49 royal floor mat

[Jeff I indu]

A few weeks ago I posted about needing some help identifying items left in the truck by the previous owner. I forgot one item. The original rubber floormat for the front of the car. Today, for the first time I unrolled it and laid it out. Its rough and in several pieces but it is 99% all there. My understanding is that item is impossible to buy so I am thinking about trying to save it. Not sure if it will work as it may fall further apart. It's cold out but I think if it was warmed up the rubber would become pliable. It's a molded piece to go over the hump so it cant be pieced back together flat. Anyhow, thinking about first getting a roll of thin inner tube type of rubber and a quart of rubber cement. Take each piece individually and cement a new piece of rubber to the back and roll  it with something like a wallpaper seam roller to bond and strengthen the original. Use the hump in the car as needed and trim as needed

 Then lay a second layer of rubber on the floor and lay my puzzle pieces together as best as I can, then again rubber cement it all together and trim it to make it a one piece mat again. Fill cracks with black silicone or whatever. 

Has anyone tried this before or used a different method? Seems doable and not too expensive to try. I'm trying to stay as original as possible. 

Jeff

 

[greg g]

Any thing is possible but I don't see much hope for that one.  Mine was torn up when I pulled the floor section to install OD. I did try some repairs by taping the back side and gluing the front.  But it tore up next to the repair in most cases. The rubber is just to dried out to be flexible enough to manipulate any where near original shape.

[Booger]

duct tape that thing together and keep it for a pattern. a Windsor or Royal? you need carpet my man. this is not a Plaza or Savoy

[Tom Skinner]

Jeff,

Although I believe all Chrysler Royal's came with Front Rubber Mats instead of Carpet from 1942-1949, you will probably need to go to carpet.

I would venture to guess the Front Rubber Mats on ebay for 1954 Plymouths would probably fit - I cannot be sure. Another Source is Newark Carpet in East Orange New Jersey (for Carpet). I have Carpet in my 1948 Royal. If only a Roll Rubber Mat Company would produce a ribbed Mat wide and Long enough (on ebay) I would probably buy a 6 foot piece say 3 feet wide and cut one myself. The carpet is a pain to remove (because the front seat requires removing) to say service the master cylinder - or clutch etc.

Also there is a place in Booton NJ called Kanter that might have a Carpet Set for your car. Good Luck.

Tom

[Booger]

on the drivers side I velcored the carpet perimeter down to access the MC up to the sill/threshold

[James_Douglas]

My 1949 Desoto Convertible had both a front mat and a trunk mat. Both shot to hell. I looked and looked to no avail.

 

I used Hirsh's black hogs hair carpet with a 1/4 inch of closed cell foam under it. It works great and is very quiet.

 

James

[Jeff I indu]

Since it is agreed that there is no source for a new floormat and it is finally warming up here in southern indiana I've decided to repair what I have. I've used my wife's hair dryer, a wallpaper seam roller and almost a whole roll of gorilla tape so far. It helps that it was in two pieces. Many of the splits closed up tight. Since it is molded I now have it in the car and trying to mate up the pieces the best i can. But I have a question.  The 4th picture is from under the dash. Does the mat lay on top of the rubber strip or should I slide the mat underneath? Once in position i don't plan on removing it for a very long time. I have a tube of loctite polymeric roof and flashing patch to fill/glue some of the cracks once properly positioned on the floor. Says easy cleanup with paint thinner and paintable. We will see.

Jeff

[sidevalvepete]

2 hours ago, Jeff I indu said:

Does the mat lay on top of the rubber strip or should I slide the mat underneath?

My guess ( only a guess ) would be under. Like a lapping weather board......but of course I could be wrong.

 

Just to add to this conversation, I found an old note from The Plymouth Doctor. He used to make mats and this explains what he did and also probably why he doesn't now. I did buy one from him and need to get it back from my upholsterer (still have carpet to do on my build) so I can get some pictures. That was 10 or so years ago. I did ask Kris Arneson of Runningboardrubber.com if he could see himself diversifying into floormats given his expertise at rubber fabrication but he said he was too busy with runningboard rubber work to consider it.

[BobT-47P15]

I had carpet cut to fit by an upholstery shop.   I wanted maroon to go with my interior color scheme.  However....to give the same

general look as having black rubber matting - you could simply use black automotive carpet.    My guy added a vinyl heel guard in maroon---

whereas you could use black if a guard is desired.   Same for the back seat area and the trunk.    Regarding the problem of lifting your

carpet to reach the master cylinder to check/refill it ....my man made a cut so you can simply fold back a small area from rear to front of

the carpet to access the master.  Works for me anyway.

 

 

 

[Marcel Backs]

I have the same mat for my D14 Pete. Apart from crunchy NOS mats, this one was the only viable option. It's a quality repro.