59 Chevy Apache carpet

Hi ya’ll! This is an exciting blog for me! The carpet installation means I’m getting closer to an end of my restoration!;) However, there is still plenty to do! Realistically, there is always something to do on these old trucks!

First we must take a look at what I started with! The flooring in the picture below looks pretty good at first glance, but required some sheet metal repair. There was sheet metal of some sorts covering bad areas.

At first, this little trap door seemed like an “OK” idea to access the master cylinder, but the ridge that “someone” cut through was a major support beam for the flooring! I could pounce on the floor and the entire floor would bow or flex! not good!

Even if I had gone with the idea of this trap door, getting to the Master cylinder lid would have been a nightmare! Imagine a seat, carpet, then trying to pry off the retaining things to get to even see the brake fluid! What was someone thinking!:(

So, I welded it back up and the floor was once again nice and sturdy!

This was pretty bad, but I’ve seen worse! Luckily, sheet metal replacement is available and can be cut to fit, then weld it in. Sounds simple right? Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll pay to have this part done!

Moving right along~ now that the foundation flooring is sound and secure, I can put sound proofing and I also had glued (spray glue) in radiant barrier to hopefully reduce heat coming into the cab from the floor. The jute padding in the pic below came in a kit from Brotherstrucks, but I wound up not needing it in the area shown. However I did use it in another area. The carpet already has jute padding attached to it.

This new carpet from Brotherstrucks is very nice! They have a great selection to choose from, plus when I ordered it, it was on sale!;). I let it sit in the Sun for a few hours to allow it to relax before placing it in its new home.

Installing the carpet isn’t too bad a job. Just takes time and patience and a really sharp knife or box cutter to cut through the jute padding~ that stuff is tough! Plus working in an air-conditioned garage is nice too!

The carpet up to where the kick panels are did need to be cut to fit. Then of course holes were made for the brake pedal and gas pedal.

I was worried about the edge of the carpet being ugly, but fortunately, there is a nice edging around the carpet to keep it from unraveling. Sill plates are unavailable, but some people are good at making them, but I have not found a source for sill plates.

The next pics speak for themselves~~ 😉

The seat is out of a 2002 Tahoe second row seat. It’s a little wide, but acceptable and very comfy!;)

I’m extraordinarily pleased with the outcome of the flooring! It’s now a plush looking floor! Something you’d expect in a modern-day truck. However, once upon a time, this truck probably hauled cow manure or hay, goodness only knows what! But in its day, these trucks were work horses!

I hope you enjoyed this blog;)  I need to get back at it and work out some more kinks to get the truck on the road! So, stay tuned!  Your car and truck enthusiast friend! dne’ 😉