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Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A Carpet Install Tips

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PatGalvin

PatGalvin

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So, I'm installing carpet on Gwyneth (My British Mistress, aptly named by my better half), and have learned a couple things.

First, easiest way to locate and make holes in carpet for seat tracks is by running an awl through the captive nut beneath the floor boards and then chasing the awl with a hot soldering iron. If you try and drill the carpet, you will snag and your intended little hole will be very large before you can react.... So, burning the hole worked well. The hole is covered by seat track anyway.

For seats purchased from Too Tall Tim of Ohio, I needed to add a small spacer (quarter inch) to raise the seat track. Otherwise, the seat dragged on the floor and just could not be easily slid fore and aft. So, I grabbed some oak trim from Home Despot and cut to size. Worked well and doesn't look too bad.

Third, the seat tracks from TRF were a little problematic. The seat slide with the lever (to adjust seat fore and aft) required some tweaking. The slide lever fouled the seat base before the lever was actuated adequately to unlock the seat slide. So, I had to heat up the lever with my oxy/acetylene torch and bend the lever outwards to allow the required full travel of the lever, without fouling the base.

Use a little lube on the seat slides (I used white lithium spray grease).

With that, I'm pretty happy with the installation.

Hope this helps the next guy.

Pat

IMG_2802 (Large).jpg IMG_2803 (Large).jpg IMG_2804 (Large).jpg IMG_2810 (Large).jpg
 
Pat!
looking great!!!!!
perfection!
 
PatGalvin said:
So, I'm installing carpet on Gwyneth (My British Mistress, aptly named by my better half), and have learned a couple things.

First, easiest way to locate and make holes in carpet for seat tracks is by running an awl through the captive nut beneath the floor boards and then chasing the awl with a hot soldering iron. If you try and drill the carpet, you will snag and your intended little hole will be very large before you can react.... So, burning the hole worked well. The hole is covered by seat track anyway.

For seats purchased from Too Tall Tim of Ohio, I needed to add a small spacer (quarter inch) to raise the seat track. Otherwise, the seat dragged on the floor and just could not be easily slid fore and aft. So, I grabbed some oak trim from Home Despot and cut to size. Worked well and doesn't look too bad.

Third, the seat tracks from TRF were a little problematic. The seat slide with the lever (to adjust seat fore and aft) required some tweaking. The slide lever fouled the seat base before the lever was actuated adequately to unlock the seat slide. So, I had to heat up the lever with my oxy/acetylene torch and bend the lever outwards to allow the required full travel of the lever, without fouling the base.

Use a little lube on the seat slides (I used white lithium spray grease).

With that, I'm pretty happy with the installation.

Hope this helps the next guy.

Pat

View attachment 33956 View attachment 33957 View attachment 33958 View attachment 33959
Click to expand...

I also got my seats from TooTall and was very happy.I had the same problem with seat dragging on carpet.The problem was the new pans where not flat on the bottom but bowed.Considerable hammering straightened them out for some improvement ,no spacer needed.I was also surprised that the rib pattern stamped was different than original also but you cant beat the price.
Tom
 
Nice job Pat, I'm getting ready to do just that so the tips were very timely. I know that some of the folks cut a slot in the carpet so they could take it out and get it dry after driving through a rain storm. Had you given any thought about that option? Just wondering. Your method is certainly quicker and looks great. Thanks for the pics also. They are going to help me.
Dick
 
Hi Dick
I hadn't considered cutting a slot in the carpet, in case it gets wet. I'll probably use large fans to dry it out. I'm not sure I need to worry about rain, out here in the drought-stricken desert.

Pat
 
TFB said:
I also got my seats from TooTall and was very happy.I had the same problem with seat dragging on carpet.The problem was the new pans where not flat on the bottom but bowed.Considerable hammering straightened them out for some improvement ,no spacer needed.I was also surprised that the rib pattern stamped was different than original also but you cant beat the price.
Tom
Click to expand...
Hi Tom
Yes, my pans were bowed too. I didn't consider pounding on them to flatten. Maybe that would have been enough to allow the seats to slide.

I also am having trouble fitting the door panels. With panels in place, I cannot close doors. The lower hardboard/leather inner door panel is too thick to allow the door to close on the upper lip of the sill. I may have to cut a quarter inch off the bottom of the door panel to allow the fit. Anyone else have this problem?

Pat
 
Pat
All my interior came from Too Tall Tim also. All fit very well. Is it possible that you are a little to low?
 
Tinkerman said:
...I know that some of the folks cut a slot in the carpet so they could take it out and get it dry after driving through a rain storm...
Click to expand...

I did that and it does make the drying out process (after a sudden Monsoon storm) go a lot quicker. You can see the slits in the two under seat pieces:

carpet_zps697c7fa2.jpg


Hardly necessary, but if the carpet and pads get soaked, line drying is better than fans - even if you need to unbolt the tracks.
 
tinman58 said:
Pat
All my interior came from Too Tall Tim also. All fit very well. Is it possible that you are a little to low?
Click to expand...
Hey Dan
Do your door panels fit in between door bottom edge and sill lip? Or does door panel ride above the sill lip? It could be a door fitment issue. My doors are super tight. I had to do quite a bit of rebuilding of the door bottoms (skin and friend) and may have made them a bit fat. If I raise the door panel up a bit, it just interferes with the curved part of the door opening (but that position does look good up against the door top capping). Thanks

Pat
 
Geo Hahn said:
Hardly necessary, but if the carpet and pads get soaked, line drying is better than fans - even if you need to unbolt the tracks.
Click to expand...
Especially if you are using pads with foil or plastic insulation.
 
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