Frank .... I agree with Sammy ... don`t take the reverse lever off . I never have and got the boot(s) on ok . As far as crazy ... you`re probably no crazier than I am!
On cutting the carpet ... just use a razor knife and lots of sharp blades as the carpet dulls them pretty quick . Wait for the glue to dry before the final trimming . I used chalk on the carpet for marking and also did the final trimming after the carpet was glued down . Another tip ... I used plastic spatulas that are used for applying body putty to push the carpet into corners and a roller to help get the carpet to lie right and iron out any wrinkles . If you don`t have a roller , you can use a plastic hammer with a round head . Don`t be afraid to pull the carpet up if you feel it doesn`t look the way you want it to as it takes the glue about 30 minutes to really set up . The most time consuming thing for me was getting all the corners to line up where they all came together .