I want a new carpet set for my 83 GS, and the VB one seems to be reasonably priced. But is it any good? Anyone have it? Hows it fit? TIA

 

i got nice plush burgandy carpet...

 

But you wont tell us where you got it from eh?

 

Do we need a :harsh: smiley?

 

oh sorry...from the SE that i totaled, and I got another set that was donated, from another parts car.


-Ryan

 

You'd be shocked how much carpet can be "restored" if you're willing to pull it out of the car. Clean it with detergent, put it on a fence and spray it with a pressure washer (to get the dirt out), brush it with a wire brush, dye it back to a full color, and let it dry... unless it has holes in it, it'll look brand new when you're done. Works best on dark colored carpet, obviously.

 

I have heard VB kits are not soo nice. So, I ordered a kit from some other place I found info on in the forum by doing a search. It is not perfect, no seems, you have to cut out all the areas that need it, but with a little careful work, it is looking real nice. The rear hatch carpet came without a seem, so I am taking it to the upholstry shop to have one done. The flaps that cover the seat belts I will dye brown and re-use them on the new carpet kit. Add a little more insulation under the carpet to round it out a little bit, and walla........ Good luck.

 

About the VB carpet....
They're crap compared to stock.Yea,they fit and yea,its all stiched and stuff,but the pile is thin and it just looks/feels cheesy.I went with it because there is no source for factory Mazda tan carpet.Im gonna have a pro shop redo it eventually.

 

****, if i had known the aftermarket ones were that bad I would have been more careful removing my old one. It was pretty beat so I tossed it damn. Looking back on it I probably could have cleaned up the bad parts. Oye. Ok so what you guys are saying is that the VB kit looks stock, has all the right stiches etc, but is thinner and thus feels wrong. I guess I can live with that, seems I have no choice anyway.

 

They are not "that bad", but I am very picky. With a little work, they can look very nice.

 

What color are you looking for???

 

See, I have a Brown interior, so it is hella hard to find one at the junk yard. If you have a color that is common, you may be able to find some there

 

You want a set of Brown stock carpeting? Unless 82 wants it.

 

What about JC Whitless? They have cheap grades and "premium" grades of carpeting. I wonder if their any good? Oh and what color Sean?

 

black, and I need all of it. The hatch carpet was faded, and because of a leaky sunroof the rest of the carpet was mold city. The car sat behind my barn for a year before i started working on it, so I didn't notice the wetness.

 

What about 1A Auto or whatever they sell on eBay? How's that?

 

Thats a good question, they too claim to have an exact reproduction carpet set. iirc the pricing is close to VB's. Hmmmm....

 

How about the REUPHOLSTERY seat covers... are they any good..?

 

I bought the1A Auto carpet, for a brown on brown 85 GSL. Went to thier website for colors and picked out 3 that looked close to what I needed, e-mailed them with the color #'s and they set me samples in the mail. Haven't put the carpet in yet, have had it for over a year, too many other projects. Carpet looks to be a vert good fit though. When I was redoing my 300ZX I went down to VB and got the carpet kit for it. What a POS. Thin webbing, thin backing and even thinner nap, and it wasn't even moulded. Came in 6 pieces for the passenger compartment. Went down to the local auto upholstry shop and ordered from him. He got me a moulded set and an extra 2 ydsx54" of a matching roll to do the back and the bottom of the door panels. All that was cheaper than VB. VB does have a lot of stuff we can't seem to find, you just have to watch what you buy. The Z I did had the ugliest gold/brown interior I've seen. It is now gray with a hit of blue in the carpet, a complete color change on everything. If I can get some of the 7's out of the way, maybe i'll finish the Z one of these days. LOL. Look around at the local shops. They can order about any color, style, type and pattern you want. If you don't get carried away on your choice you can have new moulded carpet for $200-250, including axtra for the back.

 

Besides the carpet kit that I have been installing, I am having the seats, door panels, panels behind the doors, and kick plates all done for about $800.00. I can not wait.

RX7Carl
Thanks for the offer of the brown carpet.

 

No problem, I dont need it. Just saving it for another 7 owner in need.

Trochiod, thanks for the info.

 

Most welcome. I've been lurking for months and decided it's time to start posting. I have 7 7's and several friends that bring thiers over, so I've been pretty busy just playing with them. If I knew how to post picks I could show some of the things I've been doing.

 

well, some say ok, some say bad. I went ahead and orderd the vb kit yesterday, so we'll see what I think. As long as its not soaking wet and moldy I'll be happy, well sort of...

 

So Trocoid,

Would you say the A1 Auto carpet you have approx of the same quality as the original carpet? I took a look at their site and color is not an issue since they will match about anything you can send them. Just wondering if the quality is as good as the original.

"It is tufted on a 1/8 gauge machine with 16 ounces of yarn per square yard. 100% Nylon Cut Pile material used. Die cut 36 oz Jute attached to the back" anyone know how this compares to original equipment?

Thanks!

 

The pile depth seems to be the same. The ounce weight may be a little lighter, The pads that are glued to the back are much thinner. If you can save your original padding, which is glued to the floor pan, you'll have a better install. If not, then get some 3/8-1/2 carpet padding fron the local home store.

I do need to clarify my earlier statement about the VB carpet. The carpet I ordered was for a 300ZX and the deluxe molded set was not available for that model. After looking through my new VB catalouge today, the deluxe kit may be the way to be the way to go, simply because it contains all of the pieces and the rear carpet is finished, thus no trimming or biasing the edges. The color choice is however limited for those who want to do a color change or custom color. Funny thing is, all of the carpet, fabric and vinyl that I ordered for the Z came from a jobber in Kansas City, where VB is located, so they may have the same supplier for some of the sets

If you want plush go for the heaviest cut pile they have, cuts down on our modified exhaust noise some.

On a side note, 1AAutomotive also carries the door gaskets. Bought mine on e-Bay for around $55 plus shipping and you get both sides. VB is $50 a side.