76 Bronco, Soft top, lizard skin or something like it on the floors. I have carpet and the Tom's insulation kit and planning to go a rubber mat. Trying to figure out if I should do thinner version of Kilmat (50mil) between the floor and the mat. Thanks.
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Switching from Carpet to Rubber Mat on the Interior
- Thread starter BGBronco
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2003
- Messages
- 51,622
Probably depends on the mat. What type/brand/model of rubber mat will you be using?
Is the KIlmat already installed, or are you contamplating it?
Is the Lizard Skin the heat barrier coating, or the sound dampening coating? Or both?
The carpet is definitely aiding in the overall quiet of the interior. But with two premium products installed (Lizard Skin and Kilmat) the difference between carpet and mat is probably not going to be a big deal(breaker).
Are you planning to go with one of the semi-recently released full Sport floor mats? Or maybe one of the ACC models?
Paul
Is the KIlmat already installed, or are you contamplating it?
Is the Lizard Skin the heat barrier coating, or the sound dampening coating? Or both?
The carpet is definitely aiding in the overall quiet of the interior. But with two premium products installed (Lizard Skin and Kilmat) the difference between carpet and mat is probably not going to be a big deal(breaker).
Are you planning to go with one of the semi-recently released full Sport floor mats? Or maybe one of the ACC models?
Paul
The rubber mats are nice but as soon as you get it you need to lay it out on a a tunnel and let it sit. I left mine wrapped up for way too long before I could get to the install and it will not lay flat. Even after sitting in a hot bronco all summer and when I installed I used heat and weight to try and make it lay down. No luck. Haha
II'm not sure what I have in terms of heat or sound on the liner, It fairly smooth and body color, Definitely not a rhino liner type of texture. What I have now under my carpet is a thicker sound deadening material that is too thick for a mat. I think it came fro Toms. The mat I'm buying is the black, Sport WildHorses mat. Thank you.
Are any of the aftermarket rubber mats molded to accommodate a pad, or are they designed to lay on the metal tub?
I put an ACC rubber floor in my Dad's '73 High Boy many years ago. It fit decent enough, but like mentioned above, get it out and let it relax first.
I put an ACC rubber floor in my Dad's '73 High Boy many years ago. It fit decent enough, but like mentioned above, get it out and let it relax first.
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2022
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When i first built my Half cab Bronco i sprayed bed liner on the floor and it was like an oven from the exhaust and drivetrain heat . I laid down some dynamat on the floor firewall and rear bulkhead then laid down the textured rubber floor mat on top and it worked out great.A big improvement in heat and sound reduction.It's been many years but i think the mat came from Jeff's bronco graveyard.On the edges i made some strips out of .050 aluminum and pop riveted to the floor.
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- Apr 30, 2003
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This is always hard. The old Vinyl mat they used to make would expand and contract like crazy making it hard to keep a good fit. I remember installing it once on a Bronco, outside on a spring CA morning, by late afternoon it was about 2" bigger in places that fit great in the morning.
The new parchment rubber mat is lots of fun to play with too, but harder to manipulate fit with. I've done 3 so far, stock restos, so no underlayment, fuzzy stuff. All that just adds to the height and fitment issues in my opinion. Down to race anyone who has it too as my acc pedal has 2" more down travel...
Anyway, I start with the fuel valve to get that area by the driver seat sucked up to the wall and keep it from moving anywhere else. I feel it's molded too tight around tunnel to floor, and even copious amounts of heat from a heat gun doesn't allow it to sit down in those areas all the way. have to pick a happy medium there with reference to the kickpanels.
Now, Maybe the underlayment only on the floor area would remedy this? In any case, install in as warm as possible weather as you can, and take lots of time, and dont start trimming immediately, which means you may have to leave your doors open for a week or two.
The new parchment rubber mat is lots of fun to play with too, but harder to manipulate fit with. I've done 3 so far, stock restos, so no underlayment, fuzzy stuff. All that just adds to the height and fitment issues in my opinion. Down to race anyone who has it too as my acc pedal has 2" more down travel...
Anyway, I start with the fuel valve to get that area by the driver seat sucked up to the wall and keep it from moving anywhere else. I feel it's molded too tight around tunnel to floor, and even copious amounts of heat from a heat gun doesn't allow it to sit down in those areas all the way. have to pick a happy medium there with reference to the kickpanels.
Now, Maybe the underlayment only on the floor area would remedy this? In any case, install in as warm as possible weather as you can, and take lots of time, and dont start trimming immediately, which means you may have to leave your doors open for a week or two.
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Thx for that. I think I'm going to stick with black.This is always hard. The old Vinyl mat they used to make would expand and contract like crazy making it hard to keep a good fit. I remember installing it once on a Bronco, outside on a spring CA morning, by late afternoon it was about 2" bigger in places that fit great in the morning.
The new parchment rubber mat is lots of fun to play with too, but harder to manipulate fit with. I've done 3 so far, stock restos, so no underlayment, fuzzy stuff. All that just adds to the height and fitment issues in my opinion. Down to race anyone who has it too as my acc pedal has 2" more down travel...
Anyway, I start with the fuel valve to get that area by the driver seat sucked up to the wall and keep it from moving anywhere else. I feel it's molded too tight around tunnel to floor, and even copious amounts of heat from a heat gun doesn't allow it to sit down in those areas all the way. have to pick a happy medium there with reference to the kickpanels.
Now, Maybe the underlayment only on the floor area would remedy this? In any case, install in as warm as possible weather as you can, and take lots of time, and dont start trimming immediately, which means you may have to leave your doors open for a week or two.
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2003
- Messages
- 4,096
Okay, Carpenter black is same story with fitment, just FYI. Just a different color. I've done 3 parch, 1 black.
I have kilmat throughout my floor and my rubber mat conformed perfectly to it with zero issues. I think the material you go with is going to determine the fit. I wouldn’t expect a vinyl material to conform as easily as the rubber. It was super easy to work with and very forgiving. It looks better than the vinyl too, in my opinion. This was fresh laid before it settled in.
thank you.
Thank you.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2005
- Messages
- 6,357
I have both lizard skin coatings on my floorboard, with rubber mat.
Unless we’re putting a heat shield under the car aren’t we creating and trapping moisture in with these layers of dynamite, carpet, vinyl or rubber?
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2025
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- 15
I’
I’m also curious on this question too. It‘s easy for me to get caught in the rain and while I really like the look and idea of rubber I’m worried about moisture.
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2003
- Messages
- 51,622
Yes, yes, and yes.
Moisture gets caught under the standard mats much easier than the full coverage Sport mats, with their full perimeter hold-downs. But it gets in no matter what.
Pretty easily with rain and other stuff, but hard to quantify the amount of condensation. Probably depends on the climate, and what you’ve got under the mat.
Almost nothing stops rust. That’s why we always used “periodic maintenance” as our cure. Just lift the rubber mat up every once in a while.
My 71 was a swamp when I bought it. First one with the standard rubber mat. Got it home and lifted it up and it was a rusty mess underneath. Apparently nobody ever let it dry out.
I even have to do it with the 68 that Doug built. Again, standard mat.
It’s a beautiful raptor liner full covering under the mat, that has already started rusting (just tiny bits) in the joints because there is an annoying leak in the footwells apparently I didn’t let it dry out enough. So I just got in the habit of holding the mat up with a piece of plastic to let it dry out after a good rain.
My go to has been the plastic top of spray cans!
Never had that issue on any of the Broncos I know of that had the full sport mat.
Water finds its way into the smallest places in the most amazing way! But those perimeter hold downs really do their jobs.
Can't fix all the leaks in a 58 year old daily driver, and I got tired of trapped moisture under solid rubber floor mats.
