Interior Opinions....

[Gary Lewis]

By the way, from my perspective the moniker "The Sunshine State" is a lie. My son says it is my fault, that every time we come it rains. But we've rarely seen the sun while there.

I lived in Florida for a year and this was referred to as "liquid" sunshine!!!

I"ll buy that! I don't seem to have a dark cloud over my head. In fact, today there's not a cloud in the sky in Okiehoma. But when in FL it rains.

[salans7]

I"ll buy that! I don't seem to have a dark cloud over my head. In fact, today there's not a cloud in the sky in Okiehoma. But when in FL it rains.

The last two days were nice here, not a cloud in the sky. I'm sick, so I haven't ventured outside yet today, but peering out the window I can see blue skies for a third day. It's also cold. High of 65 today.

[Danny G]

Many have said that the rubber mats collect water and encourage rust. So I agree that going with carpet is a good idea. I have Big Blue’s carpet out and can take some pics tomorrow if you’d like. What ones would help you?

Every bullnose I have put my hands on with rubber mats, if you put your hand under the mat it is wet. They every screw through the floor and rockers bleeds water under that mat at some point.

[Danny G]

mine was chestnut brown, changed to saddle tan. If you look at my project thread it has the pictures of that color.

There is a chance yours is actually Chestnut and not Saddle.

[Westerj]

Have 1986 F350 std cab, Need a passenger bucket seat (tan), and the panels behind the seat.... and some assorted interior parts... Anyone have or know of a F350 being parted out? Should find a donor vehicle methinks!

[Rusty_S85]

I favor carpet for the reason Gary mentioned... rubber can trap moisture and rust out the floor. If you live in mud the removable mats for your feet make better sense anyway for ease of cleaning and protection from wear.

It seems to vary by year and trim line, but the diesels often had more insulation and sound deadening materials than gas engine trucks. Your floor may already have dyno mat type material on it. Diesels also had a hefty amount of jute and rubberized insulation on both sides of the firewall. The engine bay side is frequently missing, and had to be removed if a turbo kit was added. The inner fender skirts on diesels also had thick jute insulation that is so gross with grease and dirt by now that many owners have removed it. On 1983 diesels I have found a thick, heavy foam rubber body profile clipped inside the front fenders where the doors close.

As far as how the carpet interior looked on XLT’s, this is a F150 but should give you an idea:

When I pull my rubber mats out while my seats are out I plan on fixing any damage on my floors and I am going to use some of that brush/roll on sound/thermal barrier that is kinda like a bed liner in that it seals the metal. I figure this would be my best bet since I do wash my rubber floor mat with a hose and soap.

I find its easier to clean than trying to use that carpet cleaner.

[Rusty_S85]

I always have, and I always will disagree that rubber flooring traps water and rusts out the floor. I have rubber flooring in my Ranger, and it's been there for 17 years without any sign of rust. Rust on your floors will ALWAYS come down to poor owner maintenance. I clean my interior out at least four times a year, which includes lifting up the vinyl flooring and vacuuming out dust/dirt/grime/manure/etc and wiping the floors down. I also verify that both the firewall, and the rear window have not developed any signs of leakage. It's a simple part of vehicle ownership, and will keep your floors rust free for many years. Granted I don't live in a salt state, but salt state vehicles just need to be cleaned more frequently.

I ran carpet in my F150, and there were a few times it became wet from firewall leaks. I didn't perform the same maintenance on that truck, nor did I fix the water leaks, and rust started to form under the carpet, which had trapped water on the floorboards. There is no difference between carpet and vinyl flooring (aside from the smell when wet), but there is a difference in how well you maintain your vehicle.

dont really clean my interior that much and I have a leaking dealer A/C unit that will slosh condensation onto the floor some times. Even then the only rust I have is a slight little bit that was patched with a piece of aluminum riveted over the small rust through.

I really plan on fixing this spot right and then I want to brush/roll on this thermal and sound barrier that I found. Should make life real easy for me in the long run as I like the rubber floor mat over carpet.