# suggestions for floor before carpet replacement



## jayvee53 (Aug 26, 2018)

Looking for some advice on what should be done with the floor in my 68 GTO prior to putting down new carpet. Upon removing the old carpet and what I assume was the original "underlayment" rubberized heavy material, I was happy to find almost pristine metal making up the floorboards. (pics attached) So...whats the right thing to do now? Paint over the original metal? Leave the original untouched and put down new dynamat type material, then jute and carpet? Use a rubberized sound deadening spray product before dynamat? Even the original paint overspray is still present. The reason I am not sure is that this car is all original, about 65,000 documented miles, numbers matching, etc....I dont want to take away any value by giving the appearance of covering something up, but I want to preserve the floorboards as well. When I see undercoating, I think "cvoverup". I am taking lots of pics as the old stuff is being pulled up. Any ideas or suggestions as far as preservation would be appreciated. Maybe I'm being too cautious??


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## LATECH (Jul 18, 2018)

DTM epoxy,primer then paint
Then Dynamat


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## GTOJUNIOR (Aug 7, 2011)

I used primer and BOOM spray a few years back and I'm very pleased.
Just didn't want to add a lot of layers of the peel and stick.
My '66 is running on OE floorboards.
If I ever have to go back in it's no big deal.
JM2C ✌


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

If your aim is to keep it all original, I'd just coat the areas that are prone to collecting moisture from that spilled coke or coffee.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

O52 said:


> If your aim is to keep it all original, I'd just coat the areas that are prone to collecting moisture from that spilled coke or coffee.


My 66 isn't going back original. and I'm getting ready to install carpet the carpet, my floors are also good. I'm going to clean, scuff and brush red oxide primer, then paint either body color or satin black. Also I have the R.E.M. insulation kit from Ames.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

My floor habits have always been to wire wheel any crud, seam seal the joints back, prime (usually with red oxide brush or gray spray primer), then brush on some Rustoluem (any color works), add one layer of peal-n-seal, add the OEM-like tar mats, then jute padded carpet.

BUT, I have always started with a car that had rust pits and pinholes in the floors at a minimum up to sections that need replaced. If your entire floors look as good as you photos of the front...I'd be tempted to redo the seam seals with a OEM equivalent and keep the very original look that you have ESPECIALLY if you are going for a concourse correct build that will be kept from the weather and everyday normal use. Let's face it, if your floors have lasted this long and look that good...they will last a long time to come if garaged, low miles being put on, and the traditional leak areas sealed up. If you go this way, due to the fact that the carpet covers up the evidence, you'll have photos of the existing and uncovered beautiful floor steel when you go to sell.

I over did a build of mine, being "too cautious". Prepped the floors for primer, primed, brush painted with a DIY sound deadening paint (glass bubbles and industrial enamel), laid in peal-n-seal wall to wall, OEM-like mats, jute, then the carpet. It was going to be the quietest car from 1967 that ever existed...Once the car was complete, all the sound deadening efforts may have done something, but it was hard to tell with the noise from the stroked motor and side pipes along with the inevitable air leaks around the doors and windows causing enough hiss at head level to make for road noises that floor treatment could never dampen. Lesson learned - a coat of primer & paint, minimal peal-n-seal, jute and carpet is probably overkill, but peace of mind.

Since your floors are so nice, I might just clean it with some light degreaser like soap and water and just matt clear coat it.


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## jayvee53 (Aug 26, 2018)

Thanks everybody! I think I'll go with the route of keeping it "unmolested" as much as possible. The car was out of Colorado and then Arizona which accounts for the condition of the floors. I am taking tons of pictures of the removal of old material and the floors once they are cleaned up. I'll likely use the floor insulation available from AMES that is like the original tar paper style originals. I'm glad I gave this some thought and am appreciative of all the responses.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Helped a friend 12 years ago with his '67 GTO. It was in the same shape as your pics. We just washed and dried the floor and applied Frost King insulation from Lowes (about $41 for the entire car, including inside the doors) and then laid in the jute and carpet. Car is cool, quiet, and it was a big improvement. I'm a big proponent of NOT spraying undercoating or bedliner or paint over an original floor in great shape. The Frost King helped with heat and noise and was about 1/20th the cost of Dynamat.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

Hey @geeteeohguy - I'm glad you mentioned the Frost King insulation - I've heard a lot of good things about it, but I've seen a few different types. Which one do you recommend? Thanks


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

I would put down some insulating/sound deadening material. There are several vendors to choose from. Don’t do what I did, I purchased heavy rubber mats hoping to reduce noise. Then pulled them out for a better product with heat defelection properties. You need to do the research and choose wisely.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Joes1966GTO said:


> Hey @geeteeohguy - I'm glad you mentioned the Frost King insulation - I've heard a lot of good things about it, but I've seen a few different types. Which one do you recommend? Thanks


The stuff we used was about a foot wide and came in rolls. About 1/8" thick. We even rolled it onto the inside of the roof, and here we are, years later, and all still good. We used a tire patch roller (like a pizza cutter with no sharp edge) and it went right on. Next time I ever do carpets on either of my GTO's I'm going this route. Car feels way more 'solid' and is cooler and quieter. Plus, it is removable, unlike coatings. No downside.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

geeteeohguy said:


> The stuff we used was about a foot wide and came in rolls. About 1/8" thick. We even rolled it onto the inside of the roof, and here we are, years later, and all still good. We used a tire patch roller (like a pizza cutter with no sharp edge) and it went right on. Next time I ever do carpets on either of my GTO's I'm going this route. Car feels way more 'solid' and is cooler and quieter. Plus, it is removable, unlike coatings. No downside.


This is fantastic, thanks for the info. **Just to be clear, though, the stuff that you used DOES have adhesive backing on it, correct??? I just want to make sure that I get the right stuff. Thanks again.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

Joes1966GTO said:


> This is fantastic, thanks for the info. **Just to be clear, though, the stuff that you used DOES have adhesive backing on it, correct??? I just want to make sure that I get the right stuff. Thanks again.





Joes1966GTO said:


> This is fantastic, thanks for the info. **Just to be clear, though, the stuff that you used DOES have adhesive backing on it, correct??? I just want to make sure that I get the right stuff. Thanks again.


I don't know anything about is sound deadening materials, but I'll share an experience I had. Last year, I was at a restoration shop looking over a VERY high end Chevelle that had just had a frame off, the car was complete and was waiting on interior, it had sound deadening matting on the floors, underside of roof and door shells. There was a lot glue oozing out of the matting inside both doors, it was slowly making it's way to the door bottoms. The restorer said his customer did the matting and this was his first time using this brand of matting, he thought maybe different types of matting were required, when using it on flat or vertical surfaces, but wasn't sure.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

Good to know, @Duff , thank you. The LAST thing I want to have is some goopy crap oozing it's way into the headliner, clogging door drains, etc. #TheMoreYouKnow.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

Jim, the guy that owns the car is an accomplished auto restorer, who always has multiple frame offs going on at the same time, he does the best work I've ever seen, in person. He was behind schedule on this build, so he had a mutual friend do some final touch ups. Jim has used matting in most of his builds and has never had a problem with the stuff. Maybe he tried another brand, I don't know, I didn't get a chance to talk to him about it. I'm not trying to steer anyone away from using the mats, just do some research and buy the brand that works.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

jayvee53 said:


> Thanks everybody! I think I'll go with the route of keeping it "unmolested" as much as possible. The car was out of Colorado and then Arizona which accounts for the condition of the floors. I am taking tons of pictures of the removal of old material and the floors once they are cleaned up. I'll likely use the floor insulation available from AMES that is like the original tar paper style originals. I'm glad I gave this some thought and am appreciative of all the responses.


WOW... those are like it was built yesterday, really shows climate makes a difference. If you truly want to stay original or you want a perspective buyer to be able to inspect the floor I would clean it good then find some sort of clear coat to preserve it from any future rust, then go with your original underlayment and carpet, maybe even a clear Flex Seal brush on or spray. Once you dyno mat it you'll never get it off and could trap moisture maybe.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

The premium brands that can safely be used on vertical surfaces and over head are typically made of butyl rubber with a contact adhesive on one side and aluminum foil on the other. The DIY version using roofing Peel-n-Seal is asphaltic (think thick tar) and is not recommended to be used on vertical of over head surfaces...it gets hot and melts and oozes.

I'm not sure what Duff's friend used, assuming it has not seen much heat in the shop.

If it were me and I wanted to apply sound deadening to the entire interior and door cavities, I would not hesitate using the peel-n-seal on the floors and firewall to save some coin. The firewall gets covered up by the OEM style insulation pad that should keep it in place. I have done this on two cars without any problems. But for the doors and roof, I'd spring for the Dynomat type of products.


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## jayvee53 (Aug 26, 2018)

Thanks everyone, hoping your replies will be helpful for others in the future. As a follow up, can anyone supply a pic of the correctly installed front piece? The rear is pretty straightforward as the rear piece is molded to fit down into the area at the rise for the rear seat. The front piece has enough overlay over the rear that there is room for adjustment fore and aft. Seems the built in heal pad should be the determining factor, but how far forward?


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

Carpet should be positioned far enough to the front to tuck under the firewall pad.

There is a specific procedure for cutting the carpet for the seat mounting brackets. They do NOT go on top of the carpet.


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## jayvee53 (Aug 26, 2018)

Thanks. Do you have a idea where I can research that further?


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

The factory procedure









How to cut carpet for seat tracks


Fit and install your carpet making all your cuts for seatbelts,shifter,console,anything else that is needed on you car. Making the seat track cuts should be the last thing you do before trimming the edges and installing your door sills. 1. Locate your forward mount points for your seat(s) make a...




www.chevelles.com


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

Read all the way through for the photos


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## jayvee53 (Aug 26, 2018)

Wow! I can’t help but wonder how few people do it this correct way! Of all the YouTube videos I watched on replacing carpet, I have never seen anyone doing this. Thanks so much for posting this for all to see and use. It is very much appreciated.


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