Dashing Man

Do you own an old Datsun?  Does the interior look like this?

Do you want it to look like this?

I know I did.  Some time ago I decided that I had had enough of bare floor pans and ancient vinyl padding and bought the Motorsport Auto carpet conversion kit.  Here’s what I did.

A quick note before I explain everything.  When you go to buy the kit, you’re offered the option of either cut pile carpet and loop carpet.  Cut pile is the stuff that’s in basically all new cars and is much softer to the touch.  It’s also easier to clean.  If you’re a Datsun purist, you’ll want to go with the loop, as it was more or less the industry standard at the time, but in my opinion it looks old and holds on to dirt better than the alternative.  Also, to do this you’ll need the following:

metric socket and end wrench set

interior tools or screwdrivers wrapped in tape

spray glue

phillips and blade screwdrivers

gasoline and rags

(recommended) a respirator

(recommended) Scotchguard

So the first step in redoing your flooring is removing the seats.  Underneath them are four bolts, which you can access from the front and rear of the seat.  I believe that they’re 14mm, I can’t swear to that, as I had already installed BMW 325is seats with custom brackets.

With the seats out you then need to remove the shift assembly, center console, and the mounting brackets that hold them all down.  Start by unscrewing the shift knob, removing the leather cover, and pulling all the goodies out of there.  If memory serves, you just need to remove the shift boot and knob, as you’ll be able to pull the console over the shifter.  From there, your center console has seven fasteners.  There are two on each side, plus three in the center compartment:

Did you remember to put chalks under the wheels?  I hope so, because you may be fiddling with the e-brake to get the console out.  Also, be sure to unplug the stereo and the wires to the defogger, carb heat, and emergency blinker switches and lights.  Then you’re ready to pull the center console.  While you’re there you should remove the e-brake boot (three buttons, just pull on it), and disconnect the e-brake assembly from the transmission tunnel.  The new carpet will have a hole for it, and it’ll make your life easier to have it hanging than to try to maneuver a huge chunk of carpet around it.

Once that’s out, you can start pulling vinyl off metal.  Just tug that stuff off until you get to the doors.  You’ll need to pull the weatherstripping up a little bit to get it out, and you may have to loosen some interior panels, especially in the back.  Once the vinyl’s off, then you’re car will somewhat resemble this:

But don’t think that you can start being constructive yet.  The back still needs to get done!  You’ll need to remove any speaker box you have, the interior tail light cover, the strut caps (which just pop off), and the quarter panels.  If your car is like mine then the quarter panels are so rotted that they will crack and shatter into carcinogenic dust when you try to remove them.  Don’t worry, you can get replacements.  They’re $200 each from MSA.  You might as well resign yourself to it, as even if you don’t need to remove them to take out the vinyl, you will to install the carpet.

On another note, you’ll need to remove the plastic trim that goes across the front of the rear deck.  Once you’ve done all that, you’re pretty much ready to install some carpet.  You might even have to remove the quarter window trim, too.  Bear in mind that, to reinstall those goodies, you’ll need these.  Yes, I hate them too, but in all my research and in seeing hundreds of excellent conversions and restorations, I am yet to see an alternative.  The way you remove those is using a punch or a thin screwdriver, push the plastic cylinder in the middle of the rivet through the back.  You can try using pliers to pull them through the front, but I’ve never had any luck with that approach.  Anyway, once you get the vinyl and old stuff you, you’ll see something like this:

Note the little rubber plugs in the floor pan?  If they’re rotting, now would be a good time to replace them.  The Z Man offers replacements, but he’s in Canada.  Good luck finding them anywhere else.

The carpet set comes in a set of 7 pieces, two for the rear wheels/strut towers, two floor pan pieces, one for the rear deck, and two under seat pieces.  You’re a smart guy, so I’ll let you figure out the exact orientation of each piece.  Now would be a good time to lay everything out and make sure that you have a complete kit, like this, but with two more funny-shaped pieces that cover the wheel wells:

Now that you have everything, you can get started.  Cleaning, that is.  With your gasoline (or acetone) and rags wipe down all the areas where you are going to be spraying glue, which is basically everywhere except the rear deck.  The rear deck piece doesn’t get glued down, unless you don’t want to access your spare tire well or tool compartments.  Use a respirator if you have one; I didn’t and I couldn’t smell anything for a month.

I recommend doing the wheel wells first, as they’re the most difficult.  It’s helpful to have an extra set of hands for those.  The basic process is that you apply spray glue to the surface, then to the backside of the carpet.  Wait for both to become tacky, about a minute or two, depending on how much you used, and then stick them together.  Be sure that you know how each piece fits on before you start using the glue, as that stuff is sticky, and you’ll only have one shot to get it right.

For the wheel wells it’s helpful to have an extra person because there are so many edges.  Just have one person hold one side while you press down the rest.  Be careful to remove all the air bubbles.  From there, it’s spray and glue until the carpet is in.  Just remember, DON’T GLUE DOWN THE DECK PIECE.  You’ll be in a world of pain if you do.  Once it’s all glued down, I recommend using Scotchguard on the new carpet.  You can then start putting things back together the way you found them (if you remember).

Once you’re finished, you’ll have gone from dirty old beater to somewhat respectable beater, all in about 8 hours.  Also, as a final caveat, if you find rust anywhere, and I mean anywhere, then stop and treat it immediately.  Rust is one of the main causes of death for 1970′s era Datsuns, and if you don’t take care of it now it could cost you a lot of money or a car in the future.