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MG MGA - Moss carpet kit

This is one of the underfelt pieces. I think it goes over the tunnel, just ahead of the gearstick. What I don't understand is the two bits sticking out. I would have expected a semi circle cut to go around the rubber boot. There is also a similar piece of carpet with the two funny bits edged.
Why are they shaped like that?



Art Pearse

I believe that piece goes over the tunnel aft of the gearstick with the tabs forward. The center tunnel carpet section is contoured in that area, and it will fit around the gearstick and will cover the tabs on the rear carpet section.
Barney Gaylord

Barney, I have no contoured pieces - all flat.
But what are those ears for?
Art Pearse

They tuck upward against the rear end of the tunnel top cover, to be secured by the tunnel center carpet section.
Barney Gaylord

I'm confused. Anyone like to send some pics of the carpeting around the gear lever?
Art Pearse

Is this right or did I screw up?



Art Pearse

I don't know. I have never seen a piece with the two tabs and hemmed edges like that. Did you make the hole for the shift boot, or was the hole there as received? I suppose you need the adjoining pieces in hand for comparison to see how it all fits.
Barney Gaylord

Very odd Art. I don't even recognise that cut-out shape. I have just been out and sat in my car and cannot place it.

This is what my kit came like. Ignore the gear lever gaiter and octagon bezel. That was my mod to incorporate the long throw gearstick on my early Type 9 kit.

Steve


Steve Gyles

That is much better Steve.
Who did you get your kit from?
Art Pearse

Barney, its part No 3 on your page INT-101A and B
But Moss cut it all wonky and seamed it where they shouldn't.
Steve's is very nice.
Art Pearse

Art

Bob West over here some 16 years or so ago. I am not sure who his supplier was.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Art, If nobody does it before me I will post tomorrow a pattern of the carpet piece in question. I think I had to make two stitchings on the piece to make the curve. It wasn't too difficult. One thing I couldn't do was bind the edges with vinyl; instead I bound them with wool....................Mike
m.j. moore

Okay, Art, I get it. Steve's picture is correct.

See this piece: http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/interior/rug/rug03.pdf

Where you see three dotted lines the edges are supposed to be brought together and sewn together to make the contour before the edge will be hemmed. It appears it was as you say "cut wonky", and then hemmed without sewing the intended joints. It appears to be missing some material, so it can't be repaired. Needs to be sent back for re-make.
Barney Gaylord

Yes, whoever has made up this piece was asleep on the job and has missed out a sewing operation

He or she should have sewn together the three V-shaped areas from the back first before sewing the edge vinyl.
It could be corrected by removing the binding making the three stitches and then rebinding.
However, I found machine sewing the edge binding on a double curved structure impossible with a normal flat bed machine. I think the professionals must use a cylindrical bed machine for this job.

In your picture Art the piece doesn't quite look symmetrical and the right 'ear' looks wider than the left. I would ask them to make up a completely new piece.............Mike
m.j. moore

Mike

It does not look the correct template for the MGA even if you are correct about sewing the 'V' shaped areas first. I think Moss have got the pieces mixed up with, perhaps, another MG type.

Art, do all the other bits look right? have you had to do much tailoring? Do you have the forward tunnel piece with the flap for access to the gear box filler?

Steve
Steve Gyles

You could be right Steve. To do my carpets I used the patterns supplied by Todd Clarke. I've done a sketch of the tunnel piece - see pic.
For the front projecting pieces the dotted lines are the stitch positions. After you cut out the carpet you have to bring together the sides (carpet fronts facing each other) adjacent the dotted lines and sew from the rear. There will be three straight rows of stitching about 2" long.
When you've done the stitching you will see how difficult it is to then to bind the front edge...................Mike
m.j. moore

Thanks everyone.
I'm negotiating for some loose carpet material to correct this myself.
Also, the RH front floor mat was cut out wrong. They cut it as if the tunnel bulge was on the RHS, so there is a 2" gap!
Yes, its an MGA kit. The gearbox cover & flap are OK. Some trimming necessary, but that's OK
Art Pearse

Sorry, I just noticed that the picture wasn't included!


m.j. moore

the front carpet meets the under-seat carpet and overlaps. Should I cut it flush or leave it overlapping the rear?
Also, I have 16 lift the dot fasteners. 4 go in the top of the footwells where the holes were already drilled for the pegs. I assume the remaining 12 are to be used on the front mats, (2 at the bottom of the toeboard and 4 at each corner on the flat bit) x 2 ?
Art Pearse

Art

This diagram is from Malcolm Green's Restoration guide. Does it help you?

I have a slight overlap of my front carpets over the under seat sections.

I will go out to the car and count my Lift a Dots.

Steve


Steve Gyles

Art

My front carpets overlap the under the seat carpet by about 1"

I believe I took Bob West's advice on lift a dot location, plus the old floorboards.

On each carpet: 2 at the fop of the sloping footwell; 2 at the flat front where the board joins the sloping footwell; one each side of the cut-out; and 2 at the rear corners. That makes 8, giving 16 in total.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Ok, thanks Steve.
Art Pearse

Depending on your carpet thickness you may find that you need the long prong LTD sockets. I found that these were more difficult to get hold of than the normal length ones.
Here's a picture I took at the time of my front carpet with socket positions from Todd Clarke's patterns .............Mike


m.j. moore

Good picture Mike. I failed to find such a picture anywhere while doing a bit of research for Art last night. Mine are the same. I don't see any binding on yours, or was this during the manufacture stage? Mine are bound all the way round.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, I tried to sew the binding to the curved front piece around the gear stick with my machine but couldn't do it. I also tried to hand sew it but at the time I didn't have a decent thimble and to get through three layers of vinyl plus the carpet was painful on the fingers. So instead I bound the edges with black wool and they don't stand out as well as the pvc bound edges...........................Mike
m.j. moore

Well, Jeff at LBCar Co has found me the right bits and the properly sewn shift cover from a fresh carpet kit and they are on the way. Great service.
Art Pearse

LBC is a supplier that really DOES understand the concept of good customer service, unlike another I used recently.....

I have also to beat the drum (again) for Leacy in the UK. I just had a new heater valve fail on another car, and they refunded immediately without any fuss whatsoever. It's proving just a bit of a pain finding another one that isn't from the same OEM.....
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 28/08/2014 and 10/09/2014

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