Composite floor mats, any options?

[Gnarlodious]

I pulled out my front carpet and floor mats and discovered after 43 years they are decomposing pretty badly:

One above is ripped down the center and coming apart.

The backing is falling off with chunks of hard tar breaking off. Is there a modern material I could stick on the backing and form it to shape? Is anyone making a replacement?
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Vanagon ’83 diesel AAZ w/Giles injection, 5spd 4.57R&P+TBD and a '78 diesel Rabbit

[DanHoug]

that stuff gets hard as rocks. while originally likely thermoformed, i would be tempted to use something like this:

https://www.secondskinaudio.com/shop/?_bc_fsnf=1&Product+Type=Automotive

maybe specifically this one:
https://www.secondskinaudio.com/sound-absorbing/mega-zorbe-foam

it's insulative to both heat and sound, fire retardant, hydrophobic, flexible, and self-adhesive. might need to make a few relief cuts in it but no harm in patching panels together.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[Gnarlodious]

Yeah. I was thinking to spray the floor with a release agent, daub the mat bottom with black Flex-Seal, let it dry a few minutes, lay it down and put weights on top. Hoping it would conform to the floor bottom nicely. I would need to take out the seat(s) to get the mat in while goopy. Anyone tried anything similar?
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Vanagon ’83 diesel AAZ w/Giles injection, 5spd 4.57R&P+TBD and a '78 diesel Rabbit

[RoryGirl]

If you're just looking to keep it together...I'd glue some landscaping fabric to the back
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1991 Twin Slider VR6
1985 Audi 4k

[zerotofifty]

Carpet remnants can be used as mats, often can be sourced for free if money is an issue. maybe not the best at sound dampening, but can be cushy. Sou d at a big deal for me, I drive with the window down most the time, and grew up riding around in old noisy 1960s VWs. just turn the radio louder and all is well
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Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[MsTaboo]

[DanHoug]

[zululep]

Your post got me thinking about replacing the nasty, hard, 40 year old underlayment beneath my front carpets. Did a little searching and this carpet pad at Home Depot looks like an interesting possibility. According to the listing, it's waterproof and does not absorb moisture. Responses to questions on the website suggest that glue "may" damage the material, but, given the many glue options, my guess is that there are some that won't. It comes in 5/16" and 7/16" thickness. It has an IIC rating of 93 which is means it is a "very effective soundproofing solution, suitable for situations where minimizing impact noise is a top priority." It's described as "3 lb. density." I've got no idea how dense that really is, but I'm going to order a sample for $1.00 and check it out. I'd like to know the density, how it reacts to different glues, and whether and how it can be formed to the contours of the floor.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lifeproof-Waterproof-C...-n/a-_-n/a
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1984 Westfalia with Bostig Zetec

[OlisGarage]

This looks to be a quality reproduction of the original

https://gowesty.com/products/under-carpet-insulati...6650071205
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1981 VW Vangagon TDI (in progress)
1984 VW Rabbit Convertible (daily)
2003 VW Jetta Wagon TDI (recovering from a hit and run)