Replacement carpet fit and quality

1st Official Post

    Just attempted to install ACC Moss Green carpet in my fastback. What a POS! This is the second set - the first was the wrong color and I paid to ship it back. This is the correct color - or close to it- but the area in the rear corner where the serged edge butts to the quarter trim is about an inch and one half short. The curved area is cut incorrectly, and then the edge is serged. When installed there is a very visible bald spot in the RR corner. In addition I can see daylight through the carpet everywhere it has been molded. In fact it is pressed so thin that when installed the loops seem to have a "runner" at every molded corner. Did not even try the front half as I am so disgusted. The fold down area and the kick panel carpet have not been attempted yet. Called NPD but of course there was no one there right now to take care of this problem. Have to call back tomorrow after 12:00 and talk to "Jeff". Probably just as well that he was gone today as i may have made an idiot of myself with anger. Well now I have bitched to all of you and maybe some frustration will leave with this post. My actual question is has anyone else experienced this, or when they tell me they have never had a problem with ACC is it the truth. I have used this brand of carpet since 1980 and this is absolutly the lousiest rag I have ever fooled with. Am I the only one?

    Experienced this problem numerous times. What you have to do is not trim anything off when you glue the pieces onto the bottom of the quarters. This should be enough to cover up any bare spots from the floor pieces not meeting up. If you have to, you can use a small piece of leftover carpet and glue to the floor where the bare spot is. Won't be very noticeable.

    <font face='Comic Sans MS'>Been there, experienced that! Don't know if there is a reliable carpet manufacturer out there. The last carpet I put in the Hipo (Jan this year) came from Texas Mustangs, Waco. The fit was good, no voids nor thin spots. The color (black) however is another matter. It has a washed out faded appearence to it and additionally is dull. Basically it turned out to be a waste of time & money. Could-a/should-a kept what I had, but it was molded very, very poorly and where the front carpet crossed over the trans hump it did so in a seriously angled fashion. Got tired of looking at the ugly damn thing.</font id='Comic Sans MS'>

    Anybody tried the "new" 80-20 carpet from California Mustang?


    They say it is molded of a new material that looks just like to correct 80-20, but without the fading and fuzz issues of the original material.

    Ralph, the most recent California Mustang catalog that I have (red Shelby with white stripes with only rear end visible on cover with plate tag showing June 05 expiration date) shows only ACC carpet. If you have information that they are making their own or selling another brand let me know. I am so tired of stuff that does not fit that if there were ANY other supplier of carpet I would use it. I have used ACC for many years but this is the pitts. Life is not good tonight. Murf

    I just installed the front piece that I got from NPD. Is their's from ACC? The old one I installed in the late 90s (also from NPD) was a better fit than this new one, but neither is close to the original for quality. I know - they're not known to be great quality, but I just finally threw the 40-year-old set out (ya' can't save everything) and it was a lot better.


    Anyway, both repro sets came molded, but then they stuff them in a box. I'd like to drive to the carpet factory and pick it up. I used some of the SSnakeoyl underlayment (fantastik stuff), so I had to pull the backing off from the new carpet, then I had to stuff some of it back in under the carpet in the front section of the trans tunnel to get it to fit there.

    I don't think this stuff is in the catalog yet - I got a card in the mail about it and I think an ad in MM or another car mag. Might be on their Website - I haven't checked


    I bet it is still ACC - their fit is not the best.

    I finished my convertible's re-carpet project last weekend. I used the black ACC 80-20 from VA Classic Mustang. I had problems with the passenger side area where the rear floor pan extends up under the quarter trim. There was a major wrinkle/crease that wouldn't flatten out. The driver's side fit was better. After numerous trims and heat applications the wrinkle slowly went away. I laid the carpet in place about a month before I started the actual install. It seemed the floorpans were deeper than the carpet was molded, even though I used the Ssnake-Oyl underlayment. The area below the kick panel also had several minor wrinkles. I also know my black carpet will start fading almost immediately.

    I moaned loudly to "Jeff" at NPD Michigan and he issued a pick up order for my disgusting carpet. They will compare to another set they have. I photographed the new carpet laying on top of the old so the difference was noticiable and will email photos if they need them. I think this deal has gone sour and will stay sour and that the quality of ACC if shitty at best. California Mustang does have a different carpet listed, as Ralph said. It is on their web site under new products. I predict that they will dominate the carpet if it is of good quality and fit. I am afraid that ACC has lost a long time customer with this deal. Will post some more when I know something. Murf

    In response to Ralph's post pertaining to California Mustangs new carpet, here is what I learned today. They do in fact have a new supplier of early Mustang carpet. The company is called Auto Carpet Systems, have no idea where it is located. They have been selling carpet to California Mustang for about 3 months now, mostly black and that is the color they have in stock. Other colors (such as the Moss that I need) take about three weeks to get "to your door". The retail salesman on the phone said they had had some issues with ACC in the past - thin, cut short, not molded deeply enough, fuzzy - the things we all have dealt with, and when presented with the opportunity to have a second supplier they decided to go with it. He did not know how it was working out when sold, he said he just takes the order. I wanted a sample but they have none, although he did take my name and addy and said he would ask his boss if they would send a sample. The material is called RAYLON what ever that is. Sounds like there may be an alternative to ACC but the quality is unknown at this time, unless with some luck someone on this board has already used the carpet made by Auto Carpet System and purchased through California Mustang. How about it - any one installed this type of carpet. Will post again if anything new develops. Murf

    Please let us know, Murf. I am tempted to take my ACC carpet back to NPD, but I have nothing to replace it with. Has anybody on the site had custome carpet made? If so, what was the cost?

    Did some checking on the Auto Carpet System and found one retailer who also actually installed what they sold. They sell both ACC and Autop Carpet System and was well versed in both brands. The guy told me that the Auto Carpet System carpets have the same shortcomings as ACC and that he could see little difference. He mentioned the poor fit, thin carpet, skimpy pile and the things we have discussed here. He said that he has sent some of both brands back and that eventually some decent material would be sent. Quality is not in their vocabulary any more. Looks like there is not a quality replacement being made that is molded. I have purchased some sewen carpet and installed it - it looks funny where it goes around corners. We seem to be stuck and going nowhere. I hope that the next box of carpet has some decent stuff. Would have liked to purchased some that is several years old as it seems that is a better grade and quality. Never dreamed that a simple area like carpet would be such a problem. Murf

    Hmmm. I saw a carpet segment on one of the car programs. The show took place at the carpet factory and showed them molding carpet for Corvettes. Not sure what the company was, but I think they were limited to just a few models. It looked pretty impressive, but then again, maybe it was ACC for all I know.

    This is exactly why I am giving up on the restoration hobby. I started back in the late 80's and I can't believe how crappy repo parts have become on the whole. Carpet being the worst. I pulled some acc carpet I had in storage from about 1991 and couldn't believe the difference in quality. You hold the old carpet up to the light and you could not see light coming thru. The new stuff looks like you are looking out a screen door. It goes past the point of disgusting. I had a buddy that upholstered air planes do an interior of my 64 falcon ranchero and he custom made the carpet and it looks absolutely fantastic. I guess that is the way to go if you can find someone to do it. <img src=images/icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

    jazzbo

    Carpet set # four arrived yesterday. This was directly from ACC and was supposed to end all of my problems. If I didn't know better I would think they were sending the same carpet back each time - same issues. The lousey carpet just will not cover the floor on my fastback where the interior quarter panel meets the carpet.(the little place where one glues on the little peice of carpet to the quarter trim.) I called jeff at NPD - he has been very kind and understanding by the way- and he is sending another carpet set from their stock. He is aware of the problem and knows where the concern is and he said he looked at one in their current stock and it is OK. The carpet is also about as thin as a screen door mesh, although this one is not pressed where you can stick your finger through it. Talk about a company that has started putting out a shitty product. If Jack Holland - the former owner- were alive he would fire every jerk at Auto Custom Carpet and start all over. I am taking out better carpet than I am putting in because the color has faded in some areas. Enough complaining. Will keep posting about this saga until I get some decent carpet or I die. Hope that you all are having better luck with quality of parts then I have. Merry Christmas to those of you who are politically incorrect, Happy Holidays to the rest.

    Murf,


    I talked to a friend of mine who has been in the auto upholstery business for about 40 years. He has been to the ACC plant and seen how they make the carpet and mold it. You'd be surprised how rudimentary it still is.


    Anyway, something that might be helpful is that he told me you can special request a thick backing on the carpet like they use on new cars. He said that it's about $100 more but is a huge improvement over their basic carpet. Something to think about.

    I am depressed now. I have not tried fitting the rear carpet in yet. The worst problem I have is that the front carpet is so high in the area of the shifter that I'm sure it will look awful when I put the shifter boot and retainer on.

    I am learning to save old parts - even when they're skunky smelling.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

Register Yourself Login