Trunk Floor Cover Replacement

[PureVenom]

Ok, I took out my doughnut space a long time ago. It was useless anyhow. I plan on replacing the mat for the trunk floor with something much stronger than the garbage ford provides.

What kind of suggestions do y'all have for this replacement?

I was thinking about using 3/4" MDF board with some flat metal rod reinforcement for the area over the wheel well. Then I'll cover it all with automotive carpet.

I'm not worried about noise or the wood damaging the wiring in the trunk because I will be covering the trunk, and the wood with sound deadening material.

This trunk floor needs to be able to support normal items like chairs, groceries, luggage, etc. And then also on occasion the partial weight of 4-8 bowling balls...partial meaning the weight of whatever part of the bags that don't rest on the actual trunk floor area.

So...any thoughts?

[SpectorV]

MDF is probably the best material but man is it heavy. Do they make a thinner version?

[PureVenom]

I'm not really worried about weight. When you think about it...I'll only need a piece big enough to cover the wheel well plus some on each side for support.

However, my ideas for reinforcing the wood may allow me to go with some thinner wood or lighter wood. Remember that metal rod you bought for your stock tonneau cover to prevent the gaps and what not? I'm thinking 2 of those on top and 2 of those on the bottom. The top ones running side to side and the bottoms running front to back. That will give a nice cross hatch for support. Run a bolt through them and the wood to attach and tie it all together.

I have the vibration dampner and sound deadener stuff on order now....so that will be going in the trunk as well. Then with this board and the jute it should be all set and finished off completely....and should be relatively quiet as well.

I'm just trying to get the car ready for that nice 21 hour drive to NY.

[SpectorV]

you could do what you said basically and fit a piece of MDF into the spare tire hole~ so it wont move (bevel the sides to contour it so it fits snug, support it with a rod or two to hold weight on it) then get a factory carpet piece and just slide it in and be done.

[PureVenom]

The beveling I do plan on doing, but I don't think I can rely on the wood supporting the weight on the edges...unless I run the rods out past the wheel well to support the weight. That could be a possibility. I could always put a 2x4 brace running from the floor of the wheel well to the board at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions to support the edges. Hmm....that sounds like an idea. Then the rear floor would be flat, no wires would be covered by hard objects, and the floor would be easy to remove if needed.

[SpectorV]

yea I would brace the middle section to ensure you have no issues, it might hold but I wouldnt risk it.

[jimmy_beaner]

I built a plexiglass storage box for my tuner. Holds it up pretty well.

[OsirisGuy]

You shouldn't have to go all that crazy. MDF board should be plenty well strong and 3/4" will be really strong and heavy.

You might want to look into making a "false floor" so to speak. use some heavier wood like MDF and use it as a ribbing while putting a lighter board on top of the ribbing to fill it up. The ribbing will supply most of the support while still being light. I think that'd be best IMHO

[ThaWill]

I would just use 1/2 inch plywood, it will be fine (and cheaper) and if you brace it, it shouldn't sag

[SpectorV]

how much weight savings is the MDF over just leaving the stock tire/jack in there so it can support the floor? Just wondering because if its only a couple pounds you may as well carry a spare.

[PureVenom]

Because the useless doughnut is just that...useless. I didn't take it out for weight savings. I took it out because I would not trust driving my car with a 4" doughnut on one side and a 12" (315) tire on the other side. So, I sold my doughnut to someone wanting to run redneck skinnies.

Plus, that cheesy ass cardboard they give you will bend and fold...as mind did from the weight of having 8 bowling balls in the trunk going to tournaments.

I'm not worried about weight. If I was, I'd loose 120 pounds just to get those extra couple tenths. But, I don't do the track...so weight doesn't matter.

The longer I thought about it last night, I decided to go with a 1/2" sheet of something with some metal supports running perpendicular to the grain if there is one.

Besides, I'm adding about 25-30 lbs of sound deadening material anyhow...so that just adds to the weight no matter what.

[mchaggis50]

PureVenom, I'll be interested in seeing what you do and how it turns out. I had to rely on my donut this week. The full sized wheel and tire got tossed in the trunk and made a crumpled mess of that crappy cardboard cover. I was just wondering what I might do to replace it when I found this thread...

[PureVenom]

I throw anywhere from 50-90 pounds of bowling balls in the trunk for league or tournament bowling and even with the doughnut in there that cardboard floor was bent to hell....so I know what you mean.

So far my parts list consists of:

2'x4' piece of 3/4" finished plywood
2 yards of jute padding
1 yard of Charcoal trunk liner

I just need to get a can of contact adhesive which I will order this week with the sound deadening materials I am buying. Then, it will be complete.

I didn't cut the plywood to match the shape of the side panels exactly. In fact, at best you would call it a very rough shaping.

I basically took the 2'x4' sheet of plywood and marked on side to be 37" and the other side to be 40". I connected the marks and cut it off. Then, I test fit it. It needed a bit more trimmed from the 37" edge so I made a mark about 2" from the edge and one where the side panel opened up to be wider. I connected those marks and cut off that small corner....about 8" long piece basically. I test fit it again and it was fine. I could trip the corner from the square edge, but it helps me get it lined up properly in the trunk.

Then, I rough cut the jute padding to be 4" longer on the square edge of the board and 6" longer on the angled edge. I used a couple staples to hold it in place on the board so I could put it in the trunk and make the jute rough fit. I folder over the corner where we trimmed earlier as well as around the bottom edge of the board. I stapled these in place. Then I trimmed a little (about 2") off the square edge. And that's where I am at today. I did add more staples to hold the jute permanantly....one every 4-5" along each edge and a few in the center.

I'll probably get the carpet cut which will be a much more careful process to match the shape of the side panels. It's going to extend beyond the jute and over lap the side panels so it runs up them a little. If it doesn't want to lay right then I'm going to grab some velcro just to hold the edges in place so it looks finished.

Since I don't show my trunk at car shows, it doesn't have to be perfect. However, I do want it to look good enough that I don't mind opening my trunk.

[ThaWill]

If you really want to be thorough, and you aren't planning on using the empty tire hole, you can make a brace for the center of the floor by taking some of your leftover plywood and making a pylon. Flat piece on the bottom, flat piece for the top, and screw a piece perpendicular between the two, so that you end up with kind of a table looking thing with an "I" shaped cross section. I did that for a hollow cabinet that I had an aquarium sitting on to keep it from sagging in the center and it worked perfectly.

[PureVenom]

I thought about something similar, however, that well isn't flat on the bottom. The center is about 1" higher than the outer edges and has a bracket in the center for bolting the spare down.

I plan on using the well though. It will be storage for the jack and my tool box. I put a lot of weight on the center of the board where it is unsupported and it doesn't flex at all. It is roughly a 2 foot gap, and the 3/4" plywood doesn't flex at all. Even with my fat ass putting all my weight on it it only flexed about 1/8". If it can hold me, it will hold luggage and a trip to the bowling alley.

[ThaWill]

That'll work, you just might need a jack to get that thing in and out when you want your tools I imagine it will be pretty hefty with the deadener glued on.

[PureVenom]

Actually, the deadener is going on the sheet metal, not the wood. The wood will just be wood, jute, and carpet. All of the deadener and vibration dampener will be applied directly to the sheet metal.

[SaleenFiend]

Just for the record, 'Vert trunks = MINI!

[PureVenom]

Well, to add a little info, there is 1/2" of sound deadener on the trunk floor and 3/4" of plywood on top of that...so that's why your wheel wouldn't fit. Not a biggie, I'll just leave the floor out for the trip.