Vitesse carpet

[ean]

1970 Vitesse 2L Convertible

I will be fitting a new carpet soon and wondered what is the best way to ensure that the holes for the bolts on the seat runners are in the right place or does the carpet come with holes already there? At the moment the only solution I can think of is it fit the carpet, ram needles through the captive nuts from the underside  but..  Someone did suggest making a template or possibly two and use them to create the holes from the inside.  As I presume the holes are not already cut, what would be the best way to creat them - drill, very hot soldering iron, force the bolts through the material.

Any ideas would be greatfully received.

[Pete Lewis]

like the idea of a hot solder iron  !!!!    Only if your name is Singen    Ha !!!

  dont use any twist drills or wind a bolt through as it will pick up the fabric or its backing and wreck it 

you get a big hole in the carpet and tight wad of hessian stuck to your drill bit 

Up  spike from under sounds a plan  to get the location   but would suggest a careful star cut with a stanley blade to make a careful breakthrough 

so if its in the wrong place its easy to adhere a backing and the star cuts become invisible , but are easy to wind a bolt through 

Pete

[dougbgt6]

No bolt holes in my carpet set, so yes an electrical screwdriver from underneath. However, that just locates the holes and I used a very sharp box cutter to enlarge the carpet holes. I found cutting the holes square easiest, the seat runner covers the hole anyway.

Doug

 

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, ean said:

what would be the best way to creat them - drill, very hot soldering iron, force the bolts through the material.

That's how I did the GT6 carpets; soldering iron from underneath. Is the setup same as the Herald, where you have two holes at the front through the floor and so accessible from underneath, but the rears are into caged nuts which are closed at the bottom? In which case just locate the front two, fit the seat runners at the front, and work downwards through the runners to find the rear mountings.

[martyn wright]

Hi!  I have a Vitesse 6 which I have just fitted the original old stock underlay/sound deadner!  I pearced through the front runner holes and it fitted well!  I am shortly fitting a new carpet set and have had a trial run as the carpet does stretch a little, but I will used the same procedure.

[ean]

I think the needle through the carpet from below and then either a box cutter or stanley knife to open the hole. Like the comment to fix the two front bolts and then locate the rear holes, which are I think closed on the underside.

Thank you for suggestions.

Iain

[Peter Truman]

Be careful you don’t get any carpet debris on the bolt or nut threads it can lock the thread up solid no go forward or back solid I usually make sure the hole in the carpet is large enough to give clearance.

I ripped a child’s safety seat anchor out of the rear parcel shelf in a modern because if seized with the nylon carpet pile

[ean]

Many thanks for all the comments.

The plan will be to fit the carpet, with a very hot needle pierce a hole thru from the underside, cut four rectangles in the carpet so that they fits around the fixtures on the floor pan, fit the seats.

Get an MOT and back on the road 😀

[Pete Lewis]

you may find fitting some decent washers to space the runners off the carpet helps, some have spacers many are lost , but just bolting down on the carpet can bend the runners and makes the slide very stiff to adjust the seat

Pete

[martyn wright]

Hi!  I have used Chassis Spacer Rubbers 608836 to keep the Runners off the carpet!  and they fit well!

Cheers Martyn