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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1937 Front Floor Mat

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1937 Front Floor Mat     TonyM 10-20-2013 @ 5:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 458 Joined: Sep 2010 I had to remove my floor to do some work on my 1937 Ford De Luxe Fordor. The original mat I found in the car appears to be black (De Luxe is supposed to be Benton Gray). It is heavily worn and very thin in spots. Not sure if it is a replacement or original. The original is supposed to be Benton Gray, which actually is a brown/tan color (or so I thought). When I removed my front floor mat I had to roll it up so I could transport it. When I removed the floor mat I was as careful as possible and I rolled it up carefully. Well, after spending just a little over 24 hours rolled up it sunk down on itself under its own weight. It became "folded" under its own weight I guess you could say. When I unrolled it the damage was done. Everywhere it had folded against itself there was a crease. When I unfolded it, the mat split at the creases. It is pretty well damaged. If I preserve it between two pieces of plywood, I think I can keep in in good enough shape so that it can be re-installed one last time for the 2014 Central National. Now the question: Mac's has floor mats for $200 and they warn the buyer that the mats are not of the best quality because the original molds have not been repaired or replaced. Then you have the Dennis Carpenter mats; they are $160. I remember a couple years back that there was a big hub bub about these floor mats coming out and how they were of better quality than the then current repros. Is this true? Are the Carpenter mats better than the other repros? I am all for the Benton Gray, but like I said, my original floor mat appears to be black? Did any 1937 Deluxe cars come with black floor mat (maybe because of how Ford uses up all the old or obsolete materials until they are gone)? Or is the Benton Gray so dirty aged and weathered that it appears black? My car is early production. . . . 78-73B This message was edited by TonyM on 10-20-13 @ 7:24 PM deuce_roadster 10-20-2013 @ 7:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 Tony, I bought a 40 "Benton Gray" mat from Carpenter and it is WAY lighter then the piece of an original NOS Benton Gray mat I have seen. The original was indeed very dark and I would characterize it as more charcoal color not gray. I am not sure where Carpenter got his reference color but the Benton Gray he sells is much closer to the Taupe it replaces then the original Benton Gray. It IS more tan then the Taupe though. What will the judges say about that? Who knows. You might buy a new mat and recolor it with a SEM product matched to an original. If you see one of these new Benton Gray mats you will see what I mean. I am keeping the one I have for my 40 because I have matched the center and rear cargo mat for my wagon to the new Carpenter mat but I think it is too light. TonyM 10-20-2013 @ 7:24 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 458 Joined: Sep 2010 Thanks for the reply deuce. Yeah, mine looks like some kind of really dark and dirty grey rather than straight black. I really thought it looked like a black mat gone bad. Maybe some one can post a photo of an original Benton Gray floor mat for late 30s Ford. Thanks. . . . 78-73B TonyM 10-21-2013 @ 9:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 458 Joined: Sep 2010 Anybody else buy the Carpenter floor Mat? Can someone post a photo of an original 1937 Benton Gray Floor Mat? . . . 78-73B kubes40 10-21-2013 @ 2:12 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3398 Joined: Oct 2009 All of the mats (regardless of who you purchase it from) have come from the same molds. Carpenter now owns those molds. His current offering, Benton Gray is pretty close to the authentic; as close as has ever been reproduced. Original mats have discolored, turning to near black in most cases. I have a pair of NOS mats, in boxes and too brittle to use but "cool" to own I suppose. Both are extremely dark regardless of the fact they were stored out of light. However, both, it is clear are a brownish color. Ford did not build a '37 passenger car with a black mat. they all got the Benton Gray mat regardless of model.

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