preventing floorboard rust

[Kenbob]

After taking my floormat up and being happy about the rust situation there (none on pgr side, little on drivers side), but observing that the jute pad is moist and smells like mildew, I think I know a fix to keep the moisture out.

 

I used to work on a lot of old fords. I had a 1958 and those were notorious for rear floor rot out. I noticed under the dash that the jute padding extends out past the rubber mat. I thought it was just a money saving thing, but I now believe it served a purpose. The jute acted as a wick and allowed the moisture from the front pans a means of escape. I noticed the jute on my truck doesnt even extend up the firewall, but has a different foam mat there. When I put my mats back in, I am going to put some sort of cloth under the mats, all the way down across the floor and leave the top sticking out above the rubber mat. I think this will prevent the mats from accumulating moisture in the future? Any comments?

[Pete M]

dunno. there are a dozen ways for water to get down under the carpets. some will leak in a few gallons during a good rain storm. I don't know how that would all evaporate out. :dunno: