Installing rubber mat

[911response]

OK, Has anyone here installed a rubber mat floor (instead of carpeting). I have the one piece rubber floor mat that is correct for my Valiant 100, should it be installed with glue in corners or what. I think if I use a heat gun and some spots of glue it will lay better (flat). Any advise???

 

[wjajr]

should it be installed with glue in corners or what. I think if I use a heat gun and some spots of glue it will lay better (flat). Any advise???

You need some sort of sound deadener under mat.

Mark center lines on mat, and floor of car to aid centering. If needed; trim with small nibbles at a time while trial fitting around floor shifter and console if equipped using center lines to keep consistent repositioning.

Once fitted to shifter etc., transmission & drive shaft hump, fit to door openings if needed.

Yes, heat gun used sparingly will ease wrinkles and puckers from mat; also letting mat warm in sun will be productive. Door sills, and kick panels will hold outer edges of mat once it is correctly relaxed & positioned. Limited use of spray contact cement is a good idea to secure top edge of mat along fire wall. Work slowly with patients one section at a time and the job will come out nicely.

 

[2 Darts]

Rubber mats were not installed with glue. If you insist, use rubber cement or RTV silicone. Otherwise, you may never get the mat back up should the need arise.

Wjajr's tips are good. I use jute padding under carpets and rubber mats, similar to the factory. I've seen it online, in craft stores, fabric stores, and upholstery shops. It's not expensive.

Definitely mark the center line and lay in the mat. Yes a warm mat is more pliable and easier to install. At least lay it out over night to get rid of the creases in it. Once the mat is laid in satisfactorily, cut slits for the floor shifter. Re-settle the mat around the shifter/console mount and re-check the center line of the mat. Go underneath the car to make holes for seat belts and seats. I use soldering iron with a tip that is no longer usable for soldering electrical components. I have found that making the hole in the mat or carpet a little larger than the bolt that passes through it saves me trouble with the threads having stuff wrapped up in them.

 

[wjajr]

Spray contact cement will not hold mat too tightly, but just enough to keep the top edge along fire wall snug until it forms to the floor. A slight tug and mat will easily release for repositioning, or removal.