1936-1938 Oldsmobile Coupe Front Rubber Mat

[philipj]

I wonder if either one of these could be re-cut to fit a 36-38 Oldsmobile Coupe...

 

https://bobsautomobilia.com/shop/interior-floors-doors/floormat-wjute-backing-brown-1936-ff-36bn/

 

 

https://bobsautomobilia.com/shop/interior-floors-doors/floormat-wjute-backing-brown-1934-36-ff-36bnu/

 

Even though these are pricey, I have not found anything else that is nice with a logo anywhere...

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by philipj (see edit history)

[Bloo]

I think the un-cut version of the Buick mat will do, and is the closest thing you can theoretically get for a 36 Olds (or Pontiac!) but it is out of stock everywhere as far as I know. I would be skeptical of the cut one. It's a maybe. I know it is all wrong for Pontiac because the chassis is completely different. I don't know exactly how wrong it is but I have had enough measurements in the past to know it is not a direct fit in a 36 Pontiac. Since you have that cast rubber piece around the pedals and steering column in a 36 Oldsmobile, you might be able to fake that part. I would be extremely skeptical about the shifter and dimmer switch holes, and there isn't much you could do if those were wrong. I am 99% sure that the dimmer hole is wrong when comparing Buick to Pontiac. Oldsmobile might match either... or neither. Olds does use the same transmission family in 1936 as Buick 40 (and Pontiac). There is no guarantee that the shifter is in the same position in the chassis (fore/aft) though. That would worry me.

 

You said 36-38, and 37-38 is a whole different ballgame than 36. The new all-steel A-bodies for 1937 are wider. A lot wider, and probably too wide for those 36 mats, punched or not. I think you should be looking at pictures of 37 Buick mats for possible(?) Oldsmobile compatibility. How big is the difference in width? Well, the 37 Buick 40 (and Pontiac and Oldsmobile) is about as wide as a Buick Roadmaster would have been in 36 (or 37). In fact, I think the the reproduction 1937 Buick Roadmaster mat, which is unpunched, is just the same thing as the 1937 Buick 40 mat except for the holes. which are probably different.

 

Check out this picture:

 

 

This is a 37 Buick Roadmaster unpunched mat in my 36 Pontiac. You might notice that the border on the sides has been completely cut off, due to the much narrower 1936 body. Why did I use this instead of the one in your link? For one thing, it was actually available to buy. For another, that center hump is actually a thing in a 36 Pontiac. The hump fits perfect at the front and tapers to nothing as you go back, unlike a 37 Buick, where the (admittedly small) hump goes all the way back. A 36 Buick has a slight hump, but it is so small you cannot even see it without a measuring stick, and the reproduction mat (in your links above) is completely flat. the obvious mismatch at the back in the pic above does not show with the seat in.

 

I have seen the 37 Buick unpunched mat like the one in my 36 in the wider 37 Pontiac. It fits good, given the opportunity to punch your own holes. One obvious difference is at the dimmer where there is an obvious place cast in the rubber where the dimmer should go, but, true to form, Pontiac put it in a different place than Buick.

 

If the floor contour in a 37 or 38 olds is even close, I think the unpunched 37 Buick mat would be a closer fit than the narrow 36 mats.

 

One little surprise I got: The "Body by Fisher" carriage emblem is in the little rectangle. it says "Buick Eight" around the shifter hole. This would be cut out if you were installing it in the 37 Roadmaster it is allegedly sold for. The mold must be worn out because it is extremely faint, and I don't think you could even see it without getting your eyeball right down on the floor, but it is there.

 

One other thing, the transmission in the Buick 40 and the Pontiac (and almost certainly the Oldsmobile) is mounted dead center in the car, but the shifter is not dead center in the transmission. On the 37 Buick reproduction mat, the shifter location *IS* dead center. I think it's a mistake, and I am not the only one who noticed. This requires a little fudging. It's going to be easier to hide this in the wider 37 or 38 body than it would in a 36. Assume nothing. Measure a lot.

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history)

[philipj]

Hello Bloo,

 

You are a walking encyclopedia of knowledge my friend!..:) and I can see how this is a little complicated... In order to make this work, I would have to get the Buick 36-40 mat pictured and it could possibly work... I would remove the existing carpet and use that as a template to cut the holes... The re-install the carpet and set the new mat on top... Sounds easy, but I know it would be a royal pain!..;)

 

Surprised to see that way back when GM did not offer these mats when the cars were new, but wonder if later on (say early 40's) they would have come up with new accessories to retrofit the older cars... Just wondering.

 

I like the look, easy to clean without having to worry about staining the carpet, spills, etc... I might venture into it, just have to make up my mind...:)

[rocketraider]

I'm thinking rubber front floor covering is what cars came with in those days? Not as an accessory mat?

[philipj]

Well it would make sense, but you do not see ever a single original survivor.... Any takers? Like to see some original mats here... So it would be wrong for me to place it over the carpet then? It would seem so...

[philipj]

Here is a vehicle recently sold that appears to have the BUICK mat....

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by philipj (see edit history)