So, quick straw poll: How many W11s DON'T have a carpeted interior? And poll number two: How many W11s are used as racing cars?
So, after this fascinating discussion on the merits of brushed aluminium, back to my original question.....
(Given that nearly every 11 kit delivered since production restarted in 2005 was delivered with bucket seats and carpet glued to the rear bulkhead (exposed for all to see) by the factory, and given that the rest of my carpets were stuck to the aluminium panels with contact adhesive by the original builder, and given that the cheap nylon carpet supplied by Westfield quickly fades in sunlight, and given that I can't be arsed with scraping away the glue residue, or having an ally bulkhead fabricated, or fitting the (expensive) bench seats, or somehow disguising the fibreglass bulkhead in some other way.....)
Has anybody tried dying red nylon carpets in a vehicle? And if so, what product did you use and what was the result like?
Faded carpets.
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Westfield 129
- Posts: 867
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:20 am
Re: Faded carpets.
Not every W11. I built two without buckets. One RHD, one LHD. Both were delivered from the factory without bucket seats. There were at least 4 cars delivered to the US sans the buckets, probably to fit longer (6'+) Americans (there is at least another 3" or more of leg room in a bench seat W11). A couple of cars were converted to the bench seat inserts, which is how I acquired my own bucket seats, and now I have to change the color of the interior trim.
Carpet dying is a standard sort of restoration that is often DIY. Dealers do this all the time when they detail used cars for their lots (the carpets are never removed, as that would take too much time). Since your carpets are the color of yellow tomatoes, why not try one of the kits from your local auto parts store? You have nothing to lose. I recommend brush on, but spray on dyes also work pretty well. Check out the websites for instructions to determine which will work best in the tight confines of the W11.
I have dyed carpets a few times, with good results. I have done red, and black.
My W11 had dyed carpets, and I had it for 10 years prior to stripping out the carpet (the car was over 20 years old when I acquired it). The carpets were again faded, but not as bad as cars that had not had a dye job. I am sure that the the sun here is pretty intense in So Cal when compared to the UK. They were very stiff, though, the nap missing in some areas, and they tore apart when I removed them from the car.
My personal, well used LHD car no longer has carpet and is back to bare alloy. My RHD build (bench seat) has a full interior (but the owner wants me to strip it out for him) that featured a removable tunnel top. Another RHD build with an interior that I built has had its interior stripped and polished, and the LHD US Press Demo car had a full interior (bench seating). So, that would be two cars here in the US that have had their interiors removed.
If you want to remove the carpets, removing the glue is not that hard to do. You can use standard paint stripper and a putty knife. It works quite well. Finishing after that requires steel wool, or you can polish. I had thought that it would be extraordinary difficult, but with a spray on stripper, the job was not that tough. How the alloy comes out really depends on the condition it was in prior to the carpet installation. If the cladding was good, it will still be good after the paint stripper is removed and the alloy cleaned with paint thinner and brushed or buffed.
You can also cut your own carpet kits using the old, faded carpet as a pattern. Finishing the edges and installing snaps is pretty easy (take the pieces to a trim shop), and the cost is reasonable. That way, you can get quality materials, and have the top of the tunnel carpet removable, and padded if you prefer.
Or, you can trim the interior flat panels in vinyl, eliminating the carpet from the tunnel sides entirely, using carpet for just the foot falls and the top of the tunnel. The carpets can be snap in, for easy cleaning.
Anyway, you an dye the carpets without any problems, and the problem will be solved until you have to dye them again. Or you can just buy a quality carpet, and cut your own patterns and have the trim shop finish the edges for you for a few quid. I will probably go with some vinyl covering when I replace my instrument panel.
Carpet dying is a standard sort of restoration that is often DIY. Dealers do this all the time when they detail used cars for their lots (the carpets are never removed, as that would take too much time). Since your carpets are the color of yellow tomatoes, why not try one of the kits from your local auto parts store? You have nothing to lose. I recommend brush on, but spray on dyes also work pretty well. Check out the websites for instructions to determine which will work best in the tight confines of the W11.
I have dyed carpets a few times, with good results. I have done red, and black.
My W11 had dyed carpets, and I had it for 10 years prior to stripping out the carpet (the car was over 20 years old when I acquired it). The carpets were again faded, but not as bad as cars that had not had a dye job. I am sure that the the sun here is pretty intense in So Cal when compared to the UK. They were very stiff, though, the nap missing in some areas, and they tore apart when I removed them from the car.
My personal, well used LHD car no longer has carpet and is back to bare alloy. My RHD build (bench seat) has a full interior (but the owner wants me to strip it out for him) that featured a removable tunnel top. Another RHD build with an interior that I built has had its interior stripped and polished, and the LHD US Press Demo car had a full interior (bench seating). So, that would be two cars here in the US that have had their interiors removed.
If you want to remove the carpets, removing the glue is not that hard to do. You can use standard paint stripper and a putty knife. It works quite well. Finishing after that requires steel wool, or you can polish. I had thought that it would be extraordinary difficult, but with a spray on stripper, the job was not that tough. How the alloy comes out really depends on the condition it was in prior to the carpet installation. If the cladding was good, it will still be good after the paint stripper is removed and the alloy cleaned with paint thinner and brushed or buffed.
You can also cut your own carpet kits using the old, faded carpet as a pattern. Finishing the edges and installing snaps is pretty easy (take the pieces to a trim shop), and the cost is reasonable. That way, you can get quality materials, and have the top of the tunnel carpet removable, and padded if you prefer.
Or, you can trim the interior flat panels in vinyl, eliminating the carpet from the tunnel sides entirely, using carpet for just the foot falls and the top of the tunnel. The carpets can be snap in, for easy cleaning.
Anyway, you an dye the carpets without any problems, and the problem will be solved until you have to dye them again. Or you can just buy a quality carpet, and cut your own patterns and have the trim shop finish the edges for you for a few quid. I will probably go with some vinyl covering when I replace my instrument panel.
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bobwhittaker
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 5:42 pm
Re: Faded carpets.
I don't know about " Splat " but you fair SPAT you dummy out there ! ! !