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mgalvin
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2006
Posts: 13
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 Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:09 pm Post subject: Floor Mats & Carpet Kits & Seats |
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My Thing didn't come with mats or carpet. I saw carpet kits and floor mats on California Pacific/ JBugs web site.
Would you recommend only floor mats or the entire carpet kit with mats?
Also, I need to recover my two front seats, black vinyl - If I bought the kits, is it easy to revover with all new material?
First time at all this. Thank you everyone.
michaelg |
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radioman
Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2004
Posts: 430
Location: Irmo, SC
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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I have cheap outdoor poly carpet in my car. It works well but needs to be relatively dry to protect the steel underneath. As for your seats: I have replaced the covers on two Beetles over the years (JC Whitney, as a matter of fact) both done in the summer after leaving the covers in the sun. Perfect. Unless you are after OEM perfection....I would work with a cover. Some hog nose clamps and pliers, perhaps a helper and you will be all set. You can buy NEW padding from a number of sources. This is not difficult...just requires a bit of effort. Good Luck. If you need more advice, don't hesitate to ask any of us. Bill
_________________
It's a Southern Thing, 73, stock.
Bill |
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bucko
Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2004
Posts: 2617
Location: Coppell, Texas
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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My opinion would be to choose one or the other based on how you plan to use the Thing. Is it going to be used often, and/or as a utility vehicle? If so, the pats would hold up better. If it will be used for those pleasure drives on nice rain free days, then the carpet would provide a cleaner look to the inside.
Be honest in your choice on how you plan to use the Thing. |
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Towel Rail
Horizontally Opposed
Joined: April 15, 2005
Posts: 4622
Location: SE CR IA US NA PE
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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I recommend mats. With carpet, you can't see the floorpan rusting. 
_________________
1974 Thing -- under the knife
1967 Beetle -- spring/summer/fall driver
1996 Subaru OBW (EJ22, 5-speed, AWD) -- winter car, 3-seasons "don't feel like biking today" car
049 > 070 > 053 > 009 |
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bmwloco
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2006
Posts: 1093
Location: Asheville NC
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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If you have a hard top, both.
Carpet for the winters with the top on. You don't need to glue it down, just cut it to fit or place it properly. Use floormats too.
Summer, store the top and floormaps, put in duck boards.
Enjoy the sunshine, keep it dry, and have fun. |
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Captain Spalding
Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2005
Posts: 2519
Location: . . . in denial.
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| Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:55 pm Post subject: Re: Floor Mats & Carpet Kits & Seats |
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| mgalvin wrote: |
My Thing didn't come with mats or carpet. I saw carpet kits and floor mats on California Pacific/ JBugs web site.
Would you recommend only floor mats or the entire carpet kit with mats? |
A bit off your question, but the advice I got was that if I wanted carpet I should have the rubber swiss cheese mats underneath as well. The idea here is that if the carpet gets wet, the airspace underneath provided by the swiss cheese mats allows the moisture to evaporate more quickly. I suppose cocoa mats under the carpet would perform the same function.
FWIW, I have rubber mats and carpet mats. No carpet under the seats or on the tunnel.
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| Also, I need to recover my two front seats, black vinyl - If I bought the kits, is it easy to revover with all new material? |
Again, from something I've read, rather than personal experience: I second the notion of leaving the vinyl in the sun on a warm day - also, use zip ties to incrementally cinch up the seat, alternately cinching the ties and coaxing the vinyl down. Once they're tight enough, cut off the zip ties one at a time and replace with hog rings. |
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codycat
Samba Member
Joined: July 18, 2006
Posts: 1163
Location: Mobile, Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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what are duck boards  |
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TLW54
Samba Member
Joined: February 24, 2005
Posts: 70
Location: Castaic, California
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codycat
Samba Member
Joined: July 18, 2006
Posts: 1163
Location: Mobile, Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| why no duck boards for beetles?? |
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Ian Epperson
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2005
Posts: 2262
Location: Alameda, CA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| bmwloco wrote: |
Carpet for the winters with the top on. You don't need to glue it down, just cut it to fit or place it properly. Use floormats too.
Summer, store the top and floormaps, put in duck boards. |
Out here in CA, it simply doesn't rain in the summer. But in the winter, even with the top up, muddy shoes leave the floor wet and dirty.
Therefore, I'd almost recommend the opposite. Carpet in the summer with no top, then duckboards in the winter. I don't have carpets though - just the duckboards - so do what you want!  |
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bmwloco
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2006
Posts: 1093
Location: Asheville NC
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Ah, good point. America is a very, very big country.
What works in the Southeast doesn't hold true in California.
I've had long conversation with my friends in New Zealand and Australia, and to a lessor extent, England about America. They think it's all like California - beause that's what's on TV.
A universal US idea for Things? POR-15 the floor pans, pull the drain plugs. Drive whenever with whatever blows up your skirt.
Fiind rust? Eradicate it immediately with grinding, Naval Jelly, clean it to bright steel and then POR-15 or otherwise coat it. |
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lemke
Samba Troll
Joined: February 24, 2004
Posts: 1249
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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| This is not meant to be a plug, but the Ghia floor mats that I reproduce will fit a Thing perfectly. |
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