Markeb01 Build Thread

[markeb01]

This morning we removed the racing belt eye bolts, throttle linkage/gas pedal and upholstered kick panels. After lunch everything was vacuumed up and ready for the new floor covering:



ACC generously provided a front floor piece of jute padding. Unfortunately it was punched for the small hump floor, even though they sold me a high hump mat. Gotta love quality in America. I sliced out the middle and used the two side pieces. The chunk in the middle in the photo is just a scrap I couldn’t reach without bumping the tripod:



Here are the first photos of the mat in the cab.





ACC advertises it is cut oversize for custom trimming, and they aren’t kidding. The back and sides probably have an extra 4” included and the nose has 6-8” extra beyond the standard mat shape. No complaints about that. I was hoping to retain some of this excess material and shove the mat well up on the firewall providing a nice finished edge that was so far up it couldn’t be seen from the seats. But there’s just too much material in the way. The drop in the floor just ahead of the seats needs to move forward another 4 inches and can’t. Some of the material at the top of the firewall will have to be trimmed before the mat will fit. I’ll probably remove it from the truck and use the original mat as a template for some rough trimming. I also learned that coming out of a 78 degree room wasn’t enough to make this stuff workable. So right now I’ve got a space heater set in the cab to bring the temperature up to at least 80-85 degrees to see how much that helps.

More to follow.

[markeb01]

Well I pulled the mat back out and matched it up with the original. Still leaving a generous amount of surplus I trimmed 3” off the leading edge, and 7” out of the center over the firewall hump. The fit is now within a hand grenades range, but still needs a lot of trimming to fit correctly. At least it's starting to look like I have the correct mat for the truck now.



I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing but I lost my white crayon which is critical for anymore trimming, so that will be it for tonight. I feel like I’ve been wrestling a gorilla. Carpet certainly would have been a lot easier!

[markeb01]

Another 4 hours of effort completed the driver’s side of the floor mat installation. The outboard drop area just in front of the seat is clearly molded into the mat so I used this as the primary reference point to know when everything was in the correct position. With this corner of the mat aligned with the floor, the fit at the transmission tunnel/gas pedal area was optimized, and the back wall of the cab squared up with the back edge. The position was fixed by locating the threaded nutserts in the floor, poking through with an awl, and then cutting a hole with a stepdrill, which came out clean after passing the bit through from both sides. A temporary bolt in the forward location held things in position.



A bulge at the gas pedal mount was pushed in/reversed at which point it fit perfectly into the firewall depression. The top left of the mat was marked with white crayon, pulled back and trimmed to the shape shown. The pedal mount was removed and relocated on top of the mat. All of this firewall coverage is well above the top of where a standard rubber mat ends. I’m very thankful they designed this product with so much extra material in the front (even if it is a pain to work with). The gas pedal mount now has mat behind it, instead of leaving the old pivot area bare. Here’s an after and before comparison:





After the top left of the mat was trimmed and the gas pedal reinstalled, I cut the smallest hole possible allowing the shifter to poke through, so the mat could still move around if needed. The rest of the driver side seat attachment holes were cut and the mat was bolted to the floor in two places. With no chance of it moving around, the area under the door sill was trimmed away and fitted around the back edge.

Obtaining the best possible fit along the left kick panel and around the dimmer switch took a bit of extra effort. I’ve seen too many mats with a big oval hole near the dimmer switch because it’s not always easy to predict exactly where the hole should be, and I didn’t want to mess this up.

On 1960 models the dimmer switch is mounted to a removable panel with half of the switch held in a cavity formed into the floor. When I created the diamond tufted kick panels the factory switch was too close to the side. So I fabricated a flat steel plate to cover the cavity and installed the newer style switch that bolts directly to the floor.

To trim the mat I removed the steel plate and the dimmer switch. This allowed for a perfect cut right along the edge. I then removed the dimmer from the plate, drilled a 1/8” hole directly under the center of the dimmer switch, and ran a long screw through from the bottom (pointing up). With the plate reinstalled on the floor, it was simply a matter of pressing the mat over the screw to have the exact center of the switch punched into the mat. The plate was removed, the switch reattached and reinstalled on the floor. The mat was drilled out with a stepdrill, this time using the biggest bit I have which is ¾ inch. The hole in the mat is a stretch fit over the cap, but the exact size of the switch body so it fits perfectly.

For anyone that’s wondered how much of the floor this mat actually covers, ACC promises “full floor” coverage and they aren’t kidding. It rises 2-5” higher than a standard rubber mat in the front, and goes all the way to the back wall of the cab. For those that have eliminated the in-cab gas tank this is a very nice feature:



One issue on my 1960 is the cavity near the rear of the driver’s door. My truck has wiring in this area and a steel plate over the top that matches the contours of the floor. The mat has a cavity molded in, so I’m assuming later trucks didn’t have this cover. My first thought was to cut out the mat inside the cavity and reinstall the plate on top. But looking at it, I’m not sure I won’t just leave it alone and eliminate the cover. It’s not like anyone is going to be stepping there to climb into the back seat. For now I’m going to leave the cavity looking like this. If I change my mind later I can always reinstall the cover plate on top of the mat:



Right now the truck is cooking back up to 90 degrees so I can finish the passenger side. The only remaining tasks are to pull any remaining surplus out of the transmission tunnel, add the seat mounting bolts to hold it in position, and trim the door/kick panel area. Once that is complete the shifter stick and boot can go back in. The final chore will be filling unused holes and repainting the seat mounting brackets. They looked just fine on the old crappy floor, but need some attention before going back in now.

If there aren’t any surprises the truck will hopefully be back together tomorrow.

[pdxhall]

That is looking real nice Mark. It's making me have second thoughts about installing carpet.

[CRGRS 66]

Looks great, looks like it grew there. Once you are done, could you take some pics outside with natural light (no flash, no incandescent lighting)?

[markeb01]

Thanks for the comments guys. I’m losing my enthusiasm for taking pictures of each micro step so the next interior photos will be after its back together which should be tomorrow.

Finished the passenger side floor last night and reinstalled the door sill, passenger kick panel, tufted firewall pad to the right of the heater, and tufted panels behind the seats.

Today was focused on cleaning up the seat brackets. They’ve been drilled numerous times for multiple locations and adjustments, two different types of seats, and both 2 and 3 across seating. Since I’m about the only person that sees them I made a half hearted effort to make them look better.

The old wrinkle paint was stripped down to the bare aluminum and numerous surplus holes were filled with JB Kwik, followed by a skin coat of Rage body filler. Everything was smoothed up with 320 on a D/A, and shot with JD Blitz Black from a spray can. The extra holes were eliminated partly for cosmetics, but mainly to make it easier to reinstall the seats. The only holes remaining are the correct ones for each position. Here are a couple of before and after photos:





The brackets won’t be winning any awards, but look a lot better than they did before. They’re currently cooking under the lamps, and when they stop stinking I’ll mount them in the truck. All that’s left to do is reinstall the shifter handle & boot, inboard seat belts, and the seats. If tomorrow provides the kind of weather we got today, I’ll pull it outside for those no-flash photos.

[markeb01]

One last picture for the night. The only thing left to accomplish is tightening all the bolts after the seats are set in place tomorrow morning:

[LostMy65]

Looking good.

[McMurphy]

I made adapter "feet" for my bench seat too couple weekends ago, next is to get the seat back in the cab, mark them and get them set.
Then it will be setting up the seat belts with shoulder straps.
Once all that is done, off the the upholster for the seat.

Your mat does look good though!!

[markeb01]

The floor mat install is finally complete. The wife helped set the seats, attached all the mounting bolts, and managed all the fasteners under the truck. I pulled it outside for a few photos, and got the camera back inside just in time for another rain shower! So much for June in the Northwest.

There are still a few bumps in the mat that I’m presuming will flatten out with time and heat. It hasn’t been over 70 degrees in the garage since I started on this. 100 degrees ambient would have made everything a lot easier. Right now it doesn’t fit as tight as custom carpet or an original floor mat, but I think it will come very close once it has a chance to heat up and fully relax. Of all the MIP mat photos I’ve seen on the web, this 60-66 high hump example has the most accurate molding I’ve seen.

It’s not at all slippery, but it is very smooth and easy to sweep off unlike the stained/dirty grooves in the factory mat. Cleaning out any debris on the floor is as simple as blowing it off with an air hose, which is certainly easier than vacuuming carpet. What I like most is how much of the floor it covers. I made the previously installed tufted firewall pad over the transmission tunnel mainly because so much of the metal firewall showed above the factory mat. I never liked the design because it had such a big drooping bulge on the passenger side. The new mat covers the entire area eliminating the need for the tufted panel.

In photographs, the mat looks gray in bright sunlight. In real life it looks gloss black even in the sun, compared to the rubber mat that was more of a brownish gray color. Here are a few snapshots. The two odd looking black dots on the floor under the pedals are the shadows of my ball style dash knobs, and the strange grid marking to the right to the tunnel in the 2nd photo is light shining through the speaker opening in the dash.





This photo just shows the generous coverage all along the front line:

[64shortbox]

Looks absolutely Fantastic!!!!!!!

[CRGRS 66]

I second that motion, could not agree more, lovely install Mark

[likaroc13]

x3...looks really nice! great job once again

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by markeb01

There are still a few bumps in the mat that I’m presuming will flatten out with time and heat. It hasn’t been over 70 degrees in the garage since I started on this. 100 degrees ambient would have made everything a lot easier. Right now it doesn’t fit as tight as custom carpet or an original floor mat, but I think it will come very close once it has a chance to heat up and fully relax. Of all the MIP mat photos I’ve seen on the web, this 60-66 high hump example has the most accurate molding I’ve seen.

Mark, do you think a blow dryer, or something like a blow dryer would do the trick?

[markeb01]

A hair dryer might do some good, but I'm not sure it would put out enough heat to really make a difference. I actually have a regular heat gun in the garage. The output is high enough to burn things so I was a little reluctant to try it until I tested it on some scrap pieces. Now that the project is done I'm more inclined to let nature do the work, but I still intend to test the heat gun on some scrap pieces to learn how much it can take before damage occurs, or if it can get so hot gloves are required to touch it without causing problems. I’d like to know those answers.

For those that don't visit my build thread, I’m thinking about posting a separate summary thread offering my experiences working with the vinyl mat. There have been quite a few inquiries over the last couple of years with very limited response. With a specific topic thread it might make it easier for members to find input during a search, and knowing how much direct heat it can tolerate would probably be helpful to include.

[markeb01]

Okay so wanting to know how well this stuff did with heat got the better of me. I dropped everything and went out and tested the heat gun on some scrap pieces. On the low setting, passing the heat gun back and forth at about 3-4 inches for 20-30 seconds makes the material nice and flexible. It was very hot to the touch, but not enough to burn fingers.

Here’s a piece of flat stock I heated up and rolled into a U. This is about 5 minutes after the heating cycle and it held its shape pretty well:



These are the best pictures I can get today. We’re having thunderstorms and cloud bursts all day and its dark in the garage even with all the lights on and the doors open. It’s so dark in the cab the autofocus is having trouble even when using the flash. The 1st picture is without the flash, 2nd is with flash:



The diagnonal stripe near the shift boot is a reflection from the shifter stick. This stuff is really shiny!



This was after about 10 minutes of effort with the heat gun and a couple of magnets to hold the mat flat against the hump cover. The passenger side is almost flat now compared to before heating. The bumps that remain near the front are from embossments in the removable cover and the perimeter of the opening in the floor. I also extended the character line up over the front corner by pressing the heated mat down into the grove until it cooled. I’m inspired to finish working out the rest of lumps but I’ll need to pick up some additional magnets so I can get more done at one heating. Now I’m really happy with it!

[markeb01]

Although the wife loves the new floor covering, she admitted she just didn’t like it as much without the diamond tufted firewall cover. So it went back in today. I have to admit I like it better with the upholstery too. If I can ever find a safe and attractive way to attach a heavy headliner I’ll upholster that as well.



Edit - I just switched pictures because I realized the firewall pad was crooked. I corrected the misalignment but the sun moved so I couldn't duplicate the previous shot.

Also got the garage cleaned up today and sliced up the old mat so it would fit in the trash. It’s nice not having all the extra holes in the floor mat where the old gas pedal use to mount. I’m looking forward to getting back on polishing the windshield trim in the next couple of days.

[66-PMD-GMC]

So what transmission are you running?
I have a chance to trade off stuff I have for a Munci 4 speed and there is a Borg Warner WC T5.. Not sure the T5 would live behind a Pontiac motor.

[markeb01]

I'm running a Richmond Super T10. It was purchased new and works perfectly, but if I had my choice I'd rather have a Muncie M22 just for the sound they generate. I really didn’t want a 2.20 low gear however with the close ratio gear spread. I wanted wide gear separation since drag racing isn’t much of a priority for my truck.

Mine is the 2nd selection listed with the 2.64 low good for 325 lbs ft of torque. The 2.43 is good for 375 lbs. I haven’t been able to find a legitimate torque rating for the Muncie to compare their strength.



Also FYI - my ex-wife had an 86 Trans Am with a T5 and the factory roller cam V8. I think it might have been a 305, I was getting a divorce at the time so I don't remember much about it other than the transmission failed before they could deliver the car, and it broke two more times within warranty. Of course she let 2 teenage sons beat the crap out of it, but it wasn't much of an engine - so I'm thinking that particular T5 must not have been much of a transmission either.

[66-PMD-GMC]

My motor makes over 600 ft Lbs of torque and I am worried about breaking stuff.
That and I saw how neatly the shifted sits between the buckets.
I have been referred to the tremic 5 or 6 speed but I haven't won the lottery yet....

[markeb01]

I always wanted a Doug Nash 5 speed back in the 80’s, but they were just too expensive. Post #4 on the following thread shares some interesting information about what happened when Richmond took over manufacturing and how much power they can handle now compared to the DNE days. A more modern transmission is probably needed if you plan to use all that torque regularly, but since I can’t afford any of them I’m not very up to date on what can handle that much power.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/rich...ns-149070.html

[66-PMD-GMC]

Unfortunately, the automatic is much cheaper to build than buying a standard trans that won't explode when I hit the go juice with 18" wide slicks...
I so... wish I could build this with a standard

[LostMy65]

That firewall cover must add some additional sound deadening and heat shielding.

[CRGRS 66]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Although the wife loves the new floor covering, she admitted she just didn’t like it as much without the diamond tufted firewall cover. So it went back in today. I have to admit I like it better with the upholstery too. If I can ever find a safe and attractive way to attach a heavy headliner I’ll upholster that as well.

I like it, glad you put it back in, alos had the same thought as the previous post about cutting down on noise, and heat. I have plenty of both in mine

[markeb01]

Sound deadening wasn't an improvement I was specifically after, but the floor covering significantly dropped the engine/transmission racket in the cab, and the firewall pad does indeed provide additional noise insulation. Each of the upholstery pads start with 1/4" thick ABS plastic covered with 2" high density foam under the marine vinyl upholstery, so there's a lot more material for sound to get through than just the bare sheet metal.

And I have to admit it's a lot more comfortable being able to have a conversation in the cab when you can actually hear the other person!