David_Leech Posted August 6, 2018 Share Posted August 6, 2018 Flooring in my standard six isn't the best. Floor is painted plywood (black) with a ribbed rubber mat in the front. The rubber mat has just about had it but is good for a pattern. The rear is just plywood and it's cracked pretty bad, so it needs to be replaced. What does everyone else use? Looking for ideas, authentic or not. I do want to stay period correct though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Zetnick Posted August 6, 2018 Share Posted August 6, 2018 The original floor in my '29 DA 6 was pine boards w/corrugated fasteners connecting them...front rubber mat was gone, but rear carpet still there....boards were in bad shape as roof had leaked, so replaced w/ rift cut oak boards, glued up together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 6, 2018 Author Share Posted August 6, 2018 Looking at 8" T&G pine boards with tung oil finish from the big orange depot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 (edited) My original 32 floors were plywood. I used marine plywood of the same thickness, as marine plywood uses waterproof glue in its construction and will not delaminate when it gets wet. My floorboards were painted black, with a rubber mat up front and carpet in back. Edited August 7, 2018 by Taylormade (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 1930 DC-8 floor boards are plywood too. Painted black now, probably c/o of a PO. I believe they were unfinished: not varnished or with other visible treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 Started pulling the floorboards out. I thought it was plywood, but is Infact T&G subfloor glued along its edges. Settled on the ¾ 6" boards as the replacement. I like all the metal plates on the floor that were hidden by the floor mat. I am going to repaint them black and secure them in with brass screws. Should I just go with the natural Tung oil finish or should I stain them first? I am considering burning the pine first before oiling (testing on scrap). Maybe setting the first coat of Tung oil on fire? (Yes, out of the car?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 If you want to avoid scuffing the wood, you’re going to have to go with carpet or a rubber pad. My floorboards have wood extensions on the bottom outside edges to get them up to the correct height, and felt strips along the edges for sealing. Just bare wood floors will turn the inside of your car into a giant sounding board. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 My floorboards were never out of the car before I took it apart for restoration. Areas covered by upholstery and seat sliders since new were painted black, so I think the factory painted them, at least on the 32 models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 Seat sliders? What luxury! My standard six front bench is fixed to the floor about 4" too close to the steering wheel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share Posted August 8, 2018 Have started fabrication with 3/4" glued pine panels. Actually slightly thicker than what came out. Fits perfectly. Will update with pictures once I have them roughed in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 5 hours ago, David_Leech said: Have started fabrication with 3/4" glued pine panels. Actually slightly thicker than what came out. Fits perfectly. Will update with pictures once I have them roughed in I have a heap of 5”x1”1/2 Oregon that I was thinking of using for my 27 floor. I was going to thickness it to the correct size and put a rebate on the edge and overlap it like that. Do you guys think that would be ok to use. I have about a 150 4foot lengths of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 Matt When I made the new floor boards for my Senior I used Kapur that I purchased from Bunnings The Toe board was originally ply wood so I reproduced it in 3/4 marine ply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWPerry Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 Ron The floor of my Senior is all pine boards, no plywood, and they are original. Your toe board of plywood must have been an Australian change in design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knobless Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 If you want to do it once use coated form plywood ( used in the concrete business,) has a moisture resistant coating as long as you paint the edges, with a good epoxy paint. dampness will not penetrate this plywood, and if you want to paint it that helps as well, it’s not cheap 4x8 sheet is around 80-100$ but it lasts, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 The touring body on my 2249 Senior was made in Adelaide by the Holden Body Building Co.From the looks of the old toe board that I replaced I am sure that it was original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 14 hours ago, Ron Lawson said: Matt When I made the new floor boards for my Senior I used Kapur that I purchased from Bunnings The Toe board was originally ply wood so I reproduced it in 3/4 marine ply Thanks Ron I’ll check that out. My toe board in the 27 is definitely plywood and it’s from the states. It’s all delaminating. I’ll use ply on that for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Ron Lawson said: The touring body on my 2249 Senior was made in Adelaide by the Holden Body Building Co.From the looks of the old toe board that I replaced I am sure that it was original My Oz boddied Tourer also had plywood toe board, I thought it was a dodgy replacement but maybe it was on from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 (edited) Just pulled the carpet up on mine and it looks to be 2 pieces of Oregon to me. One is 14” and the other is 6”. There is a quarter inch gap to the ground between them I can see. Would be hard pressed to get timber like that anymore. Edited August 9, 2018 by Mattml430 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 That vent is neat. Mine only has a metal cover over that cutout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 53 minutes ago, David_Leech said: That vent is neat. Mine only has a metal cover over that cutout That’s the rear heater I have to run some hose from the radiator to it. I think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Zetnick Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Mattml430 said: Just pulled the carpet up on mine and it looks to be 2 pieces of Oregon to me. One is 14” and the other is 6”. There is a quarter inch gap to the ground between them I can see. Would be hard pressed to get timber like that anymore. That floor looks to be in great shape!...and like you said where are you going to get solid wood in that width?...I'd just clean up, maybe repaint and reuse....I wish my floors had been that nice! The heater looks to be something that conected around the exhaust pipe rather than radiator's hot water for warmth. Probably an accessory, not sure that it came from factory...anyway, exhaust pipes rusted through and carbon monoxide entered car and you can imagine why they went out of style...that said, it's very cool and hard to find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 On mine, that heater is a solid cover over a humped crossmember. Between rain and work, I haven't had a chance to work on my new floor. I'm now thinking of a dark stain. I still want to see the wood, so stain instead of paint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 2 hours ago, Bob Zetnick said: That floor looks to be in great shape!...and like you said where are you going to get solid wood in that width?...I'd just clean up, maybe repaint and reuse....I wish my floors had been that nice! The heater looks to be something that conected around the exhaust pipe rather than radiator's hot water for warmth. Probably an accessory, not sure that it came from factory...anyway, exhaust pipes rusted through and carbon monoxide entered car and you can imagine why they went out of style...that said, it's very cool and hard to find! That makes more sense with the heater and would be easier to get it working. Could get ordinary though with an exhaust leak in the cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 Change of direction on this project. What I thought was plywood is tongue and groove board and is likely original. I'm not happy with how my new floor is turning out. I'm going to restore the original floor. If I glue up the cracks and trim the rough edges I will be happy with it. I also keep flipping between putting carpet in or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 11, 2018 Author Share Posted August 11, 2018 (edited) And this is why nothing ever gets finished and costs 4x what you anticipated. I'm likely going to change my mind on this again. I've made too many changes and compromises to what I wanted that it just isn't worth the effort anymore. Different species of wood, diffent joining, wrong tools, vision vs reality isn't coming true. I'm finding myself now wanting to paint the new floor black, so why not just repair the original one? Edited August 12, 2018 by David_Leech (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Carpet is nice and cuts out a lot of noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattml430 Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Looks like your doing a nice job. Your floor is looking nice in the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 (edited) I have just ordered carpet. It will go over the original black floor. I'm not sure how it is going to look. Took a chance on a wild pattern. Period correct-ish. It actually compliments all the colors inside and out - two tone green paint, beige pin stripe, brown linoleum on the black running boards, natural wood wheels, olive green interior (with body color paint), beige roof liner, fake wood inlay around gauges, wood steering wheel Honestly, I have changed my mind on this floor more times than I have had hot meals Edited August 12, 2018 by David_Leech (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sactownog Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 my brown carpet works great for me with a bit of damper on the bottom under carpet, makes the cab a lot quieter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 This wasn't what I was expecting when I started on the floor. I thought I was going to have wood boards showing all nice and hand finished. Ended up with this. Will have to let it sink in for a while and see how I feel about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Scafani Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 If that doesn't end the discussion, nothing will! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 At this point, I'm not going to make you take off your shoes before I let you get in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I actually love the pattern, but it strikes me that it is too large in scale to fit the car. I was expecting a much smaller version of that design, which I think would fit the overall look a bit better. Color and look are dead on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 6 hours ago, Taylormade said: I actually love the pattern, but it strikes me that it is too large in scale to fit the car. I was expecting a much smaller version of that design, which I think would fit the overall look a bit better. Color and look are dead on. My thoughts exactly. I'm not out alot on this and will rock it for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Zetnick Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Not that everything needs to be kept original, but the scale of that pattern looks more like a pattern from a 1920s mediterranean style hotel lobby. Here are some photos of original carpet details...a couple from my '29...anyway, just real simple w/ the black edging....I think the front was originally all rubber matting, but I showed the oak boards and just did carpet mats to match the rear....again, I don't mean to thwart any creativity here; just another possible option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Leech Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 2 hours ago, Bob Zetnick said: that pattern looks more like a pattern from a 1920s mediterranean style hotel lobby At least I nailed the decade! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Zetnick Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 47 minutes ago, David_Leech said: At least I nailed the decade! Hey, 1920s closed cars were supposed to mimic your living room or as an 4-wheeled extension of your home....maybe just not a hotel lobby.....that said, it depends how many guests you cram inside your car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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