Seats out/carpet in?

[Steve T]

More silly season stuff...

Last April at the Badenoch meet I acquired a set of blue carpets for my blue Lark, to replace the very dodgy taupe-ish houndstoothy stuff that was (and is), ah, "installed" in the car.

One of the first things I want to do this April coming, upon fetching the Lark from storage, is get the awful old carpet gone, tidy up the floor, and install the proper stuff...which will make the interior look worlds better. However I've never done anything remotely of the kind in any other car...hence, some dumb questions!

Got to get the seats out first of course. Back seat isn't an issue...just pops out (it's loose; I never have passengers back there). Front seats are another matter. What tools are required, and what needs to happen, to get the front splitback bench out of a Lark (and reinstall it)?

Finally, what sort of adhesive (or other means) would the forum suggest for attaching the replacement carpeting to the cleaned-up floor?

...After the interior stuff is set right, Betty gets a Lark Shine, thanks to 2R5 Bob's generosity with polishing equipment. I've already got the two necessary compounds. My camera always has made the Lark look shinier than she really is. Come May or so, my camera won't know what hit it...

Cheers

S.

[bams50]

Can you get to the car easily right now? If so, I'd recommend getting a can of Deep Creep and paying a visit. The seats are bolted down through the floor into "captive nuts"- the nuts move loosely in individual "cages". There's no way to get a wrench on them inside the cage, but you don't need to if they work as designed- which is where Deep Creep comes in. Spray the nuts liberally and allow them to soak- the longer the better. Ideally, repeat several times over the winter. When Spring comes, they will likely allow the bolts to be unscrewed, saving you a TON of hassle. Deep Creep is my favorite, but there are several other good penetrants, and that's what you want- something penetrating between the nuts and bolts.

Another alternative for Spring- not my favorite- cut all the carpets out, especially around the bolts. Post a helper inside the car with a 1/2" wrench and some water, and use a torch to heat the nuts; heat a little, try it, repeat as necessary. The goal is to take whatever measures you can to save those nuts! If you break off the bolts you'll have to break open the cages and replace with new nuts... a real PITA. You may end up doing some anyway, but with the above steps chances are good you can save most, or all, of them.

Once everything's out, coat the floors as needed; that's a whole other story

Robert (Bob) Andrews Owner- Studebakeracres- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys!)
Parish, central NY 13131

"Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions"- 311

"Do they all not, by mere virtue of having survived as relics of a bygone era, amass a level of respect perhaps not accorded to them when they were new?"

[barnlark]

Man, is Bob right. Soak those babies. I had to easy out and even slowly drill a couple broken bolts out that someone had broken off trying to take the individual recliners out. They must have given up. Square nuts stayed in, though, got lucky. I just glue the pad down and the carpet area near the firewall and the trans tunnel.

[Blue 15G]

Yes, a couple summers ago I replaced the ancient carpet in my '54. A couple of those seat mounting bolts broke off, but the remains came out with the use of an easy out after I drilled through them, and I was able to save and reuse the original captive nuts.

The reason I remember this so distinctly is that in over 35 years of "shade tree" mechanics, this was the first time an easy out actually worked for me. Needless to say, I was happy! "Your results may vary".

Dave Bonn
'54 Champion Starliner

[Steve T]

Thanks all...as usual, this forum comes up aces...the re-carpeting sounds like a rather more substantial job than envisioned...will let you know what happens! (And knowing me, whatever it is, there'll be plenty of pix...)

Cheers

S.