run the same scat seats in the wifes 1970 beetle.Can you supply a DIY kit in Tan German Squareweave for a 1970 Beetle 65 Busser?.The squareweave is soo nice.Makes cut and loop carpets look cheap.

zoofish Officially Full-On Dubber

205 posts · joined Feb 2010 ·

#958203
65busser wrote:Nice.
Thanks mate - Truth be told, your work inspired it. If we lived in the same City, I would've been down there in a nanosecond.