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The VW came stock with rubber floor mats and carpeted kick panels. Kate found a carpeting kit from Rocky Mountain Motor Works that said it fit the '79 Super Beetle, so she ordered it.
We laid out the carpet and figured out where everything went. We also figured that we needed more glue than was shipped with the carpet. We took out all the rubber mats and threw them out. The carpets on the kick panels and front firewall were fastened on a little strangely, from what I could tell. On the firewall, the carpet was held in place with nails. This was my first experience with anything nailed to sheet metal. Live and learn, I've found out that it's not all that uncommon. The side kick panels were also held down a little strangely. There is a small flap in the sheet metal just above the running board that is bent over the carpet and clamps that edge in place. All the other cars I've done upholstery work on had a trim piece that screwed on over the edge of the carpet.
I had to remove one bolt from each of the front seats to get them out. There's also an electrical connection on the driver's seat that kicks on the Seat Belt Buzzer when somebody is sitting in it. We got all the old carpet out and started installing the new stuff. Rocky Mountain Motorworks was correct about the carpets fitting. They were cut perfectly, so I didn't have to get out the scissors for anything. The piece covering the center tunnel went in first, and it went in very easily. We cleaned up the sheet metal with dish washing detergent, rinsed it well, then went over it with Isopropyl Alcohol to get it really clean. We spread the glue and laid the carpet down. It was done in two minutes.
The front firewall and kick panels were a little different story. They took some time because they had to be carefully positioned and held in place while the glue set. I tried using the nails, but I think I need a better hammer than the upholstery tack hammer I used. I never got one to even pierce the sheet metal. The glue was up to the task, however.
The floor pieces would have been a piece of cake, except that between the time we spread the glue and installed the carpet, I put the palm of my hand right in the middle of it! It gave me confidence in the glue's holding power, though. It was REAL sticky. Once I got my hand cleaned up enough to not get glue all over everything, the floor pieces went in like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
They also provided a piece for the area behind the rear seat back. That model of VW has an electrical relay box fastened to the passenger side in that area. It's fastened down with a sheet metal strap and ONE bolt. I was a little leery about disconnecting the huge electrical connector from it, but the I figured that since I had the battery out I might as well. No problems encountered there.
The trunk carpet was quite interesting, too. The pieces seem like they should be glued to the original cardboard lining that comes from the factory. So that's what we did. Once they were in, the carpet looked just as good as the rest of the car.
The carpet is holding up pretty well, but we're considering replacing it when we get the car repainted and put a new top on it. The sheet metal flaps that hold the edge of the kick panel pieces flaked off their paint when we bent them, once to remove the old carpet and once to hold down the new. I used mallet over a piece of carpet to bend them down, but I had to use a screwdriver to bend them up and that caused a lot of flaking.
Well, I sure recommend Rocky Mountain Motorworks' carpets. I wouldn't change vendors. I also wouldn't use so much glue. Some of the other projects I've done on the car required me to run some wiring under some of the carpet pieces, and it's a real job getting it loose!