Desoto Running Board Mat Replacement

[wangwilko]

Looking for replacement mats for my 36 Desoto, is there anyone who still makes them with the clips to attach to running board.

The ones i found you had to glue the mat to the board and not use the clips that you twist.

Also is the Plymouth doctor still operating, tried emailing for Roof Bows last year and got no reply.

Peter

[jpage]

As far as I know, there is no one making the original style boards with the metal insert and tabs. The was a fellow here in the states who could mould the mat onto the original steel plates but he has since retired and as far as I can find, the business is defunct. There are a few shops here  and in Canada that will cement a new mat onto the the board itself, but they are not authentic and they are quite expensive. I've also heard some bad feedback on quality and service on a couple of these companies. I started to make a mould for my '36 Dodge mats, a replacement that would cement over the original steel plates, but have since put that on hold do to the overall expense of material. Just to make one set, the initial cost was around $3,000 just for the mould materials . They take a lot more material than I expected and who knows how many that would have to be made to get a good set! I had planned, if it came out okay, to try to sell some, but I'm not sure that there would be a strong  enough market to justify the expense. The largest portion of cost is in the moulds themselves and finding a bonding agent that will work well. There have been companies that claimed to be able to machine rubber stock, but I haven't found anyone to do that, and there again, 1 set is outrageously expensive. If you are not too concerned about originality, you could possibly make a set from stock rubber running board rubber by cementing a piece of matting to a very thin piece of rubber sheet to give you a flange to wrap around the plates. There are some patterns of mat that resemble the original look. Unfortunately, today, we are losing more and more of the specialized companies that once served our hobby! Hope you find something!

[wangwilko]

Thanks jpage for info. Kris Arneson in Canada said he can mould the mat to steel for $1700 but it would then need to be glued to running board. I like your idea using stock rubber and cementing, glue would you use?

One other question please, the plymouth doctor website had wooden insert for roof for Desoto. I have dealt with Wayne in the past but do not seem to get any replies to emails do you know if they are still operating?

kind Regards Peter 

[jpage]

I see complete new runningboards with the rubber moulded to the boards for sale for under $1000. US, but again, they are a good replacement but not the original configuration. As far as The Plymouth Doctor goes, I've heard rumors that he may be closed but I'm not sure, I've only dealt with him once, a couple of years ago. You may want to start a separate thread inquiring about him. Seems activity on the forum for these cars has slowed down in the past few months! As for glue for rubber to metal, I'm not sure. I've read that urethane type adhesives work well and I've heard that some have had good results with the standard contact cement. I think much of the adhesion depends on the cleanliness of  the rubber and it helps if it's roughed up for a better grip. There are a few Youtube vids that cover some of this issue. Sorry that I don't have any definitive answers.

[wangwilko]

Thanks jpage all appreciated.