I purchased a new (to me) 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 this month. I’ve wanted something with 4wd for the last year, and I finally got the “okay” from management to buy this one. It was a great deal I found on Craigslist. The carpet inside was in bad shape, so my first major project was to replace it. I purchased new carpet online, custom fit for my vehicle. I recorded the project so I could add it to my collection of car repair/maintenance/mods videos.
The main problem area was the rear driver side carpet, something horrible happened there long ago.
The first step of this project was to remove the seats, center console, and trim. Here is what the interior looks like after it is stripped.
Here is what the old carpet looks like next to the new carpet. As you can see, the old carpet was quite disgusting.
After the old carpet was removed, I cleaned all the trim and hard to reach areas. I even cleaned the floor underneath the carpet.
Overall, the installation of the new carpet was not difficult, but it was time-consuming. The installation instructions suggest placing the old carpet over the new carpet to trace where the holes should go. I found this method to be inaccurate when I placed the new carpet in the vehicle. Many of the marks for the bolt holes were off by several inches. The solution to this problem was to place the new carpet in the vehicle, and then use a small screwdriver (or similar sharp object) to stab through the carpet to locate the bolt holes. When the screwdriver pierces through the carpet and does not hit the metal underneath, then you have located the bolt hole.
The new, clean carpet makes the entire interior look much nicer. The 4Runner does not look like a 13 year old vehicle anymore. The finished product was worth the effort.
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Looks good josh! blurple might turn out to be decent after all….
Hi, I have a 97′ 4Runner and want to replace the carpet too.
Where did you buy it?
Wich color/material have you choose?
Because I want to replace with the same color from the original carpet.
Thanks!
I ordered the carpet online from stockinteriors.com. The color is: 827-Grey Plush Cut Pile
I was noticing when you placed the older carpet on top of the new one. I was just curious why the carpet from stockinteriors was so much larger than the stock. Looks like you had to do a lot of trimming on the sides.
Where did you get/buy the carpet
Thanks Josh! I love my 2000 4runner too much to get a newer one, but the interior is pretty beat. Your video inspires me to order carpet and install it myself.
Hi Josh – great video. I’m going to replace the carpet in my 97 4Runner. Did you need to replace any additional padding or insulation? Thanks.