Loop pile carpet, any recent purchases? (2008)

[Montezuma]

Good question. I'm not particularly after concours, but I DO want as close as I can get to original.

Yup. He recommended I talk to Datsun SPirit, IIRC.

Speaking of Datsun Spirit, we got a kit coming in today from Datsun Spirit for a 1978. I will review the quality of it for you tonight or tomorrow. I really like dealing with Eiji, his communication was fantastic. Datsun Spirit was the only company offering the 9 piece replacement kit for the 78.

Yesterday we got the 9 piece kit from Datsun Spirit; it is a great kit, the material is just like the factory original, a real high quality kit. I know Arne is asking about 240 kits and the 9 piece kit we got is for a 280, I am just testifying to the workmanship, quality of product and customer service of Datsun Spirit. Eiji delivered a great product for the 280, I would recommend his 280 to anyone wanting the factory original look. I might get my 240 kit from him as well now that I see what his product is like.

[rhochisociety]

I have a 1977 280Z with brown carpet, I would be interested in your luck with dying the carpet, what you use etc. This brown carpet is not a common as the black and I want to get the color right.

[AZ-240z]

Hi Jim:

repro's of what? or for which?

1. The early cars - Oct. 69 to who knows when.... These cars do not have the cross brace between the rear seat mounts on the floorboards. So the piece of carpet that goes under the seat is quite different than the later production cars. These cars do not have the tabs on the front floorboards that hold the front carpet in place either (ie keep it from bunching up under the brake and accel. pedals)

2. The Later Series I and II cars - with the brace across the the floorboard, behind the rear seat mounts, and the tool bins in the floor of the rear deck. . These car do have the tabs on the front floorboards...

Carl, this is exactly the information I have been looking for. I have been unsure as to the correct pattern for the carpet pieces both behind the seats, and in the foot wells, with cross braces behind rear seat mounts, and front floorboard tabs. From your attached picture, the carpet does go over that cross brace and partially under the seat.

It will be very hard to find the same loop pile without a good sample for comparison. Is there correct verbage to describe this loop pile as understood in the trade? By that I mean size of loop, number of loops per square inch, depth of pile, correct backing material for weave integrity, etc.? I hope, someday, to find an original piece of loop pile carpet to make a good comparison.

[Montezuma]

I have a 1977 280Z with brown carpet, I would be interested in your luck with dying the carpet, what you use etc. This brown carpet is not a common as the black and I want to get the color right.

Call Datsun Spirit, I bet he can get you the brown carpet you want.

[Arne]

It will be very hard to find the same loop pile without a good sample for comparison. Is there correct verbage to describe this loop pile as understood in the trade? By that I mean size of loop, number of loops per square inch, depth of pile, correct backing material for weave integrity, etc.? I hope, someday, to find an original piece of loop pile carpet to make a good comparison.

A complication is that there appears to have been a change in the loop pile as well. Go back and look at the pictures Mike B posted. The earliest cars had a loop pile that was very obvious as loop. Later cars (including mine) have a denser loop that almost appears (at first glance) to be cut pile. And who knows when that change was made.

As for me, I'm rather disappointed in the selection. The two problems that stand out for me are the lack of the cut and bound notches at the rear of the deck carpet for the straps, and the lack of bound slots in the front pieces for the retainers near the seats. I could put up with a difference in style of loop, and other small differences if these two major items were addressed.

The thing is, if we look back in time, it certainly appears as though the kits that MSA and TIR sold in the past were far more accurate. The pictures on TIR's website and in MSA'a catalog show a more detailed template was used. Note things like the slot for the accelerator stop, instead of a missing corner. Apparently that supplier went out of business. Both MSA and TIR had to find another supplier, quite probably the same one. In fact, judging from Dave's description early in this thread, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to find that both MSA and TIR get their kits from A1Auto Carpet.

Eiji says his kits are from a different supplier, but the template used appears to be the same. (Carpet may be better quality, I don't know.) I've also been in contact with Z Specialties, and it appears their kit is similar to these others, if not the same.

That seems to sum it up so far. I'm discouraged, but still looking.

[westpak]

OK I did a bunch of looking around and I found the following sites with carpets in addition to MSA, TIR, Datsun Spirit and A1Auto, I am a newbie so not sure if there is history/information about these I am not aware of that you guys may already now about.

http://classicdatsun.com/new/240Zcarpet.html

http://www.auto-interior.com/datsun1.html#240Z

http://qualitycarinterior.com/view-by-car-datsun-240z-carpet.html (no pics but descriptions and differentiate between model years)

http://www.datsunstore.com/index.php/cPath/1_19 (no pics either but very detailed explanation of carpet and options)

[Arne]

OK I did a bunch of looking around and I found the following sites with carpets in addition to MSA, TIR, Datsun Spirit and A1Auto, I am a newbie so not sure if there is history/information about these I am not aware of that you guys may already now about.

http://classicdatsun.com/new/240Zcarpet.html

http://www.auto-interior.com/datsun1.html#240Z

http://qualitycarinterior.com/view-by-car-datsun-240z-carpet.html (no pics but descriptions and differentiate between model years)

http://www.datsunstore.com/index.php/cPath/1_19 (no pics either but very detailed explanation of carpet and options)

Classic Datsun is CDM. Nice looking cut, not available in loop pile. Otherwise very nice, and may be what I end up with.

The next two look similar to A1Auto, even to the description of the type of loop, and the availability of the heavier 'mass backing'. Since none of these three outfits claim to make them in-house, I wonder if they all use the same base supplier. No idea, but I strongly doubt that either of those would address the issues we've discussed here.

The last (www.datsunstore.com) is Z Specialties, as mentioned in my last post. Attached is a picture they sent of their kit.

[AZ-240z]

The are pictures of early carpet. The first three pics are from an 11/69 production car. The rubber mat is unique to some of the 69 cars. The other pics are from a 5/70 (this carpet is currently in my #237). Notice the clear backing and less defined loops (not just from wear) on both.

-Mike

Mike, great pictures of both the early carpet and later examples. You have been able to jar my old persons early memory of what my car had when new.

My car is a 1/71 series 1 and had the carpet with clear backing as you have shown.

I am a little confused by the comments of some as to how the luggage straps were secured at the forward edge just behind the luggage riser panel. I am quite certain that mine originally was secured with screws through the strap bracket and through the carpet. There were no holes , slits, or surged openings through which the straps ran to be secured to the bare deck surface.

Also, the forward most edge of the carpet was not surged, and extended up the back of the luggage riser panel and held in place by the plastic riser trim strip.

Dan

[bpilati]

I checked out Les' kit at Classic Datsun while I was there on Monday...he sells the modern cut pile, which I must say was a really nice kit. I too perfer the more original loop style. I asked about it but he said he used the cut pile in the cars he did for Nissan several years ago so he only sells that. The thing I noticed on his kit was there was no slots for on the or snaps on them. I had one of those cheaper loop kits in the car before without the slots and snaps the floor mat moved all the time...it sucked. I found a set of almost worn out original type with the snaps and slots....much better now.

I was unaware of this, because it does not say on the website. It says sewn to original specifications, which I mistakenly took to mean made like the original carpet. Apparently Nissan approved the change for the Z Store program.

[a7dz]

I was unaware of this, because it does not say on the website. It says sewn to original specifications, which I mistakenly took to mean made like the original carpet. Apparently Nissan approved the change for the Z Store program.

See post thirty nine it explains this.

[AZ-240z]

Found the clips on the parts CD. The part number is 74995-E4100, the description is "CLIP - SPRING FRONT FLOOR TRIM".

Arne,

Nice find on the part number of this clip. I noticed that the picture you attached from the parts CD shown it installed on the cargo deck in some way.

Is this the same part used for the carpet in front of the seats? Is the same part used somewhere on the rear cargo deck? I have noticed that sometimes the CD is not totally accurate as to where they shown parts.

Thanks, Arne for any thoughts.

Dan

[Arne]

Arne,

Nice find on the part number of this clip. I noticed that the picture you attached from the parts CD shown it installed on the cargo deck in some way.

Is this the same part used for the carpet in front of the seats? Is the same part used somewhere on the rear cargo deck? I have noticed that sometimes the CD is not totally accurate as to where they shown parts.

Thanks, Arne for any thoughts.

Dan

As best I can tell, the clips were only used in front of the seats, not on the deck at all. The illustration is ambiguous at best.