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My front mat also seems to have some softer material as a backing.
At least under the part where the battery compartment is.
It just looks like a thicker, not as dense rubber.
That portion of the mat is what is really suffering since I have to move the mat to access the battery from time to time.
I may remove the battery cutoff switch so I don’t have to pull up the mat before I start the car after sitting for awhile.
So, I’ve located a supplier who has quoted a price on floor mats. That’s the good news.
The not so good news is a quote of 15 mats at $1000 each. I hate to add, this is exclusive of shipping costs.
Any interest at that price point? Thoughts?
And yes, I’ve tried to negotiate with vendor, and he says that’s the bottom line.
David,
I will try to check the template you sent on my 1929 Roadster in the next few days.We are having a bad allergy season here and I had a pretty good allergy attack but now it has cleared so I can get caught up on other things.To get the price down might require a larger order so it is important to see if your template fits other models and bodies in the 1929-1931 period.I do remember writing Otto Klausmeyer about this some years back and I recall he mentioned a carpet front floor mat was an option which if this be the case would make things simpler.There are certainly more than 15 1929-1931 Pierce Arrows in existence and if each person wanting one put up a deposit and say it resulted in say 30 orders,would this not render a lower price on each mat?
Yes, more than 15 orders would result in a lower price. Right now, the minimum is 15 to get to the $1000 price point, any less than that goes up significantly.
I’ve seen the material costs and hours needed, and while it’s high, it’s not totally out of sight when one considers all the effort to do it. I think the fellow who’s quoted me is being a little greedy, but then again, if I had the expertise to do it, I might be a little greedy too, money is the measure of success and all that.
If this moves forward, I plan to drive to his place and deliver original mat, and personally discuss the project. I have, at this point, one (1) firm commitment to buy a mat at that price point. If we get to a dozen or so, I’ll take a chance on the rest, but I can’t front thousands just wishing someone will buy them.
I am not making money on this, the actual quote is $15,000 for 15 mats. Just want to make that clear….
To cover the risk each person puts up a deposit.I was part of a project to make new exhaust manifolds for the 1931 Packard 840-845 Deluxe Eight automobiles.Each of us as I recall put up a deposit and when finished each of us paid our balance.Some extras were cast and all were sold.30 mats for example might bring the price down to $500 per mat.
Well, the $15K for 15 mats, which of course includes, on his part, development of electronic drawing so he can then fabricate mold, and then fabrication of mold stand, and leveling for mold stand. This is a figure that I negotiated from a higher original quote.
He’s done mats for the Buick club, and I understand the quality is excellent. He does not want to do these for a living, his words, but wants to make the money on the 15 and then be done.
Thus, after 15 mats, the mold belongs to “us”.
My plan was to work with the Museum to add the mats as another item that could be offered as part of their parts supply project.
The fabricator tells me that each mat takes about $300 worth of materials, and approximately 4 hours of labor, to make, once the mold is in place and level.
There, that’s full disclosure for sure! I’m not trying to make any money on this, I’d just like to have a new mat, as my original is so fragile I don’t wish to use it. I’d buy a mat, so that’s two spoken for at $1000. If someone else wants to take over the project or front the money, I have no problem with that, I’m just not in a position to put that kind of money on a “what if”.
Thanks for all the discussion and interest.
The Foundation did the new 1929 Pierce Arrow exhaust manifolds and this has worked out just fine and I wonder if the same procedures could be used on the mats.There is I believe a 1930 Model B in my area and after I am through checking the template on my car,I can try to contact this other person and see if he can try it on his car.I am just hoping the template does not tear.If it is clear that the same mat will fit 1929-1930-1931 then that really widens the market.To do the mats,how much money does the fabricator want up front?
We need to find the folks who made floor mats for Ford in the Model A era. I read the entire interior for a Model A sedan cost Ford less than $5, and that included the rubber mats!
Reproduction Model A Ford spatter pattern floor mats have been available for many years.As to who makes them is a question to ask one of the Model A Ford parts vendors.I suspect when the Ford Model A was current that the mats may have been made by Ford in house or perhaps under contract by a manufacturer of rubber parts for the auto industry of that time.The rubber parts would have been natural rubber.