I purchased a TR 4 new in October of 1963, still have the engine and
tranny. The car had rubber mats as described, with jute padding
underneath. I hated them. The clips at the firewall were designed by
satan. They are very sharp, to better poke holes in the rubber, and
standing on ones head to fasten them invaribly resulted in a hole in one
or more finger. This was my first new car, and I was not yet used to
maintenance beyond washing and waxing. The jute trapped every bit of
moisture that foun its way into my new car. Wiyhin a year the floors
were rusty, the car was garaged when at home, I commuted in another car
and my new car was only used for pleasure, and when the weather was
nice. The jute absorbed the moisture, and the rubber kept it from
drying out. The constant moisture soon stripped the paint promoting the
rust. I believe this is the reason so many TR's need new floors. When
I got my Mustang it had rubber mats on top of carpet, same thing, the
rubber mats were always damp underneath, I now use them in front of my
workbench. My TR 3A has the same clips, I do not need them. I have
carpet, my floors are not rusty, and the backs of my shoes are not
rubbed bare, as happened with the rubber mats in my new TR 4.
Cheers, Don J. Howard
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