The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Original floorboard question

My floorboard has been slightly modified around my gear shift so the foam "jacket" that hubby bought me doesn't work. It's not big enough. Also, the foam for my emergency brake, listed in "Chevs of the 40s" as 41-46, is entirely too big for the hole.

I know that most people don't keep their original floorboard, but I was hoping that someone would be able to recommend a product that I can carve/cut for those two holes so that they'll fit properly. I was thinking about cutting up one of those kneeling mats that we always see at swap meets but I wanted to ask here, first.

You could make those mats work.
I would probably just cut some of the silver insulation and use some sealer/tape to secure it to your floor. That would keep the elements out and it’ll be covered with your floor mat or carpet.
Others will have more professional advice.

Thank you, VEW. I'm not covering it with anything, though. I'm leaving it original. Hopefully your reply will draw attention, because you're the first. 😊

Didn’t the original covering have a “rubber” mat? I know you said you considered keeping it bare, but that will make it loud when driving. You might consider putting a sound deadner, seal up the holes, and cover with a rubber mat to keep sound, engine heat, and decrease exhaust or other smells.

Just a thought.

The original floor board would have had a tranny opening only a bit larger enough to allow the tranny to fit the opening. If it were my project, I would likely cut a squarish donut shaped piece of same gauge sheet metal to allow the appropriate access and fill in the excess space. I’d either tack weld it in place or size the “donut” large enough to overlap, in order to accommodate rivets or an epoxy glue.

From experience I will offer that using a floor covering will make driving/riding in the truck much more enjoyable. These originally came with a jute, insulated ribbed floor mat. The floor board gets pretty warm and the loud road and engine noises will be dampened significantly. If you buy the rubber mat from one of the vendors it will likely come with the rubber mat marked for the various holes that need to be cut for pedal etc. access. I suggest you not trust the accuracy of the lay out on the mat. I discovered many of those marks were far enough off that I needed to make adjustments for better alignment. I ended up making a paper template and transferring the drawing.

Perhaps this would provide a custom fit "hole filler" for your transmission tower floor opening. You might be able to use the center cut out section to form a similar surround pad for the parking brake lever.

I think you might be able to use automotive weatherstrip adhesive to glue them to the underside of the floor pan to keep them in place, or you could leave them free floating. The floor pan installed on top should compress them to hold them in place. And if you decide to go ahead with an original style ribbed floor mat (I 2nd 46Sparky's "floor covering" suggestion), the rubber mat would cover the oversized floor pan openings and hide the rubber pad too.