Rubber Foor Covering?

[Ford_Crazy]

My 70A came with a rubber mat on the floor instead of carpeting.  I see that Carpenter and Macs both sell a repro front rubber mat for a 57.  I know they don't sell the rear mat.  Has anyone tried their front rubber mat in place of carpeting? 

[JPotter57]

I havent but I did hear from a couple who have, that the repros are ill-fitting.  Its a shame too, because I wanted to use the rubber mat in mine.

[Ford_Crazy]

I heard that also. I would like to keep the stock look.  Carpet might be my only choice...

[RICH MUISE]

Just read somewhere (Amos Minter ad for '57 custom in Hemmings I think) that all customs came with rubber mats...so carpeting would not be quite the stock look...but who other than '57 fanatics would know.

[Ford_Crazy]

I contacted one of the suppliers of these mats and received the following reply:

"The fit is fine. The quality of the mat is now show quality. The dies that are used for these mats are the original dies. Over the years they have stress fractures in them which tend to leave spidering on the rubber. The mats are perfectly new, but the spidering can occasionally be worse on one than the others. It is all in the dies."

Since it's only a floor mat, I think it may work for me.  If anyone in the Forum has actually seen one of these repro mats, please feel free to comment.  It's cheap enough.  I'm thinking about give one a try...

[Bubba]

Which supplier did you contact?
BuBBa

[Ford_Crazy]

Classic Auto Parts Group in Oklahoma City.  They told me all the 57 rubber floor mats come from the same manufacturer.

[JPotter57]

Amos Minter is wrong, because my current Custom (70A) came with carpet, still has the tacks in the floor pans.  My last Custom had rubber mats, and my Custom 300 that I sold about 5 years ago came with rubber mats, though my first Custom 300 had carpet...it all depended on what was available the day it was built I guess, or maybe what was ordered.

[RICH MUISE]

what you're saying sure makes more sense. I believe all floorpans for customs and fairlanes are the same (the donor car for my 2 dr custom was a '58 fairlane 4 dr) so it wouldn't make sense ford wouldn't have at least offered carpeting as as an option  for the custom.

[JPotter57]

I'm wondering if carpet maybe came in the dressier 70A cars, two tone, etc.  Mine was a two tone, doeskin tan and colonial white car.  It was a standard 272 3 speed car with 3.10 gears, normal stuff.  It had a radio and clock delete, but had the dealer add on heater.  Odd for a car like this one, to have carpet, and no real options to speak of.

[Ford_Crazy]

My 70A was originally two tone Colonial White & Willow Green.  It was a 6 cylinder manual with a heater and AM radio.  It had the standard taxi cab style cloth seats with one cheap cardboard sun visor on the driver's side and no arm rests.  It had the rubber floor mat from the factory.  My father's Custom 300 272 auto also had the rubber mat.  My bet is the carpet was an extra cost option on a Custom.

[Lou]

Guys with carpet in thier customs and custom 300, where were your cars built? I have only seen carpet in Fairlane 500 models (except the convertible 76B)

[Ford_Crazy]

My 70A was built in Twin Cities, Minneosta and has the rubber floor mat. By the way, Merry Christmas..   

[JPotter57]

Guys with carpet in thier customs and custom 300, where were your cars built? I have only seen carpet in Fairlane 500 models (except the convertible 76B)

My current Custom was built in Dallas, my last Custom300 was built in Atlanta.  I had a Custom parts car last year that was built in Baton Rouge and was everything delete, it had rubber mats.

[RICH MUISE]

my rubber matted custom was built in San Jose.