CARPET
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As originally supplied our Caravelle was trimmed with blue velour seats, blue door panels and matching blue carpet. Never the most practical colour, it’s now slightly the worse for wear after 30 years.
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It’s not been helped by the fact that nobody’s cleaned this vehicle for years. Even under the floor mats the carpet was caked in filth.
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The general filthiness of the VW is summed up by the mud caked on to the cab step.
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First job was to remove the seats, which on the Caravelle just slide out of the front of their runners.
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The seatbelt anchorages need to come out before the old carpet can be removed. The outer anchorages bolt through to the underside and both needed a good wire brushing before they would wind out cleanly. This is one bolt you don’t want to shear off or strip.
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The buckle side was rather easier to remove, but....
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... keep a note of the arrangement of washers and spacers for reassembly.
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Under the passenger seat we found this odd device which is a legacy of the wheelchair lift fitted to the vehicle when it was new. Rather usefully, unbolting it revealed the plate with the paint colour.
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The handbrake shroud can simply be pulled away and you’re ready to strip out the factory carpet.
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Most of it will simply pull away, even the sections where it was originally glued.
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A hook secures the outer corner of the bulkhead carpet as this section is often removed for routine maintenance.
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With the throttle pedal unclipped from its operating arm, the carpet can be lifted out.
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With the smelly, muddy carpet on its way to landfill, the interior’s already looking better.
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The new carpet set as supplied by VW Heritage. This set is for the cab area of the van only, but manufacturer Newton Commercial can supply matching carpet off the roll for the rear section.
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Much of the carpeting needs glueing in place and we picked up this Evo Stik spray carpet glue from the local Screwfix.
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First part to trim is the seat boxes which are also the easiest, being essentially square.
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A rubber channel is sewn to the carpet which hooks into a flange on the sheetmetal and holds the carpet neatly in place.
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When we came to the centre carpet there was a slight problem when we discovered the carpet was for a manual, whereas our bus is an automatic. Initially we removed the shift console with the intention of bolting it over the carpet...
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... but realised this would leave it in the wrong position. The solution was to cut the centre carpet round the shifter housing using a steady hand and a Stanley knife. We also chose to modify the bulkhead carpet in a similar way.
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With the centre ‘walkthrough’ mat in place, both seat boxes done and the bulkhead carpet in place, we’re almost there.
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Adding the floor sections finishes off the job. And yes, I know we still need to finesse the trimming round the shifter but it’s a whole lot more inviting in there now. It smells a whole lot better too.