Trunk interior

[tonyfromjersey]

I know this has been posted on here before, but I want to clean up my nasty trunk interior so I'm not afraid to put stuff in there. I tried doing a search but my patience ran out before I found what I was looking for.

I was thinking of cutting some boards and making a new trunk bed almost identical to the old one, and then cutting a piece of carpet to fit in the trunk over it. What I would really like to do however is make something that's one piece and permanently glue the carpet to it. My question is does this thing need to be 2 pieces? Is a one piece too difficult to manage in there?

Thanks.

[NJFIAT1981]

Hi Tony,
I think both Eric and Anthony have done something about the trunk issue. We have a breakfast this Sunday and they will both be there. Will you be attending? George

[tonyfromjersey]

I should be, barring any unforeseen sports practices or otherwise.

[124JOE]

i used 2 layers of hardboard,i glued them together after cutting to shape
just like the origanals
it still has right and left

while i was in there i removedthe gas tank and painted it
cleaned the floor and painted it
same with the battery shelf

[baltobernie]

Tony, I think that a one-piece trunk floor would not be removable. You'd not be able to access the spare tire.

The dimensions and hardware for the trunk boards changed over the Spider's lifetime, so use care in duplicating somebody else's work. I did what you've described; made new boards using OE as patterns. 1/4" A/C plywood, reinforced with some 1 x 1 on the underside, stained and varnished. Using a soft "fatigue mat" cut to size for a nonskid pad.

If you want to live dangerously, you could always eliminate the spare and free up a lot of space. Make a new wood floor where the spare went, then only cover the fuel tank with similar material. You'd then be able to stand up grocery bags, etc. Maybe a can of Fix-A-Flat for good measure.

[KidDingo]

Just a friendly word of note about driving without a spare.

In smaller cars in which the spare is mounted in or below the trunk, the spare wheel acts as a major component of the crash protection engineering, that is, it plays an important role in the impact crush zone. Of course, the idea is not to get rear-ended, but until you get your James Bond-style, pop-up rear-facing Gattling guns, there is probably going to be some jackass riding your tailpipe.

[DocGraphics]

Here's a post from my build thread that shows how my trunk boards finished up. I still need to cut carpet & fasten the side boards better.
Pages 1 & 2 of my build thread "1978 rolling restoration" show all the work I did to completely refurb the trunk.

I got the trunk boards made this weekend, ready for carpet.

I had a piece of really nice 1/4" plywood I decided to use, patterns took the most time to get exactly right before I actually cut the plywood. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

Bottom boards fitted. I patterned it as 1 piece then cut it apart so the seam & the grain lines up perfectly.



Sealed them all up with leftover deck stain/sealant, both sides.



Fabricated the metal brackets (Z-bend) attached to the removable panel that rest on top of the permanent panel at middle & rear for support, permanent panel has the support board underneath just in from center edge like the original.



Heres everything installed.





Wife says it looks too good to cover up with carpet!
I will be doing carpet in the trunk to match the interior.

More to come...

[tonyfromjersey]

That looks great. Didn't even think about boards for the sides. I'll be making a home depot trip today for materials. I like the idea of sealing the boards too.

[RRoller123]

Excellent job, Doc. Plan to do the same thing, but I don't think I'd want to hide that with carpet!

[DocGraphics]

Yes the wood is pretty but without any traction back there I can see everything in the trunk becoming a torpedo in every corner & trying to escape.

[RRoller123]

Like a billiard table!