Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Overview
This discussion has come up with some frequency so I decided to pull the carpet out of my 55 Panama, Trim 31 parts car and start measuring. It is the original carpet.

Materials
First, the material is standard "Daytona weave" carpet with no binding. This is correct for chassis 5540 cars; i.e. Customs and Seniors were a different weave. I will probably will make a post on that info later. Edit: Please see this post discussing the specific Senior car carpet material. The entire carpet uses a 3/32" foam backing, and in the indicated areas, a 3/8" jute underlayment as well.

The carpets are glued in place. There are various upholstery or "landau top" adhesives that will suffice. Any adhesive used must be appropriate for both metal and foam/fabric, not just porous materials. For example, don't use Elmer's Glue-All or other such craft glues unless they are specifically compatible with metal as well.

Positioning
Before I pulled it out, I took these locational photos.

General outline. Unfortunately, large sections of the front carpet are already deteriorated, but it is intact enough to be useful. Note also that the rear seat bottom is shifted forward in this photo; do not use it as a locational reference.



5-3/4" between back of front carpet and front of footrest.



2-1/2" typical overlap of rear carpet over footrest carpet.



1-1/2" front of rear carpet center cutout to rear of footrest.



Footrest 462747

The footrest carpet uses no jute and is directly adhered. Note the metal construction of the footrest (not shown): it is flat on the front top (neglect the dimple running there for strength) and curves towards the rear. Note on each side where this curve starts.
Suggested installation/trimming procedure:
- Cut oversize (at least 56"x10"); adhere centered to flat part of top of footrest.
- On one side, fold a couple inches of the the front end of the carpet down exactly and adhere the section directly below the flat front area of the footrest.
- On the approx. top rear side of the footrest, note the exact spot that the footrest metal begins to curve down. Start the relief cut at this point and cut straight down.
- Adhere the carpet to the sloped part of the footrest, then make the second relief cut once it is in place.
- Trim around the base and rear.
- Trim around the rear cutout.
- Repeat on other side starting on Step 2.
- Leave excess on transmission tunnel until rear carpet is located. Then cut to size, leaving 2-1/2" overlap.









Rear 269118

The rear carpet uses two jute pads. It extends under the footrest by a few inches.
Suggested installation/trimming procedure:
- Cut jute pad oversize (e.g. 18"x30"). Locate squarely such that the front is aligned with (nearly touching) the footrest base (center and side) and is inboard enough that it is nearly aligned with the edge of the center footrest support.
-Trim so that it is at least 2 inches from the front of the rear seat, rear armrest, and door sill plate.
- Adhere outboard half, then trim in a straight line following profile of driveshaft tunnel (reference photos).
- Repeat on other side.
- Cut carpet oversize (at least 25"×66"). Remove rear seat bottom and armrests.
- Make center cutout as shown. Curved areas to be cut as quarter-ellipse outlines with the indicated semimajor and semiminor axes.
- Locate carpet in car. Use center cutout as reference. Lay down carpet and note position of footrest mounts. Remove carpet and make footrest cutouts as diagrammed.
- Adhere carpet in car. Replace rear seat and armrests. Use squares of masking tape on carpet to note critical locations of armrests and seat against carpet. Remove seat and armrests again, and cut carpet to size, in situ, leaving about 1" excess under the sill plate. Replace seat and armrests.












Front 269129
I ran out of time to measure the front carpet yesterday. I will return to it later. For now, here is a reference photo.

Here are some tips when measuring carpet:

- It is most helpful to have a square, or at least straight, reference. The easiest thing is the crack lines in a concrete floor, but a well cut piece of stock carpet also will work.

- When laying out the carpet it is best to have it upside down. This way, the grain of the carpet becomes obvious. Ensure that the grain is straight and even, and this will return the carpet to its natural cut shape. (See image.) Note that the grain is generally not perfect from the carpet factory, so use common sense and compare the grain to a known straight section of piping when in doubt. Most edges are straight, but note in particular that the rear of the rear carpet is not straight. (See diagram in previous post.)

- Your local carpet store will have sections of cuts for cheap. In the old days, carpet was 1 yard wide. Now it is either 4 yards or 4 meters wide, so it is easy to find sections at least one yard wide, and quite long, that have little use otherwise. For example, I got a 1 yard by 7 yards section of high quality carpet for only $20, that I can use to practice cutting carpets. (FYI that is 95% off retail for this area.) For reference, an area of only 1 yard by 4 yards is sufficient for an entire car.

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