Herald Carpets - stitched or moulded?

[Eddie]

I want to buy new carpets for my Herald convertible.

 

It seems that "stitched" or more expensive "moulded" carpets are available.

 

Can anyone tell me what is the difference and are the moulded carpets worth the extra expense?

 

[dougbgt6]

Moulded are much easier to fit, however I've yet to see any that match the quality of the originals. The new ones have the feel of kitchen pan scourers and are only available in a limited selection of colours. There are some very good quality loose stitched carpets and a greater variety of colours, but you may need some sort of steaming device to shape the loose carpet in two planes. The club shop sell moulded at a good price and are as good as any other offering. I suspect they all come from the same place!

 

One of the best loose carpets come from Coverdale they have several quality levels  www.coverdaleuk.com

[AidanT]

Definitely moulded unless you are a carpet fitter or an experienced tailor ! I fitted the cheaper version but wished I had gone for the moulded ones

 

Aidan

[Steve C]

"stitched" means that the carpet is pinched and gathered at specific places and then stitched to hold it that position to allow it to bend around corners and curves on the floor pan and gearbox. They are the cheaper solution to steam-moulding the carpet into a permanent shape, and don't fit as well.

 

None of the repro carpets out there match the quality and fit of the originals, but unless you are lucky enough to find a mint set of those(think Holy Grail here...) IMHO the best option are moulded repro from Newton Commercial who supply many of the specialists, and curiously, they are sometimes cheaper bought through third parties. See:

 

http://www.newtoncomm.co.uk/cars/triumph-herald/model-156/carpet-and-boot/2760-products-2760/

 

A have them in my own car and they are as good as it gets for fit and quality. Three tips: one, buy a can of their strong spray-on glue, as it makes getting a good fit a lot easier. Two, be careful not to get bunched carpet behind the throttle pedal, or you will suffer a sudden and inexplicable loss of power, and three, be careful when trimming as some edges are not that generous, particularly the bit by your left foot.

 

If you have the cash, trimming companies can do bespoke carpeting with leather-bound edges and all the rest of it, but it does not come cheap.

 

Good luck

 

Steve C

[dougbgt6]

Newton commercial Herald carpets £239.74

 

Club shop £235

 

What's not to like?

[Pete Lewis]

Stitched do need fixing down or they will ruck up they need a felt underlay , with moulded its part of the

process and has its own felt backing and being a firm form stay in place.

 

google car carpets and there are many places making a aray of wool , or man made mix available

But moulded from club is an obvious choice

 

Pete

[mishmosh]

always had stitched. Usually disappointed with the fit around the gearbox tunnel , but always much cheaper and better quality carpet..   I also add plenty of  soundproofing , and I understand the moulded ones dont appreciate the extra padding. 

[Freyasgrandad]

My Vitesse has either original or after market moulded carpets in good condition but was missing the gearbox cover carpet. I bought a set of stitched carpets off ebay but the tunnel piece didn't even begin to fit properly. I complained and was told "We make these sets for the top restorers and suppliers they are from original templates". 

 

I contacted Newton and they supplied me with a moulded tunnel carpet alone. It fitted perfectly and took seconds to install. Quality is always worth the money.

[Eddie]

Thanks for the advice, I am going to go for the moulded ones.

[Pete Lewis]

I think you will be pleased with them

 

get some decent large washers to put under the seat runner fixings  and check the runner frame is not bent .

as this makes any easy slide rather stiff. 

 

Pete