HOWTO: Recarpet the Cavalier Coupe Armrests
This text was taken with permission from Haimiah's post here
on j-body.org.
Carpeting the Armrest
Make sure that you are in an area where if you spray your adhesive and it hits your work surface it won�t
hurt anything. Also make sure it is well ventilated or the adhesive spray will
get you higher than a MoFo. Good Luck.
Items Needed:
- Baseball
- Spray Adhesive (I�m a fan of 3M)
- Carpet
1. Cut your carpet to the basic
shape of the armrest. I left about 1 � inches to 2 inches of access carpet. This
way you don�t cut it too short for the bend and have to start over.
2.
Start on the flattest part of the armrest spray a little Adhesive on the armrest
and the back of the carpet let sit for about 30 seconds (this lets the adhesive
get tacky.)
3. Press the glued part onto the armrest and work it tight.
This is going to be your starting point or as I called it, the anchor so make
sure this is tight.
4. From here just work your way towards the other
side using the same method, spray adhesive on both the armrest and the carpet
and work it in.
5. When you get to the curve, I used a baseball to work
it in. it is the perfect size for the curve just press it hard and work the
adhesive together.
6. When you are close to being done, you will get some
bends or kinks in the carpet. To remedy this, I cut the carpet down within �
inch of the armrest. Make sure to work these kinks out or it will look like
crap, and it will be difficult to reattach the armrest.
7. When the
carpet is completely done, let it dry and cut the carpet down to the exact size,
by trimming off your � inch of excess material. Make sure that all of your edges
are attached well; as if this comes loose the rest will come loose easier.
Reattaching the Armrest
First of all, let me say
this, I have an 02 Cavalier LS Sport. I recarpeted my armrests using actual
automotive carpet. I think that this part is very important in why mine worked
the way it did. When taking the armrest out I dremeled the top of the plastic
weld, I tried the 2 Tube Epoxy, I tried 2 tube Plastic Weld and neither worked.
I was desperate, and came up with this method.
Items Needed:
- JB Weld
- Quick Set Epoxy
- Velcro with the sticky stuff on the back
- Chisel or razor blade
- Rubbing alcohol
- Either a weight or a brick
1. On the inside
of the door panel, I shaved all of the pegs and tabs off using your chisel or
razor blade. This is so the armrest would sit flush against the door. (After
this, there is no going back, so make sure you are committed to this
method.)
2. I cleaned where the Velcro would go very thoroughly using
rubbing alcohol wipes that came with my Velcro. This ensures that the Velcro
will stick well, and not come loose� this is the weakest link in this method.
3. Place the Velcro in strategic spots around the armrest. If any side
comes loose, it is going to be easier for the others to come loose. Use the
plastic hook sides only, as the loops will not stick to the carpet.
4. I
put a little less than a dime sized amount of both tubes of the JB Weld, on each
piece of Velcro.
5. Mix them all up, and make sure that when you put the
carpeted armrest down you take it straight down as to not smear the JB Weld on
your freshly carpeted armrest.
6. Put your weight or brick on top of the
armrest, and leave it� the JB Weld says it sets in 4 minutes but it has been my
experience to let it sit longer, just to be safe.
7. A safer idea or so
my father thought would be to seal the edges of the armrest too. Do this by
mixing up some more JB Weld and going around the edge of the armrest, while it
is still being held down by the weight.