Author Topic: New Carpet (Read 28300 times)

jeffc280sl · « **on:** February 21, 2006, 19:29:12 »

Recently installed new floor pans and side rails on my 1970 SL with 4 speed. I'm considering buying new carpet in bulk, then cutting and binding using the original pieces as a template. I received samples of carpet from a company in CA and another in GA. Both came from the same mill and they do not look at all like my original loop. The loops were much smaller and the mill went with a two tone process to achieve a similar brown color to my original. Didn't like the samples at all. I'm thinking of an upgrade to modern Mercedes velour type carpet. The carpet I'm looking at comes in 5 ft widths and I need 17 ft to do the job not including the trunk. Has anyone else done this job and will you share any insights? There are many types of carpet to choose from.

Thank you,

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

Chad · « **Reply #1 on:** February 21, 2006, 19:37:34 »

Did they send you the earlier style carpet loop by accident, maybe? The square weave, which may be different from what's on your 280? I don't know. You might want to investigate this completely with GAHH before putting velour in your w113. Do you have the color code for your brown carpeting? Good luck.

TR · « **Reply #2 on:** February 21, 2006, 23:17:29 »

Jeff -- If you'd like to see the use of modern Mercedes carpet you can go to the Photos section and then click on the "Idaho Pagoda", which will take you to my (slow) website. At some point I might go back to the original style, but I thought this made for a fun change.

Tom in Boise
'71 280SL 4-spd, signal red w/lt. tan interior, restored/enhanced

hauser · « **Reply #3 on:** February 22, 2006, 00:28:07 »

Todays multiloop is nothing like the original. The carpet is so thin you can at times see the backing. The squareweave along with the velour is in my opinion much nicer than the multiloop.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

jeffc280sl · « **Reply #4 on:** February 22, 2006, 08:12:58 »

Hauser,
From what I've seen so far I have to agree with you. Where the carpet bends 90 degrees on the rocker cover I know one would see through to the backing with the samples I have received.

Tom,
Thanks, I'll enjoy looking at your car.

Chad,
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm not a stickler for originality. I will look at GAHH. I do have the color code.

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

J. Huber · « **Reply #5 on:** February 22, 2006, 11:12:30 »

When I did my interior, I used Miller's and had to decide between the two-tone multi-loop and the more expensive German Squareweave. Initially I purchased the less expensive multi-loop but when it arrived I thought it looked kind of chincey. So I sent it back and bought the squareweave. It is much better quality in my opinion. I paid to have it installed, and it fits nice.

James
63 230SL

hauser · « **Reply #6 on:** February 22, 2006, 13:37:37 »

GAHH has a lagre variety of carpey and leather samples. They sell a complete sample kit for $50.00. If you're more concerned with quality versus originality why not go with RR wool carpet?

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

ted280sl · « **Reply #7 on:** February 22, 2006, 14:40:15 »

Jeff,
I bought my new carpeting and installed it last year. The carpet kit includes many pieces which are bound on the edges. I believe it would be a great deal of work to cut your own pieces. Installing the carpet was pretty easy. The hardest part was removing the old carpet. It is glued in place and it is hard to remove. Spray on glue is great for installing the new carpeting. I got my carpet from Ray. I believe Ray is now at Benz Barn. He sent me a sample piece of carpet before I ordered it.
Best of luck,
Ted 1969 280SL w/ new brown loop carpeting

jeffc280sl · « **Reply #8 on:** February 22, 2006, 16:05:14 »

Thanks Ted,

Is your brown loop a two tone type with dark and lighter brown loops? How does the new loop size compare to the original? How about the backing?

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

Ed Cave · « **Reply #9 on:** February 22, 2006, 17:36:30 »

I used the German Square Weave product supplied by GAHH on my restoration project. While not correct for a 1971, the wool square weave was used by MB in earlier Pagodas. I think this wool product looks far more tailored and richer than the nylon carpet that would technically be correct for a 1971.

Scroll through the photos on the attached link of this installation and focus on the carpet. I can't imagine trying to cut and bind all of those pieces myself when they are available from GAHH and others, not to mention trying to fabricate the sewn in rubber heel pad in the drivers compartment and leather gear shift surround that are standard components of the GAHH package. (I know, a rubber gasket is correct at the gear shift but I doubt you'll find one of those!)

Save yourself a lot of agony and get a better looking install. Entire wool square weave kit from GAHH is about $825. Get that pesky moisture holding, rust accelerating rubber mat out of the trunk and add a square weave kit there as well for another $375. Keep the rubber mat handy if you plan to show the car competitively.

http://www.motoringinvestments.com/resto280int1.htm

Ed Cave
Atlanta, GA

1971 280SL
1973 911S
2004 A4 3.0
2006 GS430

JPMOSE · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2006, 17:52:58 »

Ed...your interior is drop dead gorgeous! Although I love authenticity, when changes are made in great taste, the modification will prevail. I really like the addition of the white shift knob and seat back releases. Good job!!! Just don't hang any fuzzy dices!!!

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL

ted280sl · « **Reply #11 on:** February 23, 2006, 08:26:55 »

Jeff,
My new carpet is the two tone dark brown. The carpet in the car was a single tone dark brown. I am very happy with the two tone carpet. It was a great improvement. I also bought new mats. They are a single tone dark browm.
Ted 1969 280SL

jeffc280sl · « **Reply #12 on:** February 24, 2006, 11:45:10 »

Thanks Ted,

Given the state of my floor pans that were rusted through my original carpet is in very poor condition. New carpet will make a great improvement. There are many grades and types of carpet to choose from. Sometimes that makes the decision how to proceed more challenging.

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

TR · « **Reply #13 on:** February 24, 2006, 20:37:38 »

Jeff -- I can empathize with what you say. In my case I knew I wanted to move away from the loop style, which I simply never cared for. I thought long & hard about going with square weave, which IHMO is superior to loop, and is gorgeous. But in the end I went with modern Mercedes carpet mat'l. I ordered carpet samples for Rolls/Bentley, Jag, Aston Martin, Ferrari, etc. But in the end the M-B stuff seemed the best quality and the most appropriate to me. Hmmm...I wonder if Maybach material might be available?? Never thought of that until just now.

Tom in Boise
'71 280SL 4-spd, signal red w/lt. tan interior, restored/enhanced

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #14 on:** February 25, 2006, 14:29:40 »

It is a bit ironic that some find the square weave so attractive now. Back in the day it was considered by many as almost industrial and not necessarily attractive. Road and Track described it as "semi-carpet" in their November 1965 road test of the 230SL. When the loop material came out it was coonsidered richer looking. Even M-B agreed if you consider that the top-of-the-line W111/112 Coupes and Convertibles and the 600 had a fine cut-pile carpet. That cut pile might be a nice material for a 113.

One other side note - the square weave available today is not as fine as the original material. The original has 7 loops per inch. The material available today has 6. I think the 7 loop looks much nicer, but is extremely hard to find. I bought enough to do my car back in the early seventies from a MBCA member who had the original mill run several colors for his own stock. I've never used it, but keep holding it just in case.

One last thought - if you go with a non original to the car interior carpet, it really won't make much difference if you show the car with a carpet trunk mat. The car will already be losing originality points. Why not just go with what you like?

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

DaveB · « **Reply #15 on:** February 27, 2006, 03:54:56 »

Vince is right, the original carpet has a tighter weave and is of better quality than the squareweave available now - could there be any equivalent new carpet out there somewhere??

DaveB

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #16 on:** February 27, 2006, 10:31:11 »

I don't know if he still has any, but the MBCA member I spoke of is Fred Lustig. He had several colors and was supplying it to enthusiasts, but my feeling is that he gradually lost interest in the car hobby. In the seventies he owned 45+ Benz, Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz at one time. He is also a German camera enthusiast. He is the go to guy for Graflex repairs. The last contact info I have (2004 vintage) is 4790 Caughlin Pkwy #433, Reno, NV 89509. Phone (775) 746-0111 (Pacific time zone, daytime only). From what I understand he is not a computer enthusiast so he has no website or e-mail adddress. Seems a bit odd since he was in the scientific instrument business in Silicone Valley.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

JPMOSE · « **Reply #17 on:** February 27, 2006, 11:44:40 »

Fred Lustig had a major stroke in 2004. Although he has recovered substantially, he was lagging behind on Graflex camera repairs (how I know Fred) and other hobbies. I would suggest contacting him again as I believe he is now doing well.

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL

JPMOSE · « **Reply #18 on:** February 27, 2006, 12:01:16 »

I just spoke with Fred to say hello. He is doing well but pretty much has abandon the auto hobby (although he still has two 300SL Gullwings [:0][:0][:0]). He stated that the only carpet left is black, red or sand color (as he describes) for 300SLs. Fred wasn't sure if this is the same material or not as the later square weaves. I called by chance to see if he had any Cognac carpet, as it has been discontinued for quite some time.

It was good to talk to Fred again...usually it has been about cameras (selling some of my vintage cameras has funded the entire 250SL project so far).

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose
1968 250SL

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #19 on:** February 27, 2006, 13:49:01 »

Glad to hear Fred is doing OK.

If Fred's current stock is the same material I bought from him many years ago, it is not the same as the newer materials. Fred had it run to M-B specs and it is 7 loops per inch, not 6. Since square weave was used in nearly everything German of the era, many folks make the mistake of assuming it is all the same. However, M-B specified the finer weave. When you put the two side-by-side the difference is quite noticable.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

66andBlue · « **Reply #20 on:** March 16, 2006, 18:55:00 »

Quote from: Vince Canepa on February 27, 2006, 13:49:01

.... Since square weave was used in nearly everything German of the era, many folks make the mistake of assuming it is all the same. However, M-B specified the finer weave. When you put the two side-by-side the difference is quite noticable .....

As usual Vince is correct. When I searched for carpets for my car I wanted to have the same color as the original (#6434 'cream') and asked several of the vendors to send me samples. That's when I noticed that there are large differences. Because I couldn't get the original color any longer I chose a carpet with the finest weave. For those who are in the market for a new square weave carpet, here is what to expect:

The carpet in the background is my original, it has 7 loops per inch horizontally (I believe the weavers call this the weft), with 6.75 repeats vertically (the warp), so it is almost square.
One of the more popular vendors on this site sent me the carpet with the lowest number of loops (in both directions). Of course, some may prefer a coarser weave than others but I think that the fewer the loops per inch the lower the price should be since it takes less yarn.

Another difference is the backing. The white samples has a heavy glue backing and I am wondering why this would be necessary.

Whatever one buys make sure it is a car carpet and not one for the home.

Alfred
1966 blue 230SL automatic

Vince Canepa · « **Reply #21 on:** March 17, 2006, 10:49:39 »

66andBlue - Nice photos! That info should be very useful.

Another side note and way off topic - in 1975 I was one of the Electrical Officers on the CS Long Lines - the AT&T cable laying ship. The ship was built in Germany in 1963. My stateroom was carpeted in a rich, brown square weave! I didn't measure how many loops/inch though. We took the ship into the shipyard in Portland, Oregon to upgrade the cable laying machinery late that year. The yard was renewing some wasted deck above my stateroom and they had pulled down the overhead panels in my room to watch for fires. Hot slag from burning and welding trashed my carpet. They replaced it with some junk - looked terrible.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

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Author Topic: New Carpet (Read 28300 times)

jeffc280sl

Chad

TR

hauser

jeffc280sl

hauser

jeffc280sl

Ed Cave

jeffc280sl

TR

Vince Canepa

Vince Canepa

Vince Canepa

Vince Canepa