Carpet Install-Interior refresh

[chichiflys]

Been wanting to update the carpet for a while in the ole girl. Not sure why, just felt like I needed to. Didn't want to drop mega coin on the $OR kit, so I recently grabbed a set from Dave @dnp. Super nice guy to deal with, shipping was fast and the kit looked pretty nice, especially considering all that it came with. Maybe it's a little thinner than stock, but not too shabby, again considering it's probably a third the cost of all the stuff from Spector. What I thought would be a "zip-in, zip-out" like going to Wisconsin kind of project, turned out to be a bigger one, like they do.

Before:

I have ProCar Elite seats up front (that I re-stained with Rub-n-Restore brown-ish color) and the original fabric on the rear seats with SOR's duck covers (tan, although they look green in the pic). Anyhoo, started ripping things out. The cargo carpet had been replaced by PO some years ago and come to find he had installed some thin foam pad underneath. No biggee. When I removed the full-surround weather stripping (part # 64904) from the rear cargo area, I found my first little rust buddies. On the lip that the gasket goes around underneath the chrome kick plate. So some scrubbing, rust conversion, epoxy and paint cleaned that up - hopefully buying me a few years of life on it. The gasket failed to hold up after 32 years...go figure. I also ordered a replacement gasket from Cruiser Parts.net - hoping it's in better shape than mine.

 

[chichiflys]

Rusty lip cleaned up.

Then I finished removing all of the original carpet and associated hardware, kick-plates, trim, etc. And found two more cancerous spots on the passenger side, rear seat area. One hole was in the wheel well, and the other on the floor. Soooo, cleaned it, converted, filled with epoxy and fiberglass cloth and painted; again hoping to buy more time. I reckon the "proper" thing to do is weld in new metal, but who has time for that?

After all that, I debated about installing some sort of sound barrier but wasn't too keen on the sticky stuff that everyone uses. So I figured I'd use some foil lined bubble wrap the the Home Depot has. Saw it on another thread here and figured it was cheap and non-permanent, so not much to lose if it doesn't work....Got al that laid down (including the driver and passenger foot area and tranny hump (not pictured)....

 

[chichiflys]

Finally got to the carpet part...Overall it wasn't too tricky. Hardest part was getting the stupid tranny and transfer case boots back in place (had one stubborn bolt that needed to be cut out).

The kit was cut really well. The rear section fit nicely. The middle section also fit well, however what was strange is that the left side didn't need any trimming to fit the door jam, while the right side has lots of slop to cut away...not a big deal, just seemed odd.

Had to cut all the holes for the rear heater, seat locations, tool kit, etc. Not too tricky.

Front section also needed a good bit trimmed off, but didn't take long. Only bummer is that the included wheel arch covers don't cover everything that the stock wheel arch covers did, so I will need to make an extra piece to add on to my rear quarter panel covers...(pic to follow soon).

While I was there, I also re-painted my rear quarter panel covers with some textured Rustoleum brown paint, and re-stained my seats in a vain attempt to match the Toyota 1980's brown - not even close did I get (pictures to follow).

Still to-do - Recover the rear seats. My back-rest pan is all rusted (leaky cooler on last camping trip) - so I need to clean it and paint...

Big question is - use the SOR brown vinyl seat covers for the rear (~$400) or take to a shop for a custom look? I think the SOR covers look real nice, and are probably cheaper, eh? Anyone ever have their rear seat re-covered by a shop? Was it crazy pricey? I plan to take off the original covers and replace any nasty foam, etc.

 

[chichiflys]

Threw the front seats back in and took it for a test drive....LOUD. So I see why most people take the time to put in some extra sound proofing. I wasn't expecting anything more quiet, but certainly thought it wouldn't be louder....a bit bummed to be honest. So, project number 465, remove new carpet and install some sound proofing. I guess the replacement carpet isn't as thick as stock - or the carpet pad isn't as good? Maybe it's the foil wrapped bubble insulation that amplifies the car noise? It's especially louder near the transmission hump....ugh.

 

[MACFJ60]

Threw the front seats back in and took it for a test drive....LOUD. So I see why most people take the time to put in some extra sound proofing. I wasn't expecting anything more quiet, but certainly thought it wouldn't be louder....a bit bummed to be honest. So, project number 465, remove new carpet and install some sound proofing. I guess the replacement carpet isn't as thick as stock - or the carpet pad isn't as good? Maybe it's the foil wrapped bubble insulation that amplifies the car noise? It's especially louder near the transmission hump....ugh.
View attachment 1554662 View attachment 1554660

What did you use to construct the panels in your cargo area?

 

[chichiflys]

Hi Mac - I used 1/4" MDF and then painted it in epoxy resin because that stuff soaks up moisture like a sponge...then painted with Brown Textured Rustoleum Paint.

 

[2ndfj]

Being new to this forum...and land cruisers I'm not familiar with this ( SOR ) I've seen in a few threads here.
But as an automotive upholsterer by trade with over 30 years experience, i can tell you, you definitely get what you pay for...and not all shops are created equal...in my area your probably looking around 6 hundred without doing any foam/frame repairs....

 

[NookShneer]

Hi Mac - I used 1/4" MDF and then painted it in epoxy resin because that stuff soaks up moisture like a sponge...then painted with Brown Textured Rustoleum Paint.

Nice work! Those look great.

 

[dnp]

WOW! Looks great! You didn't waste any time installing that carpet, did you?
Hopefully, the mats arrived today. Let me know what you think.

David

 

[SteveH]

Maybe it's the foil wrapped bubble insulation that amplifies the car noise?

In my experience, the Reflectix (foil wrapped bubble insulation) is better for heat than noise. Noise control would better be accomplished with some Dynamat-type product. It's always nice to keep heat out of the truck, of course, so your efforts are not all in vain.

 

[chichiflys]

Thanks Steve - I may go back and lay down some mat-product one day. Currently just turning up the volume on the radio to avoid pretending to hear the transmission noise.

DNP - got the mats yesterday. Sorry no pics. They fit great - and look nice. A little on the thin side, so not sure how long they will last, but they seem nice.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I vote for Thermozite over the bubbles and most other padding materials I've tried in the past on rebuilds.

J

 

[2ndfj]

For sound deadening I've found products from Cascade audio engineering the best on the market...imo

 

[Rube]

For sound deadening I've found products from Cascade audio engineering the best on the market...imo

With that said which of their sound deadening products would be best served in a fj60. Im looking for something that I can lay down without having to use glue or adhesives

 

[2ndfj]

I believe in order to have a sound deadening product be effective, it needs to be adhered to the floor...
If it were mine, I would use the VB-3
and go to your local upholstery shop and buy some 40 oz. Jute pad for under the carpet...
I would glue both products to the floor...
I did see that you didn't want to use glue.
This is just what I would suggest...