carpet sets?

[mattyguk1]

hi all, ill be fitting new screen rubber this weekend with luck and hopefully no more leaks! so my next purchase will be a new carpet set....wheres the best place to buy a nice quality one from?

[NotNormal]

91 views at this thread and no one has any suggestions seems a bit strange to me

I'd be interested in this as well for the future so in a bid to provoke a response i've been looking at the interior sets (both carpet and complete interior) from Somerford Mini, anybody any experience of their stuff ?

[guru_1071]

the easy answer is that there are three sorts of carpet set

sub 25 quid fuzzy felt crap

sub 35 quid stuff that has the heel pads and is bound. the front part never fits right, but can be cut and restiched to make it better. with care and work these carpets can look very good, and are probably a closer look to 70/80 original stuff than the newtons. i like these carpets as they can look respectable with a bit of care

then there are the newton moulded stuff. fits great, looks great, but cost a sack - you can virtually open the door and throw them in the fit is that good

[NotNormal]

Cheers for the Newton heads up, just browsing their site now as hadn't heard of them before

[mattyguk1]

thanks, ive checked out the newton ones and they seem to be best deal for quality. just need to make sure the screen rubbers stopped leaking first!

[alexdenevers]

Has anybody tried this set ? --> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Classic-Mini-Hand ... 2019wt_998

[whitebuffalo]

Has anybody tried this set ? --> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Classic-Mini-Hand ... 2019wt_998

Those were the same carpet sets from North West Minis I was thinking of. I just hadn't taken the plunge to see how they are. Was looking for feedback on other sites and hadn't found anyone to respond with their opinion. Hope someone here has experience with them. I really like the idea of the "claret" colored one for my Riley.

[Gray]

I must admit I have a dislike for carpets with bound edges, they just seem a bit too fussy.

[mk1]

I agree with the general thrust of what has been said in this thread.

Carpets for early Minis are an absolute minefield. Very few if any look anything like right, they are nearly always expensive & rarely fit well.

If I am being honest, my least favourite are the newton moulded ones, OK they fit great, but would you put a 1990's MPI carpet in your classic 1960's S? I know that I wouldn't. They are also very expensive!

Now the Mini Trim Company ones are no longer available (Tragedy) I feel that the best bet is to find a carpet shop who can supply you with a few meters of really poor quality thin house carpet of a correct shade & cut it to size yourself using an old carpet as a pattern. As Gray has already said, the current obsession with binding the edges just looks totally wrong on an early car.

[FCV.66]

I think Mark that you have summed up the carpet nightmare perfectly. I would add though that reproduction "Karvel" carpet is now widely available from most classic car carpet specialists. Karvel would have been the correct carpet for pre-1966 Minis. The downside is that it is currently available in only red, black and dark blue. As far as I am aware neither black nor dark blue carpets were fitted to MK1 Minis. Also, this repro Karvel is a little "chunky" nevertheless when fitted looks pretty close to the original, especially when it has been roughed-up a little and has the correct heel-pad sewn in. I have asked one or two of the suppliers if they could try to get the colour range widened, particularly to include grey, but have had no luck.

Garry.

[mk1]

Grey & powder blue would sell very well I am sure. Both these colours were fitted in a lot of 1960's cars, not just Minis.

[mattyguk1]

would green have been an original colour in 1962?

[mk1]

When Almond Green came in as a colour option for standard Minis (not coopers or S's) green was the carpet colour on these models. I believe this was around 1961, but am not 100% sure.

Almond green Coopers & S's always had grey carpets.

[Etienne B.]

I feel that the best bet is to find a carpet shop who can supply you with a few meters of really poor quality thin house carpet of a correct shade & cut it to size yourself using an old carpet as a pattern. As Gray has already said, the current obsession with binding the edges just looks totally wrong on an early car.

Totally agree with Mark, exactly what I am trying to do at the moment (that is nice job for freezing winter evenings, when you only want to keep far from your frozen workshop). Trouble is poor quality house carpet rarely last without binding ...

[coopertim]

Interesting to hear people's different views on the various carpet sets available. I am in the same predicament, looking for a quality Powder Blue carpet set for my 1964 car. NOS?? i dont think so!!

[mattyguk1]

thanks for the replys, well ive fitted the new screen rubber and all seems dry. i tend to agree with the carpet comments regarding binding not loking quite right but how else would you stop fraying? also if i make my own how would i secure it to stop it keep moving about (i intend on fitting underlay/soundproofing first)?

[mattyguk1]

hi all,well i finally fitted my new carpet today.i used a newton commercial set and must say it looks nice and with a bit of trimming fits a treat.originally would the carpet have been cut tight to the gearstick with just a small hole or cut to suit the rubber gaiter metal retainer with the rubber showing? anybody have a picture or direct me to one?

[NotNormal]

Don't know the answer to the gearlever Q but would be good to see some pics if you get the chnace

[guru_1071]

the boot and the ring screwed to the floor, then the carpet fitted over the top



i have a snap of a magic wand & carpet combo, but cannot find it at the mo

[IAIN]

Here is my Newton carpet. I cut a cross for the gearstick to come through as the carpet is moulded to hold it's shape..

http://i55.tinypic.com/t052ti.jpg

This is an original carpet, it has a slot accross the tunnel which the gearstick would come through.You can see the worn area caused by the gearstick to the left of the tunnel.

http://i55.tinypic.com/9rnhx2.jpg