Another Re-Carpeting Thread

[Kaliv]

Well, I just finished up my second under-grad degree earlier this week, so it's finally to time to devote some of that free time back to the Porsche. My goal is to spruce the interior up a bit along with making it a bit quieter. Nothing is really wrong with it, just 20 years of dirt and decay that the wife doesn't really appreciate.

My plan is to replace the carpets and add some newer sound deadening material...probably from second-skin audio. I'm using JHUBS thread as a walk-thru. Thanks for all the good details Jerry. While I'm in there, I need to replace some shifter bushings that are either worn out of broken. The shifting is really sloppy. And I'm hoping to do something to the headliner...but it may be more than I want to bargin...so I may outsource it if I really choose to clean that up.

Anyway, here is what I'm working with.





I've already ran into some fun stuff. As I'm finding out the more I work on this car, lots of modifications have been made, which makes it a little more difficult. So far on this project, I've found about a quarter-gazillion bolts holding in my driver's seat...half of which were stripped...so drilling them out slowed me down.

Next was a homemade center console...which I had issues with earlier today in this thread.

Anyway, hope to keep up with documenting the progress and perhaps helping someone else down the road.

[Kaliv]

I was able to get another day in for my car. I took another look at the headliner, and I think I'll definately replace that too. I was worried about taking out the windows...but I think I'm up for the task.

Everything is out of the car now. I think it's moving along quite well. The old stuff really stinks tearing it out, and the back heat pad was heavier than I expected it to be. I'm about to order Damplifier Pro for the entire inside of the car, to include the ceiling, and then add Heat Wave Pro to the back seats and shelf, and Luxury Liner Pro everywhere else except the ceiling.

I started scrapping off the old heat pad, but in doing so, I'm getting some of the paint as well. I'd rather not have to repaint the inside to keep it from rusting. Any opinions out there on if I removed enough of the old stuff?

[Kaliv]

On to four days in a row...that's a miracle. Anyway, was able to get the asphalt out of the car. Passenger side went like a breeze, but the driver's side was stubborn and took about three times as long. Let me tell you, a heat gun is your very best friend. Well worth $25.

Also was able to purchase most of the parts today. I ended up with Damplifier Pro (about 75% coverage worth), HeatWave Pro and Luxury Liner. I was worried about the extra thickness with the Pro version of Luxury Liner...and it seemed too expensive. I also order a carpet set with scripted front mats (Thanks Kris for the advice). And I have a headliner coming, some window moldings and a piece for the shifter. So far I'm a little under $1500, which I think it pretty good. I was planning for about $2k when everything is done...and I have a few more things to get like glue and the side window rubber moldings. If anyone just wants to tackle carpets and forget the headliner...I'd say just over $1k would probably be a reasonable project cost.

[sc_rufctr]

Nice work so far. Watching this one.

[nineball]

good work so far. i am about to start this process myself. just got the tracking number for my new carpet and mat set this morning.

[Winter]

Nice work and good pics!

I'd say that your carpet looks new compared to what I used to have!

I replaced mine with a used set from the classifieds here. Still haven't gone the damplifier route, but one day. Your cost estimates are helpful.

Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished project.

---

Tom '75 targa

[nineball]

for those who may be interested ssa is running a sale on some b-stock damp pro. the only problem is that the foil layer is silver (they use black now) and a little thinner than normal but it should not be a problem due to their over-engineering.

Second Skin - Damplifier Pro B-stock Sale

[jsmithcds]

I just finished my new interior and it looks great. I tore it all out and put down Dynamat extreme. I ended up using 14 sheets of it to completly cover the floor and shelf. Carpet from app biz plush is a really nice quality. New headliner.
Headliner and carpet installed by a local installer. After watching the amount of work that went into it I was very happy I did not try it myself. There is alot more fitting with the carpet and vinyl than I would have imagined.

Good luck with the rest of your project.


Justin

[nineball]

nice. i know it's too late for you now but for others considering doing this let me give you a piece of advice. it is not necessary to have 100% coverage with a sound damper like dynamat or damplifier. 25-40% coverage is all that is needed, and only on large flat areas of metal. curved areas have much more strength and are nota s prone to vibrations. dampers are just that - they reduce the vibrations in the metal and convert it to low level heat. anything more than 40% is literally the same as throwing money out of the window. if you want to block noise it is a 3 step process - damper, decoupler (ensolite or closed cell foam), and finally mass loaded vinyl. the damper helps with panel vibrations, the mass loaded vinyl is what actually blocks the noise and needs 100% coverage and the decoupler is just that - something to go between the two.

[Kaliv]

Thanks Kris. I read a lot of your posts concerning coverage of vibration dampeners...which is why I didn't buy 100% coverage for Damplifer. I probably got more than I needed, but then again, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing...I'm just doing something and learning along the way.

[nineball]

Just use the tap test. Start by covering a panel about 25% and then tap on the uncovered area around it. Add more as needed but you should Be able to easily tell when adding more is not showing any gain.

[Kaliv]

No pictures today. But I did clean up the back some. I took course steel wool and cleaned out some of the loose material back there that wouldn't come off. I was debating on just getting the loose stuff over, or getting everything off. I opted for the loose stuff as I didn't want to have to respray the paint. As it is, I went to Lowes and picked up some primer to get some off the scraps touched up. It's a bit dirty, so I may use some dish soap and clean out the car some...then apply the primer. Lowes only had white...but it doesn't really matter as it will be covered up anyway.

My sound deadener came in today. Total weight of the package was around 65 pounds...which is probably more weight than I took out. I originally thought that 2010 material would be lighter than the 1987 stuff, but my goal isn't necessarily to make the car as light as possible, but to decrease the noise in the cabin. I'm suprised on how little material was in the car in the first place. So I'm hoping with all the new stuff, there will be a big difference.

I also took the sunroof out today. Funny on how the sound deadener is just a little bit of foam. I doubt it did anything to help out but far through the headliner into my hair while I'm driving. I'm hoping that Damplifer Pro will be a good replacement. I haven't measured yet, but I'm thinking I may have the double check the thickness to ensure free movement of the sunroof. Damp Pro probably weighes a little more, so I'm hoping that doesn't effect anything. We'll see when I start to apply it.

[Kaliv]

Today I tried tackling Project #37 in Wayne's book...shifting improvements. One of the plastic bushings has broke near the shifter, so shifting was getting pretty sloppy. My first shipment from PP came in today (including the bushing), so I thought I would fix it. Let me tell you, this project is really easy...so diy, don't pay a mechanic.

Two things I would add to Wayne's book though, is he doesn't mention (or perhaps I can't read), the fourth hex bolt that needs to be removed that attaches the rod to the shifter. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to remove it at first, but you do. Secondly, I couldn't get the housing unit off the shift rod in first gear like the book says...second gear works a whole lot better.

I probably could have finished tonight, but I ran into some rust...and I didn't have everything to fix it up properly. I don't normally get to start working on my car until 8pm, so most stores were already closed by the time I knew I needed stuff. Otherwise, this project would have been an easy >1hr fix, seeing how I already had the carpet and console removed for my other project.

Removing the back plate revealed something that didn't look like the picture in Wayne's book. Below is a picture of what I have. I was just checking to see if everything looked ok back there...and I guess it does, if a little dirty.

It's hard to keep from adding more "while I'm in there" things...but I need to stay focused on my timeline and budget. Quick and cheap.

[Kaliv]

Nothing really exciting today. I did some rust prevention, and I installed the shift rod bushing. Putting the bushing into the plate was the hardest part of the whole job. The bushing just wouldn't fit, and I ripped it up a little installing it. However, now that it's installed, huge difference in how sloppy the shifter is. It's a very nice fit...better than I imagined it would be.

[Kaliv]

Put a lot of work into it today. I removed all the windows. I forget what project it is in Wayne's book (71 perhaps?), but followed it to a 'T'. I was very patient as I didn't want to buy new metal strips for the seals. Still, I dinged them up a bit. Took me until the third piece to realize if you take a long screw driver and shove it down the spine of the metal strip, you get the most efficient and safe way to pull it up without bending it. At times when you can't do that...like around corners, then try to come at the strip from the shorter ledge side. Obviously one side is longer than the other, and I found I did less dinging on the short side. Actually, I did very little dinging, but the black 'paint' is old and crumples easily...and on a few spots, just a tiny bit is bare. Otherwise, taking out windows wasn't all that hard.

Well, except for the back window. The heat strips in the back window are a pain. The book said four connections, but I had more like 10, not including to two located near the third brake light...except for my light has been moved...but the heat connectors are still there.

One bitter sweet thing is that I found some rust under the passegner side front window rubber. Pulled the rubber and saw the beginnings of rust forming. Bad that it there...good that I now see it before it becomes a major problem. Otherwise, that was the one rust spot I found today.

I also started on ripping out the headliner. What a pain. Worst part of the job so far. It's very sticky and messy...and it doesn't want to come off very easily. One thing I didn't figure out though, was how to take the coat hangers off. I think I can do the job without messing with them, but Wayne's book gives no advice and I don't see how they are connected right off the bat.

[Kaliv]

I had to go out of town for a week since my last post. But I was able to get in some work today. While I was away, my headliner came in along with my new carpets. I decided to try a new company out for the carpets, and I'm pretty impressed. They seem very plush and the mats look great with the embroidery. Everything has a nice weight to it as well. The only thing I kind of disliked about the batch, is that some of the carpets (ones you don't glue down) have a wool type backing to them instead of rubber like my previous carpet pieces. The mats have a nice rubber backing, but not pieces like the ones that go around the pedals.



I figured out how to get the coat hangers off. The plastic pieces just slide up and off, and then there is a nut that holds the metal piece on.

Today I was able to finish taking the headliner out and finishing up ripping out useless foam stuff. Below are a few picture of how much junk I left in. As you can tell, I didn't go down to bare metal...jut got most of the loose stuff off.

I also put down some primer on some of the spot I thought weren't initially coated and then some spots I accidently scraped up. I wasn't all that careful with the primer, and it looks messy, but it's just going to get covered up anyway. I just put it down to help keep my car rust free a few more years.

Finally, I started laying some of the Dampflier Pro. This stuff is super easy to lay. Again, I wasn't too careful on making exact fits as you only need like 40% coverage, and I bought enough for around 70%. Still, it seems to be taking quite some time to get it placed. I already place about 70% of the stock I bought however. What I'm not looking forward to is the Heat Wave and Luxury Liner. That, I plan to place fairly exact...but my motivation for this project is starting to wane. This project is definately not for the weak at heart. Lots of time involved.

[nineball]

hang in there, it will be worth it in the end. i have done more interiors than i can remember (and have the scars from damplifier / dynamat to prove it) but it feels great when it is done.

i'll be in your shoes over the next few weeks myself. carpet kit arrived, lift is here, and after tomorrow i should have the ramps built and everything ready to go for next week. what do you plan on using for glue?

[gregwils]

This is on my list of things to do, but the front suspension is next. Subscribed and thanks for sharing. I'll anxious to see the finished product.

[sabeo.m]

Subscribed, nice work on the interior thus far.

[Kaliv]

I was just going to follow JHub with 3M Foam Fast 74 Orange for glue...that is on the carpets. I haven't looked to see if I can buy it in the local area...but that's what I was considering. For the Heat Wave, I bought 2 cans of whatever Second Skin was selling. I'll probably use that on the Luxury Liner as well.