After the rear carpeting was removed, we removed the driver- and passenger-side kick panels, sill plates, and seatbelt covers.
We then proceeded to remove the remainder of the carpeting.
Considering the many years of abuse, the carpets were still in one piece, yet very dried out and musty.
Our next mission was to scrape any loose glue or debris, and then to vacuum out the entire vehicle before beginning the installation of the new carpet.
Next on the agenda was to start installing the foil-backed, sound deadener/heat-shield material. This can be obtained as a complete kit from Mid America Motorworks. Some trimming is required. Once proper fitment has been achieved, a liberal amount of spray adhesive is applied to aid in the installation. The early (pre-'73) Mako Shark era Corvettes were a lot less civilized than later versions. There was little in the way of sound-deadening/heat shielding. Just adding a set of headers makes the cockpit of these cars oven-like and loud, so don't skimp when it comes to sound deadener and heat shielding. It'll make the car a lot more pleasant to drive.
Once the sound deadener/heat-shield material is installed, the process is repeated with the carpeting. It's helpful to use a punch of some sort, in order to locate positions where screws are to be installed.
Once the carpet is laid out, a good amount of trimming is required to gain perfect alignment. Scissors and/or a razorblade will aid in the process.
Once all the rear carpet was installed, a new compartment door and frame assembly was installed. It was shipped assembled; only the compartment door release buttons need to be swapped over. The rear section is pretty much complete, but to keep the car looking factory original, we're going to get reproduction decals for inside the compartments. This is one thing Mid America Motorworks does not sell. We'll be adding new shoulder harnesses at a later date.
Next we installed the front carpets. These units came pre-molded and fit like the proverbial glove (trimming along sides and top is required, though). We were amazed at the factory-specific design of the heel pad.