Which rubber floor mat is best (D.C., Bob Drake, NPD, etc)?

[robroy]

I just ordered a part# C5TZ-8113010-A from Dennis Carpenter; they finally have some in stock again. That's the replacement floor mat for the 8" transmission hump cabs. I'll post photos as soon as it arrives! It was $80 or $85.

[Happy_Camper]

That's going to look excellent!
I love the "Made in the USA" part.
Very cool amigo!

[green68250]

Well that settles it, Dennis Carpenter it is. I will be ordering one here soon. Thanks for your trial and error, robroy. That will make the interior look great. I will have to cut all sorts of holes in mine but hopefully the shift boots will cover the mistakes. Thanks again for the info.

Corbin

[robroy]

Hi Corbin! Yes I think it's a good choice, but keep in mind that I've only reviewed two so far! The Bob Drake and the Dennis Carpenter.

Based on what I've heard others say about the NPD and LMC mats though, I think the Dennis Carpenter looks like the best choice by far. I've heard that folks have had to use hot air guns to try to get the others to sit down against the floor and stuff. This Dennis Carpenter mat sat down against that floor like it was right at home! And it smelled fantastic.

About the shifter boot, I had that same thought! If the boot covers up a 6 or 8" area, the hole you cut will probably be hidden, thanks goodness. I'm not sure how to cut those holes yet. There will have to be three holes: the dimmer switch, the clutch rod, and the shifter.

Corbin, do you plan on cutting your holes starting out in the center of the mat, or cutting from the edge to each hole? Probably cutting from the edge is better, since that makes the mat easy to remove and put back whenever you want. Cutting holes straight in the mat without leading up to them from the edge could make it look a little better but would require some taking apart to get it in and out. What's your strategy?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[thebannister8]

i liked your floormat, too bad there were problems...i just got a floor mat from lmc today.....i am at the start disapointed...it looks like rubber cottage cheese in line patterns that are all crooked...

[robroy]

i liked your floormat, too bad there were problems...

Hey Thebannister8! Do you mean the Dennis Carpenter mat? And do you mean the problem of not having the holes cut in it from the factory?

i just got a floor mat from lmc today.....i am at the start disapointed...it looks like rubber cottage cheese in line patterns that are all crooked...no way this is going in my truck....i'll keep looking

Oh, well it's good to know that the LMC mat isn't so hot! I heard that from other folks but confirmation is good--you never know if somebody received an odd mat by accident or something.

Rubber cottage cheese is a good way to put it.

Did you take any photos by any chance?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[thebannister8]

robroy...i like the look of the Bob Drake mat you had there...the lmc mat has one hole in it for the high beam switch...i guess the holes would be nice..but they're workablee with out them...just kinda makes it easier with all the holes...i almost ordered a whitney mat...be cool to see a pic of that one..i might add...lmc got here in 4 days..regular ups..i liked that...i don't have a pic of the lmc mat i'll take one though...

[thebannister8]

robroy.....i looked your pics more closely....and i'm of the opinion that the Dennis Carpenter mat and the lmc mat i have are the same one....

[thebannister8]

here's the lmc mat

[peanutman]

here's the lmc mat

The mat i got from lmc looks like bannisters mat except it was the full cab mat, that may have made it more difficult to get it to fit all the contours of the floor pan.

[thebannister8]

here is the lmc mat installed....around the hump doesn't fit exact, but looks ok...the only trimming is on the sides where the door kick plates go

[robroy]

Hey TheBannister8, that fit looks encouraging! So you didn't need to heat the rubber to get it to sit down flat? If not, it will probably look even better in a year or so when it settles down fully.

Robroy

[thebannister8]

nos floormat on ebay...wow... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NOS-61-6 ... enameZWDVW

[fordman]

i saw that. and i think that is only for the 61-66 trucks. thier floor pans are different than ours. see the lightning bolt though. that is a nos piece for sure.

[robroy]

Good evening!

Well, it only took me a little over two years to get started on installing the mat! All I need to do is install the two aluminum trim pieces and it'll be done.

First, I let it soak up some rays to make it easier to handle:



I fought with the mat for a long while until I got it sitting approximately where I figured it would want to rest. I had to lift up on the firewall insulation sheet to get it to poke under there, but it clearly wasn't possible to do the same type of thing with the clutch rod and headlight dimmer switch.

Then I marked on top of the mat with a Japanese paint-pen, and boldly cut away!!!

I'm really happy with the dimmer switch area (left). I probably could have done better with the clutch rod (right), but it won't keep me up at night.



I'd removed the shift cane and taped over the top plate hole before setting the mat in there, so it was easy to feel on the mat to locate the top plate opening. I drew a circle there, and cut it out with a razor. It was a lot easier to cut through than I thought it would be, maybe because I'd warmed it up pretty well first.



I installed the rubber boot over the mat, since I wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be mounted under it, or over it. With it mounted on top, it makes the shift cane more serviceable, since it's still easy to remove it that way without having to pull the mat out first.

Overall I'm still really impressed with this mat. The fit was very good, and it looks like over time it'll settle down and look 100% at home in there. And it smells GREAT!

I'll take some better photos this coming weekend and put them up!

Thanks for all the excellent advice!
Robroy