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Air Cooled VW Carpet Installation

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VW Interior Displaying New Carpet

VW Tech Tip: Air Cooled VW Carpet Installation

This article was used with permission from: Rob and Dave’s air-cooled VW pages

Your Volkswagen Bug’s carpeting is one of the most noticeable aspects of its interior and a new carpet set from Mid America Motorworks can update your interior in an afternoon. Over time, the carpeting on a well-used car becomes faded, worn and sometimes even torn. The VW Beetle is a smaller car with a small interior, making replacing the carpeting an easy job that can be accomplished with some basic tools. A new carpet set will transform your VW’s interior, brings back that new car smell, and adds a crisp and clean appearance to your Bug’s interior.

Carpet Installation Instructions

Mid America Motorworks does not accept responsibility for personal injury that may occur during installation. Use caution when cutting carpet.

These instructions have been written for installing carpeting in the entire floor of your classic VW. If you are installing our Ultimate Square Weave Carpet Sets that require rubber mats on the floor and over the center tunnel, skip Step 11 through Step 13 and 23 thro 24 Also if you are installing our PERFORMANCE CHOICE Premium Carpet Sets with the seat belt, shifter and e-brake grommets already installed, similarly, skip Step 11 through Step 13 and 23 thro 24.

Tools You Will Need

  • Sharp utility knife with spare blades
  • Wire brush
  • Scraper
  • Socket set or wrenches
  • Flat head and Phillips screwdriver
  • Vacuum Cleaner
  • Large scissors
  • Fan if you are working inside
  • Sandpaper
  • Masking tape
  • Can of black paint
  • Measuring tape
  • Carpet adhesive or contact cement
  • Spray on adhesive
  • Disposable gloves
  • 2” Paintbrush, used brush is OK. Two brushes is best as they tend to become clogged with adhesive
  • Acetone (for cleanup)
  • 9” to 12” block of wood, 2” x 4” or similar
  • Steam Iron and clean towel or cloth
  • Knee pads
  • A friend to assist

Carpet and Trim Adhesive Safety Precautions

Flammable liquid and vapor are harmful or fatal if swallowed.

Adhesive General Precautions.
Please read all the precautions on the adhesive.

  1. The solvents in this product may damage painted surfaces, vinyl and other plastics. Test a small area before use.
  2. Carpet adhesive is not suitable for structural applications.
  3. Do not use on copper, copper alloys or Styrofoam.
  4. Allow adhesive to cure for 72 hours before exposing to direct sunlight or temperatures over 150oF.

DANGER – Contains petroleum naptha, methyl ethyl ketone, and toluene. May cause eye, skin, nose and throat irritation. May affect the brain or nervous system, causing dizziness, headache or nausea. Prolonged vapor inhalation may result in severe physical injuring.

NOTICE: Reports have associated permanent brain and nervous system damage with repeated and prolonged occupational over-exposure to solvents. Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling vapors may be harmful or fatal.

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Health Precautions

  • Use in a well-ventilated area. Work outside or open a window and use a fan to reduce the fumes
  • Wear suitable gloves.
  • Avoid contact with skin.
  • It is advisable to wear eye protection with side shields.
  • Keep contact adhesive out of reach of children, including teenagers.

Fire Precautions Regarding Adhesive

  • Keep away from heat, sparks and flames. Vapor can ignite.
  • Do not smoke while using adhesive.
  • Extinguish all flames and pilot lights.
  • Turn off stoves, heaters, electric motors and other sources of ignition during use and until all vapor is gone.
  • Keep container closed when not in use.
  • Do not reuse the empty container.
  • Do not weld, cut or torch on or near this container.
  • Store away from oxidizers and caustics.

First Aid for Exposure to Adhesive

  • Skin contact: Wash with soap and water.
  • Eye contact: Flood with large quantities of water for 15 minutes. Contact physician immediately.
  • Inhalation: Remove to fresh air. Contact physician immediately.
  • Ingestion: If swallowed, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Immediately contact physician or Regional Poison Control Center for additional treatment.

Front Carpet Installation Procedure

  1. Remove the front seats by depressing the flat spring plate at the front of the seat rail beside the seat track. Have your helper slide the seat off the tracks while you hold the spring plate down with a flat head screwdriver. If the vehicle is a 1973 through 1979 Beetle, remove central pin on seat pedestal to slide seats off rear runners.

NOTE: The plastic seat runner guides become brittle and crack easily. Either remove them carefully and store them safely until you are ready to reinstall the front seats or be sure to replace them.

  1. Disconnect battery for safety (usually 13mm, sometimes 15mm).
  2. Unbolt and remove the rear seats. The seat bottom lifts out and the backrest is held in with two 17mm bolts. On earlier models there is a trim strip on the backrest held on with five screws. Remove this to release the old carpet from the backrest.
  3. Remove the two 13mm shifter bolts and remove the shifter assembly and stop plate. Note the position and orientation of the stop plate so you can reinstall it the same position.
  4. Scrape off the old glue and sound deadening unless the tarboard is in good condition.
  5. If the floor tarboard needs replacing, lightly glue down the four piece kit

  6. After the carpet is installed, you want to have a nice clean look to everything. For this reason, touch up the areas that will be exposed after the carpet is installed –

    • Emergency brake
    • Pedal assembly
    • Seat rails

  7. Wire brush and sand these areas, then vacuum out the car. Make sure the floor is clean so there will be no lumps in the new capet. After vacuuming, mask off the exposed areas to keep from getting paint on them. Paint these areas that will be exposed once the carpet is installed. Allow the paint to dry. Only takes a few minutes with modern aerosols.

    MAKE SURE THE AREA IS VENTILATED Aerosols can be harmful to your lungs.

TIP: Don’t throw away your old carpet set until you receive your new carpet. Before removing the old carpets, number each piece of old carpet in the sequence of removal. Place corresponding numbers on the floorboard with crayon or grease pencil. Match the new carpet pieces to the old pieces and place them in their corresponding spots. This will save time during reinstallation.

NOTE: When installing carpet around the pedals, be sure to leave adequate clearance so that the gas or other pedals do not catch on the carpet. Check clearance around the steering column too.

  1. Now you’re ready to install the carpet. First, lay out all of the carpet pieces to make sure you have the correct kit and all of the sections are included.
  2. The carpet is installed using carpet adhesive, which you will apply with a two-inch brush. You’ll start at the perimeter of the car and work your way around, saving the main floor sections until last.
  3. If your car is a 1968 model or earlier Beetle or Ghia, you should find heater grommets in the left and right kick panel pieces. If the grommets are not already installed make an incision in the groove around the grommet with a utility knife, then cut the grommet out with sharp scissors. Remove the central oval completely; the grommet that is left will surround the heater opening on each side. Hold the kick panel piece up to the heater opening to make sure that you have cut the heater grommet out correctly and the carpet piece will fit correctly in place. This will also show you exactly where the piece fits so you’ll know where to apply glue later on.
  4. With the heater grommet area cut out, apply adhesive to the back of the driver’s side outer kick panel piece, right out to the edge of the carpet. It’s important to apply the adhesive all the way to the edge of the carpet and use a liberal amount. With the outer kick panel piece glued, now brush glue onto the car body itself where the piece will fit. Most adhesives remain malleable for five minutes and set in 15-20 minutes.

TIP: While you’re gluing, place the piece not being glued upside down on the floor incase you drip adhesive on it.

TIP: On larger areas being glued used some clean heavy item such as a brick to keep the carpet pressed down until the glue dries.

  1. Starting from the heater grommet, line up the outer kick panel piece properly, put it in place and smooth it in with your hand. If necessary, use the wet cloth and steam iron to produce a clean finish.
  2. Before installing the kick panel carpet section on the passenger side, you must remove that angled metal kick panel directly across the floor from the seat. It just lifts out. You’ll reinstall it when you put in the large floor section of carpet or rubber floor mat on that side.
  3. Install the passenger side outer kick panel carpet section in the same manner.
  4. After you’ve installed the two outer kick panel sections, install the header piece. Set it in place so you know how it fits, then apply glue to the back of the carpet piece and to the body of the car.
  5. Line up the header piece with the steering column and work it down around the rod for the master cylinder.

TIP: You can maneuver the carpet around a little after you’ve put it in. You’ll have time to work with it for a couple of minutes.

TIP: On the areas where the carpet has to conform to the shape of the vehicle and also to take out the wrinkles, mist the carpet with water, cover it with a clean wet light towel and use a steam iron to mold the carpet to the shape of the car.

  1. The rocker pieces are next (immediately inboard from the doors) You’ll notice that on the 1968 and earlier cars most have a lip along side the door that the edge of the carpet must go under. If you have a later model car, the carpet kit will come with a rubber piece sewn onto it that goes under the lip from the other side.
  2. Carefully open this metal lip with a large screwdriver or small pry bar, taking care to not mar the paint. Slip the edge of the carpet under the lip. Be careful to line it up properly for a good fit.

NOTE: Before tapping the edging lip closed, make sure that the large tails on the rocker pieces face towards the rear.

  1. Place a piece of 2” x 4” (or other block of wood about a foot long) along the edge of the lip to protect the metal and tighten the lip by using the wood as a buffer and tapping it down with a hammer.
  2. After you’ve installed the rocker piece under the lip along the door, fold it back so that it lays outside the car and glue both the carpet and the body of the car. Apply the glue right down onto the floor, because this carpet piece is going to overlap onto the floor. Make sure you apply the glue all the way out to the edges of the carpet.
  3. Maneuver the rocker section into place. (On some model years it might be necessary to make a cut so that the carpet will mold around the seat rail).Be sure to take all the slack out of the carpet.
  4. Install the rear floor piece next. Without gluing it, lay the piece into place. Make sure it’s in the right place and smoothed down, then feel your way up the side of the tunnel to where you feel the emergency brake through the carpet. With the utility knife, make a small incision about 3/4 of an inch up from the base of the emergency brake. Then remove the carpet and make the rest of the cut, using the incision you made as a marker.

TIP: Don’t eyeball the emergency brake when making your cut to see what size it is, measure it. Measure twice, cut once.

  1. Using large, sharp scissors, cut a hole in the carpet the shape of the base of the emergency brake, but a little smaller (about 3/4 of an inch all the way around).
  2. Now make a cut out about 45- degrees from each of the corners. This will enable the carpet to come up the side of the emergency brake housing. Fit the hole you just cut over the emergency brake, noting how nicely is comes up the sides. Of course once you install the emergency brake boot it will cover all this area. Don’t glue anything yet!
  3. Next flip the carpet over the emergency brake to the other side, and apply adhesive to the floor and half way over the tunnel. Use plenty of adhesive over the whole floor and the tunnel area, being careful not to get any adhesive on the seat tracks.
  4. Move around to the other side of the car and apply glue to the bottom of the floor piece that you flipped over, applying all the way to the edges. Be careful not to get adhesive anywhere it’s not supposed to be. Allow the glue on the floor and the floor piece of the carpet to become tacky.
  5. Roll the glued half of the carpet down onto the floor and smooth it into place.
  6. On the edges where the floor piece overlaps the rocker piece, apply glue all the way to the edge. Put a little glue on both surfaces, so when they overlap they’ll adhere to each other.
  7. Repeat the process with the other side of the rear floor piece.
  8. In the area where the passenger’s feet go, reinstall the metal kick panel. It slides back in the slot.
  9. Without gluing it, lay the large front carpet piece into place, noting exactly where it goes and where it overlaps with other carpet pieces. Flip the carpet piece over so that the passenger side is upside down on the driver’s side.

Tip: The shifter has been removed, leaving a hole in the top of the tunnel. Carpet right over the shifter hole, then cut it out after the glue has dried, making for a tidy installation.

  1. On the passenger side, apply adhesive from the shifter area on top of the tunnel, down onto the side of the tunnel and across the floor, up onto the metal kick panel and all the areas that the carpet will cover, including the areas where the carpet will overlap.
  2. Apply adhesive to the bottom of the passenger side section of carpet, all the way out to the edges.

TIP: If you get adhesive on any areas of carpet that don’t need it, sometimes you can rub or peel it off with your fingers. For adhesive that is soaked into the carpet, quickly use a small amount of paint thinner on a rag and dab the spot with water. If you get adhesive on your hands, clean them immediately with acetone -- you need to keep you hands clean during the carpet installation.

  1. Carefully fold the passenger side of the front carpet back into place and smooth it into place with your hands, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles or air pockets.
  2. Notice that there are overlapping areas up in the front. Smooth these areas in with your hands or the wet rag and iron.
  3. Work the carpet into the seams and corners to get it good and tight. Smooth out the tunnel area with clean hands and use the wet towel and iron if necessary.
  4. Move to the driver side and install the large section there. Fold that section of the carpet over into the passenger area and apply glue to the car side, beginning at the top of the tunnel, down the side and across the floor and all of the places that the carpet will cover, just as on the passenger’s side.
  5. Apply glue to the back side of this half of the carpet, all the way out to the edges. Allow the glue on both the floor and the carpet to become tacky.
  6. Carefully fold the driver side of the front carpet back into place and smooth it into place with your hands, making sure to smooth out any wrinkles or air pockets. Take careful note of the area behind the pedals.
  7. With the front carpeting installed, cut the hole on the top of the tunnel for the shifter. Locate the hole with your finger (feeling through the carpet) and with the utility knife make an incision right in the middle of it.
  8. Cut the hole out with the scissors, just as far as you can see the bolt holes, so that the base of the shifter will cover the edges of the hole.

Rear Carpet Installation Procedure

  1. With the front carpet installed, move to the rear area. The rear carpet consists of three pieces: the two pieces that go over each of the two wheel wells and the large section that covers the floor above the engine compartment and up the back wall behind the rear seat, part way up to the window. The rear carpet on later models goes right up to the window.
  2. Install the foil backed rear carpet sound deadener insulation kit. Spray on adhesive makes this easier.
  3. First, fit the two pieces that go over the wheel well areas into place to see find the area to which adhesive must be applied on the car body.
  4. Now apply adhesive to the backside of the two wheel well pieces, using a generous amount all the way out to the edges. Apply adhesive to both wheel well pieces.
  5. Apply adhesive to the wheel well areas that will be covered by the carpet pieces.
  6. Press the two wheel well pieces into place, smoothing them out with your hands or the iron.
  7. Before gluing, fit the large rear piece into place, noting the areas it will cover. Note especially where the top of the piece will go on the very back wall. There is a seam about half way down under the rear window. You can feel the hump where it makes the transition. Note this point for gluing later.
  8. Because the rear piece is so large, it is best to take it out of the car for gluing. Apply adhesive liberally to this large piece, all the way out to the edges. However, DO NOT apply adhesive to the bottom 4-5 inches of the piece, as this area will be trimmed.
  9. Apply adhesive to the floor above the engine compartment and to the rear wall up to the seam noted above.
  10. Carefully fit the rear section of the carpet on the seam you’ve noted under the rear window, making sure to get it equal from side to side, and straight across the top.
  11. Smooth the carpet down the back wall, tight into the corner and across the rear luggage floor above the engine compartment.
  12. The end of this carpet piece (the end you did not apply adhesive to) will tuck into the channel that runs horizontally across the car right where the rear floor turns down into the underrear-seat area. Cut the piece off at this point with a pair of scissors, making sure that you leave enough carpet to tuck into the channel.
  13. Tuck the forward end of the rear carpet piece into the channel, all the way across.
  14. Replace the rear seat backrest followed by the seat bottom. At this stage it should be safe to reconnect the battery. If you have replaced the rear carpet padding, the rear seat is likely to be a tight fit. Have someone help you to press the backrest into place and tighten the bolts.
  15. Screw the backboard trim across the back seat via the five screws. Make sure the trim lines up and tighten the screws from the center out.
  16. Install the front seats the same way you took them out. Don’t forget the plastic seat track guides.
  17. Stand back and admire your handywork.

This article was used with permission from: Rob and Dave’s air-cooled VW pages and is reprinted here as a FREE service www.vw-resource.com