Where to source a quality set of carpets for a 1750

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Hi guys,
Does anyone have a recommendation for a local or OS source for a set of premium quality carpets for a 105 coupe?

Cheers,
Marco.

[Evan Bottcher]

Not much of an answer but... I bought a carpet set from Alfaholics at the end of last year, but haven't fitted it yet.  It looks very nice in the box.

I bought the black coloured carpet.  I think the originals for my car would have been salt-and-pepper (dark grey with flecks).  You can get that material from re-originals in the US I think: http://reoriginals.com/carpetoriginalitaliananthracitesaltandpepper-u13tp66.aspx

cheers,
Evan.

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Thanks mate.  That was where I thought I may end up.
Cheers,
Marco.

[alfagtv58]

I have heard the carpet kits are a bugger to fit, and local suppliers can be better starting from scratch. No personal experience with them though. I'll be interested to see your results after fitting Evan, because it is certainly the most 'economical' option.

[Krishnan Pasupathi]

Hi,

I bought a set of carpets from Alfaholics for my 2000 73 GTV. Unfortunately only 1 of the holes for the seat bolts lined up and the opening around the gearshift was way too small and needed modification. I don't have an answer for you regarding who to source from, just giving you my experience. If a local supplier was close in cost it may not be such a bad option as they could measure what you already have.

Thats the way I'd do it if I was going to try it again.

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Thanks Krishnan.

[cjheath]

If a local supplier was close in cost it may not be such a bad option as they could measure what you already have.

I got carpets made in 1987 at a very reputable place to whom I gave all the old carpets to copy. They warned me that there might be difficulty getting accurate fitment, without having the actual car to check against, and they were right. The replacements were close, but not perfect. My advice would be to not repeat what I did. Make sure the trimmer who makes the carpets also has the car and takes responsibility for proper fitment; that way you can get better-then-original fitment.

Also, my carpets were expensive high-quality pure wool. Bad idea. 24 years later, they still make fluff. Get a carpet with some percentage synthetic content to bind it all together.

[David Mills]

This is an interesting thread!  I have two cars requiring re carpeting.  Neither will be served by a replacement kit from UK or anywhere else.  I have the old carpets (& obviously the cars) for patterns/fitting and I am keen to use a local auto trimmer.  Therefore the problem is: where to get an auto carpet that is as close as possible to the original?  The 1950's car had a luxurious carpet (by modern standards) whereas the 60's car had a more spartan variety as it is a spider and might need to deal with the weather.  Both carpets probably were more natural than synthetic fibres and both cut pile "Wilton" type.  I think the most pervasive Alfa colour is a smoke grey and I am happy with that.

Anyone done some research on this?

Cheers David

[Davidm1600]

I was reading over on the BB about a chap there who recently had a new full set of carpets made for his Giulia Super.  The company making them has a website:  www.paolini or email. info@paolini.it  I had a quick look at their website and they certainly appear to do excellent work.  According to the guy on the BB, it cost him 240 euro plus 120 for shipping from Italy to Texas. 

They do carpets in all sorts of colours as well as giving customers the option (more expensive) of wool carpets. 

Apparently, you need to wire payment to them. 

On a local front, I will use the same people I used to re-do the interior for my Giulia Super and AC 124 Sport for carpets.  A small 2 person outfit called:  M&R Thomas based at Dilston (near Launceston).  Mike is a hugely experienced coach trimmer (was trained in the UK), and with his wife, they do superb work , on Jags, Astons, MGs, Healys, Rolls, Porsche etc etc, let alone my cars.  Can't fault the quality and the cost to me seemed reasonable for all I have had done so far by them. 

Could be a good option for you David, though perhaps less so for guys over on the mainland (I am assuming you are still living down here David).

[David Mills]

Thanks for the info Dave.  I'll talk to Mike soon. The Paolini site is interesting but with one offs I think I am better with a custom job.

Best regards

[Davidm1600]

I agree David re both your comments.  Mikes ph number is 03 63281346.  He is a really nice guy, usually busy as hell, but really helpful, great to drop in and have a chat with, and really knows his stuff.  I can't imagine for a second you would be disappointed with their work. It seriously is that good.

[dfrye]

Don't buy the alfaholics carpets. Some of their stuff is brilliant, and most of it is great value too, but the interior bits are all substandard. Carpet fit around the gearlevel on their carpets is non-existent, and intended for a track car with the steel gearlever base outside the carpet. Might be less of an issue with a 1750 than a stepnose due to the tunnel, but that wasn't the only issue. Doing it again, I would take the car to a trimmer.

[berlinaman]

Surely if you got the carpet you liked in a roll you could cut it out your self using the originals as a pattern and fine tuning it in the car. 100 bucks would probably get you 4-6 square metres. Then all you have to do is get the edges trimmed, whack it in and your done. Easy peasy. Get a bit extra in case you mess up a bit. I know most carpet places will overlock edges or a local trimmer could sew vinyl around the edges if that is the look you are after.

Thats what I am going to do.

cheers

Tony

[LaStregaNera]

Surely if you got the carpet you liked in a roll you could cut it out your self using the originals as a pattern and fine tuning it in the car.

Nice in theory, but not so great when you've got no factory carpet as a template.

[MD]

An aspect of carpet which very few give any consideration to is the backing. These come in two types, fully sealed (moulded or not) and open weave. I hear you saying, well so what?

Next time you are using your vacuum cleaner, try vacuuming a sheet of plastic and see what happens. A fully sealed carpet behaves very much the same way as air does not get sucked THROUGH the material and only around the fibers which is not sufficient to pull up dirt and grit like sand after the kids have come off the beach. The best you will ever do is remove surface rubbish accumulating dirt over the years in the carpet depth over time.

Cheap moulded carpets invariably have a sealed backing as it is a lot simpler to make the mould set.

An experienced trimmer will have no trouble hand fitting any carpet of your choice off the loom. Visit a trimmer's workshop and they will provide you with a gazillion samples to chose from and if that is not enough, they will refer you to the automotive carpet wholesalers that you can visit for even more of a range to chose from.

I only ever use an open weave backing in my cars.