Sit on It: Part 1

The motives for redoing a car's interior come from a wide variety of sources. For some, it's purely aesthetic--they want a beautiful interior. For others, it is just a matter of course, new paint, new engine, new interior to match all the newness. For a lot of you, it is a matter of necessity. The interior of this well-used 1967 Beetle is a prime example. The tired padding and shredded coverings are a total pain in the butt--literally.

Whatever your case may be, replacing the upholstery and carpet can be a rewarding experience, as there is nothing better than riding in a car with a fresh interior... not to mention the smell of new vinyl, synthetic fibers mixed with your blood, sweat and tears from a job well done. The actual process of installing an interior is hardly daunting or difficult for someone who has never done it before. It just takes planning and patience to make sure everything goes smoothly.Throughout this part of our project, we reminded ourselves: We are problem solvers and nothing is too difficult if armed with the right equipment and knowledge. Ah, the confidence.

There is no rule that states you have to choose carpet colors and styles from the same company you chose your color of seats from. With this in mind, we chose the cream white vinyl seats from TMI in Corona, Calif., and the oatmeal German square-weave carpet set from Wolfsburg West, also in Corona.

Based on the reputation of these two companies, we know the kits are top quality stuff but, to make sure, when you get your dozen or so boxes home, open them all and check the contents. Pull each item out and scratch it off the invoice list. Examine each item for cleanlines and make sure the key stitching (especially in the top corners of the front seatbacks and the piping and seams along the bottom) is strong and well finished. If it isn't to your satisfaction, TMI has a complete money-back warranty, so take advantage of it. Also, lay out the carpet kit to see if all the pieces are there and that they match in color, texture and style. Mistakes are rare, but it's better to know right away that you're missing something rather than halfway through the project.

Interior Removal
The most difficult part of removing the interior is the window cranks. Lower the window all the way, push in on the plastic grommet surrounding the base of the crank and lightly tap out the pin that is embedded there. The crank should slide off. Make sure you don't lose the pins. Pop out the plastic door handle guard, unscrew the screw holding the chrome ring and it, too, slides off. After that, take a wooden putty knife (or something flat) and pry away the door panels from their holes. The only thing left holding the panel to the door is the arm rest. Lift up on it (freeing it from its hold) and the panel should come off. For the rear quarter panels, it is just a matter of popping off the retaining clips and pulling the panels free. The carpet can be torn out easily, as you won't need to keep any of it. Use the putty knife again to lift up the door sills that hold threshold carpets in place. Don't bend them too much as you could crack the paint.

The rear seat just lifts out, and the kick panels and rear seat frame support unbolts with two 11mm bolts on either side. The back rest is removed via two 17mm bolts at each end, and the carpet that connects it to the rear package tray, along with the two metal strips that hold it (and the package tray carpet) in place, can then be pried free.

To remove the front seats from the car on all Beetles up to 1971, you simply pull up on the lateral adjustment lever and pull forward (toward the steering wheel) after removing the spring. For 1972 only, there is an additional metal tab that must be depressed with a screwdriver before the seat is pulled forward. For 1973 and later, there are black caps at the back of the seat rails that must be removed before the seat can slide back (toward the rear of the car) and out, while holding down the metal safety latch at the front of the seat.

When everything is pulled out of your car, take some time to clean everything--vacuum out all of the debris, POR-15 the floor to prevent rust and scrape away all of dried glue that is left behind. The new cement will adhere better on a spotlessly clean surface.

Upholstery--The Big Tear Down
It would make sense that you need to remove all of the old material on the seat first, right? But be careful, as there are a couple of things you need to retain before junking it altogether. If you are using the entire TMI kit, you won't need to hold onto the old padding, though, and it is good advice to get new padding anyway, since it was designed as part of a kit and should be installed that way. While you're tearing it apart, make note of its construction. Tearing something down is the best and easiest way to see how something was put together.

Call Shotgun for the Front Seats
You are working with new material, clean from the factory, so keep a watchful eye for dirt and excess glue that could permanently mar your seats. We set up a table in our shop and covered it with a clean white towel before getting started. Before each step, we washed our hands to ensure that no oils or dirt would get anything dirty. Keep a clean rag and some vinyl cleaner handy should an accident arise.

This is one of the only things you'll ever do to your car that you want to do on a very hot day. Place the seat covers in the sun before you get started so the heat will soften the fabric and make it more malleable. If there's no sun that day, use a clothes dryer, but set it for two to three minutes at the most.