I found this carpet and matching jute on eBay.  It looked original to me, and I was interested in getting it for the purpose of using it as a pattern for having some custom carpet made because my opinion is that the kits that are available these days are rather lackluster.  
 

   

When I spread it out and took a close look at it, I was surprised.  I was expecting it to be loop carpet.  However, it seems like it is more of a pile carpet type.

To my understanding, one of the most "authentic" carpet kits currently available is this.  But, that is loop carpet - it is very different.  While from pictures, it may be hard to tell, this carpet definitely isn't compose of upside down "U"s.  It is more like each twisted strand of carpet has had it's top lopped off:

      

  

Since receiving it, I searched for information about original carpeting and come across various posts on this forum.  It seems, that original carpets included both a "pile loop" as well as "loop" versions, though it is not entirely clear to me which year cars got which.

From the information I found, I believe this carpet to be original.  I am mainly basing this on the color of the backing (underside) and the age, as apparent from the fading.  It is actually in pretty good condition compared to many I have seen in pictures.  I have seen several with more color fading, and several with more wear. 

  

Additionally, it came with one "block" of dense material.  This piece is normally glued to the hatch floor.  It is about the same thickness as the jute... roughly 1 centimeter.  

    

A few days ago, I became aware that Chester and Herod is still in business.  I thought they were out of business.  This was another reason I was thinking about having custom carpet made.  However, now that I have been looking through various carpet related posts, I have some new concerns.  From the most recent pictures and comments I have seen, I am wondering if the Chester and Herod kit's fit has degraded over the years, and if the loop or pile options they have are very different than this original carpet.  

Does anyone have any info to address my concerns?  I'll likely attempt to get some current samples from C and H to evaluate how similar or different it is, but I looking for additional opinions/info from anyone with recent C and H 240z carpet purchases.

Edited November 10, 20231 yr by inline6

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Edited December 3, 20231 yr by zed2

4 hours ago, inline6 said:

Since receiving it, I searched for information about original carpeting and come across various posts on this forum.  It seems, that original carpets included both a "pile loop" as well as "loop" versions, though it is not entirely clear to me which year cars got which.

 

 

My 04/71 240Z came with plush pile carpet. not loop.

I got a C&H set in my Z.... It looks like i got it back in 2018....

 

My car leaks 😞 so i dont keep the driver side mat in...

 

Just for reference, here's a couple of shots of original carpets from a 4/71  240Z, I might try to wash these and redye them.

 

10 hours ago, psdenno said:

My 04/71 240Z came with plush pile carpet. not loop.

Interesting.  My car is a 6/71.

8 hours ago, heyitsrama said:

I got a C&H set in my Z.... It looks like i got it back in 2018....

Thank you for those pics.  Very helpful to me.

1 hour ago, grannyknot said:

Just for reference, here's a couple of shots of original carpets from a 4/71  240Z, I might try to wash these and redye them.

Those are loop.  And from 4/71 also.  Wild.  I have never seen that type of jute (reused carpet) on the back of original carpets.  Perhaps a prior owner added that?

Why are you thinking of re-dying and using them?  Just, they aren't that bad?  Or, is part of the reason the lack of availability of new carpets that look enough like the old ones?  Other reasons?

Edited November 11, 20231 yr by inline6

7 hours ago, inline6 said:

Interesting.  My car is a 6/71.

Thank you for those pics.  Very helpful to me.

Those are loop.  And from 4/71 also.  Wild.  I have never seen that type of jute (reused carpet) on the back of original carpets.  Perhaps a prior owner added that?

Why are you thinking of re-dying and using them?  Just, they aren't that bad?  Or, is part of the reason the lack of availability of new carpets that look enough like the old ones?  Other reasons?

Other than the faded areas, they are in pretty good shape, I have purchased several new carpet kits over the years for various 240Z's and I can't say I've ever been impressed, in fact the quality of the fit has just gotten worse over the past 10 yrs.

Yes, it's very possible a PO added that underlay.

@inline6

Did you make any progress on carpets? Chester & Herods?

Not yet.  I did come across and interesting tidbit of information.  @AZ 240 mentioned in a thread some time ago that "Although I made my own patterns and cut all of my carpet pieces, he was able to surge all of the carpet pieces on his equipment and they turned out great."

The problem I have with C and H is from what I can see from pics posted by others, the fit of their latest 240Z efforts doesn't look like it is of the same quality as their carpets from years ago.  If doing as Dan did is still an option, I may go that route.  But, I am not comfortable with ordering their carpets as is given the somewhat recent photos I have seen.

9 hours ago, inline6 said:

The problem I have with C and H is from what I can see from pics posted by others, the fit of their latest 240Z efforts doesn't look like it is of the same quality as their carpets from years ago.  If doing as Dan did is still an option, I may go that route.  But, I am not comfortable with ordering their carpets as is given the somewhat recent photos I have seen.

It's a shame, there is market for quality carpets just not a big one.

You might want to have a chat with these guys, https://www.cocomats.com/

I bought some floor mats from them for my Z4 M Coupe and the quality is outstanding. I don't know if they would be interested in in doing a carpet set but it would be worth a try. Cocomat is what they work with but I'm sure they could source anything.

 

Just dyed the original carpet from my '71 and was happy with the way it turned out. Of course the dye job didn't fix the frayed edges or a few tears in the fabric but the color is much richer now and had the added benefit of cleaning out the accumulated dust and dirt

What product did you use, they look great.

I used the bottled Rit black dye, one bottle for each 27 gallon plastic tub. I filled each tub about half-way full with the garden hose and then added the dye. Put the hatch carpet section in one tub and the front/rear seat sections in the other tub. Mixed it a bit with a big stick. Let it sit over night. Turned the sections over about half-way through just to make sure the dying was even. Rinsed the carpet the next day with the hose and set them out in the sun to dry. Make sure they are completely dry before reinstalling them. In bright outdoor light, some areas tend to have a purplish sheen, similar to a bad hair-dye job. The sheen is not too noticeable when the carpet is installed in the car. In retrospect, probably should have used two bottles of dye for each tub. A carpet set from Black Dragon Auto was previously installed in the car, but I was never happy with the fit. I've since noticed that a lot of these new carpet kits don't have the slots and fittings to hold the carpet in place like they should. Glad I saved the originals.