1932 - 902 Club Sedan Sealing Floor

[Guest box]

Iam working on the floor from back of front seat to fire wall.In cleaning the metal floor in front of seat there was some type of material held on to edges with split rivets. What was used that would not water or moisture? How did they seal toe boards to floor boarbs see gaps in PIC.

KURT

[Guest box]

MORE PIC

KURT

[Tom M]

Wow your floor is metal. In my car it is wood up to the toe board. For sealing gap I am not sure what was used hopefully someone else out there can help.

[Guest imported_Speedster]

I noticed there are gaps on each side, where the raized center part of toeboard doesn't match the floor piece, very strange. Sure looks like there is something missing between the two, doesn't there? I hope it's not another special molded rubber piece, but that would be my guess.

[Tom M]

I wonder if someone fabricated a metal floor?

Kurt is this the original floor?

[Guest box]

As far as I know, I when bought the car it was completely apart and in boxes?

[Restorer32]

The floorboard is original. The depressed areas on each side are for a jute sound/heat insulator under the carpet. The toeboard looks original also though the horizontal stiffener? across the center doesn't ring a bell. The floor board originally had a jute/felt like weatherstripping riveted to the edge of it to serve as a seal. The underside of the floorboard will have 3 V shaped welded on stiffeners on each side as well as 1 or 2 running front to back. I have an identical floorboard here, left over from a previous restoration. It's in no better condition than yours.

[Guest box]

PIC of back side after sand blasting.What is jute and were do I find, it not in Restoration Supply will it seal out water.

KURT

[Guest imported_Speedster]

I would Not use Jute, since it soaks up moisture like a sponge, causing floor to rust. I would use rubber wheather strip around edges and a modern foam type carpet Padding or foam rubber sheet under carpet. Since no one will ever see it, why not use better modern materials there.

Jute was a padding material, made from plant fiber, similar to what hemp-rope is made from.

[Dave Mitchell]

I think that 32restorer is correct, the filler between the panel and sides was a heavy and dense wool felt, held on with rivets. You may be able to buy this at a hobby or fabric supply store, as a last resort, you may even buy thick wool boot liners and cut them into long strips. There should be enough of a lip for the pan to set into that you shouldn't really have problems with water coming in here. The sound deadener/insulator was a dense fibered compressed wood product, and generally it was cut to fit into the pans and will be the thickness of the flange that comes up and has the rivets for the felt. I was able to buy this at my local lumber yard in a 4 x 8 sheet very reasonably. (I couldn't get it at the home stores, but the lumber yard knew it instantly and had it in stock) On top of that was a jute type padding with a black oilcloth over it, with the edges bound. On top of that was the carpet which had a dense foam type padding integral with the wool carpet. The carpet was called mosstread. If you have all of these layers, you will end up with the carpet the correct thickness so that it looks good where it meets the metal pieces that finish the floor to door sill trim. You will also appreciate the insulation from the exhaust and engine heat on a warm day.