Howdy folks! Just curious what you guys have done for carpet and headliners? I'm planning on using my 77 as a work truck so carpet material isn't optimum when it comes to mud and wet boots during winter. Just curious if any of you have used certain materials other than available carpet kits and also does anyone know of any headliner kits available that aren't $400 bucks? Thanks! Not trying to be cheap, just on a bit of a budget.

 

I did this below over 9 years ago, since then I have added a center hump cover low console too. When I bought my '77 back in 1986, it had factory carpeting and backing. With the passage of time I began to notice a little "weakness" in the driver side floor and I realized then it had a rusty spot. And so after putting up with it a while until a day in the 1990s ..... I pulled all the factory carpeting and backing out and found that it had been damp .... and that had not helped anything. Rust had weakened the floor in the left center on driver's side and for some reason, beside the seat towards the door. I think maybe someone had left a window down?

That day I took some 11 gage steel and cut, fit, bowed it to shape ..... sections to over-plate both the driver's and passenger floors from top. Lot's of fitting, some bending, hammering .... and then I undercoated it and the floor and installed with a gazillion 3/16" pop rivets and a few 1/4" screws. I sealed it all with silicone all those years ago and have applied several coats of spray paint over the years since.

I must say, the passenger floor never developed holes but I plated it just to keep the cab weight balanced .... LOL.

Only problem was noise and my rubber mats sliding around on slick steel. So I cleaned the floors and removed my "stuff" and was preparing to coat them well with a quart of "DupliColor Bed Armour" but stopped, I looked underneath and saw that my pass floor was still solid under there and the rust hadn't grown any on the driver's side, there were still only a few small holes where I could touch the bottom of my floor plate. I drilled the rivets out under the sill plates and removed a few long 1/4 screws and cut up a old orange sign (1/8" aluminum) and after fitting it under the floor on each side, reapplied new longer 3/16 rivets drilling from above and then added back the 1/4" screws with nuts underneath drawing the top plate, the floor, and the aluminum under together tightly.

The front or leading edge of the aluminum is lightly bent upwards to seal against the floor underside, it's purpose is to shield the floor and the few holes from road splash off the front tires, but due to ribs and many rivets I left in the over plate, it's spaced maybe 3/16 or 1/4" below floor at rear edge and over next to transmission .... but it is sealed at the leading edge.

Then .... then I applied the quart of Bed Armour Friday evening, I found it clumps, I guess I didn't "stir enough" .... but after drying all day Saturday while I was on a bike ride, I came home and found it "tougher, but still soft" .... and I applied a spray can full of Bed Armour over top .... I think the spray can does a better job.




In either case, I have a good heavy coat and today, Wednesday, it was very "dry" and "cured". It does look some "clumpy" .....




(The "wet looking" areas were still wet after I had just finished the spray can out there today, it'll cure)

And so today, I covered the "Bed Armour" with some carpeting. Not just any carpeting, I used a few of these 24" x 24" Mohawk-Modular-Carpet-Squares. These things are meant to be glued to a concrete floor and stand up to industrial wear, they have a fiber that is captured as the thick molded rubber backing is formed. Best cut face down with a utility knife. I have 4 of these I use in the shop throwing down where I work, out in the grass or dirst, hose off, they are tough (I have a good stack of them given to me as left overs after a buddy did his commercial garage office floor with them, he just layed them tight, no glue .... they never lift.) I decided to use this color (I have several color / designs in my stash).




I fitted them carefully, the driver's floor is wider the pass floor so I overlapped the main piece over a 4" strip that lies under the sill plate. I simply attached them in place with 1/4" stainless steel bugle head Philips screws using 1/4" Nylock nuts under the floor under the aluminum plate. I also used those "dress up" stainless finish washers. The edhge of the main pieces but up against the sill plate here and no higher.
Over on the pass side with it's narrower floor, the main pieces themselves are ended under the sill plate and there was still enough that over at the trans hump, it turns upwards maybe 4".




Now, my floor has a covering that doesn't "scoot around", my floor mats will stay put, and there is no water holding backing, these are water proof with their thick rubber backing. They'll cut sound, are easily replaced now that I have "patterns" if ever needed. I didn't have to fasten them down, but I did it anyway. Below was added this past year. Made of wood.

 

Reminds me of that ol saying about carpet and drapes..... Lol. Or in this case "As long as the ceiling carpet matches the lower part of the door panel carpet".
I hope they saved some of the other stuff used on the upper part of the door panels...to make seat covers. Kinds goes with the dvrs side door handle, on the passenger side and the broken finger cup.



Carpet is or can be heavy, get something like 1/8" sheet of hardboard. Vinyl cover it and go.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...eadliner+cheap

Here is my old truck bed mat, cut into heavy duty floor mats.

 

Thanks for the ideas and the link to the headliner thread! Heck of alot cheaper!