Need some '35 floorboard seal insight

[Detonator]

When I bought my coupe it came with a set on new floorboards, plus a box of Drake's floorboard seals. The wooden floorboards fit nicely -- but the fit of the seals is pretty sloppy. They're also quite thick.


Anyone have any experience with these seals? I'm thinking I could cut them up to fit them better, then glue them to the floorboard before bolting them into place.


Has anyone else wrestled with these?

[ford38v8]

Yep, I think you got this.

[mercman from oz]

Drake's floorboard seals for 1935 Ford Coupe.

[Don Rogers]

Detonator, There is a fair amount of evidence that Ford used an anti-squeak material as a seal for 35 and some 36 passenger car floor boards. This anti squeak was stapled on to the wooden floor board as the images attached show.

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

Detonator, There is a fair amount of evidence that Ford used an anti-squeak material as a seal for 35 and some 36 passenger car floor boards. This anti squeak was stapled on to the wooden floor board as the images attached show.

You're right on Don, as usual. That rubber seal thingie is a Back-order Bob product.

[Karl Wescott]

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My understanding, from a parts purveyor perspective is that the first 1935 used a stapled on fabric seal and the last 1936 used a sponge seal. The last 1936 floorboard was slightly undersized to accommodate the thickness of the sponge seal. When the change(s) occurred or if they were a running change ("use existing stock" directive) I do not know.


Checking my 1935 Ford parts book shows a 48-700364-B floorboard dust seal, my 1936 Ford parts book shows a 68-700364 (RH) and 68-700365 (LH). As the floorboards are asymmetric that would imply the 48- is a "universal strip" and the 68- are form fit.


Note that the 48-700364-B implies there was a 48-700364 or 48-700364-A, so who knows what all changes were made (Until Don mines that information from the archives).


My conclusion... you have a 1935 floorboard and a 1936 seal, and the two do not play well together.

[mercman from oz]

Photos supplied by Don Rogers.

[tubman]

I have nothing to add to this thread except that I am constantly amazed at the tremendous amount of knowledge on this forum. In addition to the known experts, many others are also very knowledgeable.

Congratulations to all of you!

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

Detonator, There is a fair amount of evidence that Ford used an anti-squeak material as a seal for 35 and some 36 passenger car floor boards. This anti-squeak was stapled on to the wooden floor board as the images attached show.

Don, the wooden floor boards/toe boards in three of my original '35 sedans have what appears to me to be a typical felt type anti-squeak material stapled around the outer perimeter of the boards.
One of my '35's has a sheet metal toe board on the left, driver's side, and I don't believe there is, or ever was, any anti-squeak material around this board.

[Don Rogers]

John, I believe that the steel floor board also used anti-squeak material. They used rivets instead of staples to hold on the material. Those rivets are still evident in the enclosed backside view of the steel board.

[DavidG]

Don,


The steel toe board in my early '35 phaeton, of which I am the second owner, had much of the riveted-on webbing intact.

[petehoovie]

"John, I believe that the steel floor board also used anti-squeak material. They used rivets instead of staples to hold on the material. Those rivets are still evident in the enclosed backside view of the steel board."- Don Rogers

Originally Posted by DavidG

Don, The steel toe board in my early '35 phaeton, of which I am the second owner, had much of the riveted-on webbing intact.

[Detonator]

Update: I was able to make the BD rubber seals work -- after cutting them up, punching holes where they were missing, etc etc. Thanks to Don's original diagram I edge-stapled the seals instead of face-stapling them, which gave me a good flush edge all the way around the top of the floorboard. Thanks everyone for your insight! Now...on to the transmission cover.

[JM 35 Sedan]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

John, I believe that the steel floor board also used anti-squeak material. They used rivets instead of staples to hold on the material. Those rivets are still evident in the enclosed backside view of the steel board.

Don, thanks for the clarification on this. I'll check that sheet metal toe board to see if I can find any remnants of the anti-squeak material, possibly still attached at those rivets.