so my plan is to take my gross front red carpet turning green out and putting in black carpet. question is, what do i have to do in order to get it out and put it back in properly.

 

Properly..not half assed?
remove the dash,center console,seats.plastic rocker panels..that's a start.

 

Remove seats, dash, sill plates and center console.
There's more but that's the major stuff and you'll see the rest when you get that far.

 

God great minds think alike!

 

Are you me?

 

Dash is probably the worst of it, its not super hard but definitely not fun to do alone.

Rotary >Pistons

 

..uh..dunno..just watched a Sci-fi movie..
Coincidence?..maybe?..maybe not?...

 

right on guys. thanks alot. good to know these kinda things. haha

 

Not really..get out while you can...lol!..save yourself,run!..

 

I did mine without removing the dash, and if i had to do it again i would do it the same

Its 2 small areas that go under the dash and you dont see either area.
I cut the old carpet where it goes under the dash to remove it then made a nice slit in the new carpet and pushed it under the dash in those 2 areas. Very simple.

 

this is encouraging. changing mine is on the "To Do List". i definitely dreaded removing the dash as i fully expected it to turn to a useless pile of plastic dust.

 

I understand your trepidation but the sad fact is that your dash probably already is in pretty sad shape and will only get worse.
I recently removed the dash in my car and I'd be willing to bet it had never been touched before. Even with extreme care, I found five broken tabs and several cracks in the plastic...the dashes are old, the plastic is degrading and stress from the chassis is breaking them up.
Much of the damage can be fixed but not while the dash is in the car.

 

This. I just had mine out for the first time I'm sure and found quite a few cracks/breaks. It's really not that bad to take out and I was able to fix/reinforce 90% of the damage. Also gave me a chance to clean in there, inspect wiring, seal vents, etc. Take it out and do it right and you'll feel better about yourself later.

 

to me its like saying everyone who changes their engine should paint the bay.

is it the "right thing" to do? sort of
will it help ?yes
can you clean and fix other things- yes

its not the WRONG way to do it- its 2 areas that you will never see and you can TUCK THE CARPET in under there anyhow.

its not like installing the wheels with 3 lug nuts, its just carpet

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...e-cake-858226/

 

there is no "probably" about it, Clokker. the previous owner(s) really did a number on the interior. someone was hell-bent on installing a sound system and either failed miserably or did a shitty removal before they sold it. either way, there's all sorts of busted up, cracked and omitted pieces. i was under the passenger side of the dash a few weeks ago and i really don't look forward to touching anything dash-related.

however, at the end of the day, i know you're right. i'll eventually quit my bitching and get it done. i just don't think it'll be before i do the carpet.

 

which is why I put off the carpet swap for so long

"i want to take the dash out and if I do im replacing the heater core and repairing everything back there, if im taking the dash out I want to install a custom gauge panel, etc etc"

meanwhile in a short amount of time you could have been enjoying your new carpet.

 

I don't understand...pulling the FC dash is not that big a deal, certainly not comparable to repainting the engine bay as Rob suggested (I'm sure he was engaging in a bit of hyperbole there).

I've removed my dashes several times now, usually solo, and figure it takes about an hour/hour and a half, working at a leisurely pace.
Get animal on it and a half hour would be do-able, I think.

I would remove the dash to replace carpet without hesitating and most certainly would do it if I knew there was other stuff that needed fixing back there as well.

 

im only saying that NOT removing the dash isnt the "wrong" way to do it
Some guys use the car as a daily, have limited access to shop space or tools, etc. so they may put off the carpet swap because they dont want to take the dash out, meanwhile its not needed.

everything on these cars need fixing sometimes you just want to enjoy parts of it without the rest of the aggravation, lol

 

Despite the extra negative, I see your point and agree in principle.
I was simply trying to demystify the dash monster...it's one of those projects that takes some time (and a familiarity with sequence) but is not mechanically difficult.
The integrated shift surround makes the dash awkward to maneuver but it's not very heavy.

Of course, all this kind of begs the question..."What do you know of the floorpan? How far under the current carpet have you been?"
The potential for surprise must be acknowledged, regardless of how the carpet comes out.