Removing The Flooring

[Bradt]

Ok I'm thinking about pulling the vinyl/rubber/whateveritis flooring out of the Bronco. It's got cracks in it, and I know that in at least one spot the pad underneath is wet. I think I probably need to pull it up and assess the damage.

Once I do this what do I need to look out for. I know there's a couple of wires that I'll need to secure so they stay out of the way, it'll probably get pretty toasty in there, and louder. If that's it I think I'm going in with my carpet knife and my fingers crossed. Any last minute words of wisdom?

Brad

 

[broncoowner]

I pulled all the carpet out of mine last week. There are some wires but they were pretty easy to not mess up. I recommend pulling all seats out and then pulling the carpet out. Once you get the carpet started, it all is pretty easy. The heat shield and insulation above the exhaust are kind of hard to get up. It does make it a little louder and the floor hotter. My plan is to bedline the entire floor. This will help with some of the heat but not much of the noise. (easier to keep clean than with carpet)

 

[Bradt]

That's what I was thinking. I've got the vinyl flooring. It's good, and easy to clean. The downside is that it not only holds water out, but it holds it in too.

I've lifted the corners to take a look at the underside of the flooring, and my heat sheild is just mush. Everything under there is wet. Goodness only knows how long that water's been held in there. So far no signs of rust though. [-o<

What are you going to line yours with? I've tossed around that idea a little, but not really committed to it yet. I was also thinking of just doing the DIY stuff for water protection/shielding then putting padding/vinyl back in to make it look more stock.

Brad

 

[broncoowner]

I bought some of the bedline stuff from Advanced Auto. (Don't know the exact name brand). Instead of paying a couple hundred bucks to get it RhinoLined, It cost about $54 for the kit. Just got to set aside a couple of hours and the energy to do it now.

 

[Justshootme84]

I'll post this for a friend of mine since she is shy. On her 88 Bronco, she removed all of the vinyl floor covering that she could by pulling, ripping, scraping, etc., then spent a few days with a wirewheel to remove the few stubborn spots. She then applied two coats of "Zero Rust", which is similar to DuraBak or Herculiner. The noise and heat level is not much worse than stock, and it looks really good. Took about 24 hours for each coat to dry.

You will want to check for any serious rust spots, and check closely for cracks around the seat mounting holes. Don't forget to remove the cover plates for your body mount bolts before applying any coating. You may want to change bushings or install a body lift one day.

I have a quart of the ZR stuff that she gave me to use in my Bronco when I get around to it. Seems like it's been raining for 3 months!!!

 

[Bradt]

I've pulled up the edges and looked at a few spots. Haven't gotten really too far under, but so far no rust.

Did your friend have to strip the paint on the floor before applying the Zero Rust?

Brad

 

[88pimpin]

Here's something I've thought of doing. I've thought about using some tar paper. It'll be cheaper than just the liquid sound deadening/lining. You could still cover it with the lining afterward, which is what I'll probably do, since I have a pint already. I'm going to be running a stereo in mine, so I don't want to have parts rattling. I'll probably take out the panels and coat the backs with sound deadener, Herculiner, or something to that effect. My 15" pushes some pretty big air, so this is a must. It's really been getting annoying.

I'd like to be able to afford what Alma Gates did with her Bronco for sound deadening, but I can afford that much Dynamat, and I don't really want to pour concrete in it, either. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I also got to meet her and shake her hand this past weekend. It was pretty cool. I would've liked to have taken my picture with her, but someone stole my digital camera. :angry:

 

[Justshootme84]

I've pulled up the edges and looked at a few spots. Haven't gotten really too far under, but so far no rust.
Did your friend have to strip the paint on the floor before applying the Zero Rust?

Brad

Yes, that's what took the most time, to get a clean surface. The Zero Rust comes in different colors , her's is primer reddish-brown. The Bronco exterior is black. Looks really nice!!!

Thinking back, I redid the inside of my tailgate with some of the rattle-can spray-on bedliner from Duplicolor. I sanded and sanded some more, then sprayed on two coats, then painted over with blue to match the exterior. It's not bad, just a real thin coating that does chip off. But it looks hella better than before. Any dents or high spots will show up under the coating unless you put it on several layers thick.