Notes on Federal +2 boot trim

PostPost by: gus » Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:10 pm

It has been 35 years since I put the boot floor in my +2. I know this because I did a lousy job recarpeting the car in 1985 and repainted the rear boot floor mount and it has remained in one box or another ever since.

SO I have decided to fix this up and thought I would mention some things I found

This is a Federal car, straight exhaust DOM12/69. One finger hole in the left boot floor for removal.

In tracing the old rear valence trim masonite I noticed it had a row of holes across the top edge and the bottom edge. I also noticed that the rear boot floor support is pretty badly supported. There are no corresponding holes in the steel bracket that holds the boot latch. I am pretty sure there should have been a row of plastic fasteners holding this panel in, which would have made it partially support the rear edge of the boot floor. The only thing holding mine in was the carpet glue and a pair of rivnuts one in each taillight aperture that may have been added later. The added stiffness to the boot floor bracket is significant. I used more modern 'pine tree' fasteners that are pretty invisible with black carpet, and you would have to be bent over looking in to see them,

There are 4 smaller 'L' brackets that support the floor. Two forward pop riveted from in the wheel arch, and two towards the rear riveted through the bottom of the body shell and painted over. The to rear ones were riveted with the long tab supporting the boot floor while the tow forward ones were riveted with the short side holding the boot floor. I thought this amusing

I chose not to put sound deadening behind the carpet as it is a PITA to detail, but as a consequence my new boot floor, traced from the old, is too short at the sides and front corners, so consider this if you are doing the same and custom fit them to avoid gaps

The boot floor is as rattly as I remember, so I put an adhesive dot of velcro on each of the four small brackets, and a pair between the edges of the floor halves, and it looks like it will shut it up nicely, I only found one of the hold down buttons but that seems sufficient on the left board, since it then overlaps and clamps the right side board

One thing I noticed years ago is that the spare tire is integral in the NVH of the car. Keeping it bolted down shuts up the thrumming quite a bit. I have seen pics here of the tire face up when it ought to be face down and bolted
gus
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