Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

On the '55 Clipper Super I'm restoring, it looks like there was a textured OEM finish underneath the carpet pad intended to deaden sound. Because the car spent time outside without good weatherstripping, water has gotten underneath it and rusted the floor. The finish is coming off in large chips.

I'm scraping off anything that's loose, but am unsure where to go from there.

1) Best to grind it all off and prime it, or leave what's still protecting the base metal?

2) Respray sound deadener, or replace with Dynamat or something similar?

Thanks

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Packard used a combination of an asphalt based thick tarpaper like material and a spray on asphalt material with some fibers in the stuff which they called body deadening. Here is a 56 illustration showing the locations. 55 was the same.

In past. many have used the Dynamat or a similar rubber based sheeting. There is a relatively new spray on product called Lizardskin that seems to be getting good reviews. A water based combination of ceramic materials. One compound for sound and another for temperature.

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Thanks Howard, very helpful.

I think what will probably work best is a combination of LizardSkin (in hard to access areas), and pads elsewhere.

I used herculiner and coated the underside of the car, inside floor, and the doors etc. can get it at lowes in the truck section. Cheap... brush or roll it on. Has chunks of rubber in it.

I'm using "Boom Mat" in my Panther. Both a sound deadener and a thermal insulator. Pick your poison.

Craig

When I did the floors on my 55 Clipper Super I cemented a good quality carpet pad to the new carpeting. This approximated the padding and carpeting originally used except with better materials. It worked well. The carpeting was a low pile indoor-outdoor type. I have also used an insulating material like is used to wrap water heaters on the floor of another car and then placed carpet over it. This worked well too. Here is a photo of the Clipper's new carpet with the carpet padding. I hope this helps.

(o[]o)

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I would use rust converter first ..

Riki, good recommendation. I did as you suggested. There was a small amount of surface oxidation that I treated. Then afterwords, painted the entire floor board area.

(o[]o)

Riki, I'm not familiar with rust converter -

1) What kind of prep is involved?

2) Any particular brand you recommend?

POR 15 is the most widely known and is available many places. Bill Hirsch has one he calls miracle paint. There are others. The paint coats and encapsulates the rust trapping it and preventing oxygen from reaching so no more rust forms.

You scrape or brush all the loose rust off and then spray or brush the stuff over the area. Follow the directions and don't get it on your skin. If you do get it on your hands use the proper solvent to get it off before it dries or it will stay there until it wears off.

It dries to a glossy and extremely hard finish but is not recommended for any place that has to be finish painted. Ordinary paint won't stick well over it. POR 15 at least has come out with a primer that can go over the stuff and adhere to some finish coats but the results are not like a 100 point paint job.