1971 Mark III Trunk Felt Recommendations

[stovebolt1]

Howdy;
Was looking at the trunk in my 71 and the felts, while all there, are looking pretty ragged. The felts are all pretty basic and look like they could be made with a minimum of sewing/molding so I'm thinking of just buying some felt and making them from scratch (I'm not doing a concourse restoration here). Any recommendations for a particular felt or felt supplier?

Anyone attempt making their own trunk liner and, if so, regrets?

Thanks - Stovebolt.

 

[stovebolt1]

Follow-up question: If you have a Mark III is there a felt cover, behind the spare tire, that hides the rear vent/defroster ductwork? I noticed that nothing hides those pieces on my Mark III and it seems odd that there wouldn't be a cover given the level of detail taken to shield everything else in the trunk.

 

[Action]

Attached is a picture of the trunk of a Mark III
The lining is non-stock however it covers the same area.
On the metal area where the spare tire sits the lining lays flat.
There is no cover for the rear vent drain hoses. And for 1971 to be delivered to CA there was also a 3 to 4 inch diameter cylinder that stuck up on the driver's side that was not covered either.

Not sure if the spare tire was covered. My Mark III has a cover. However, the PO may have made it, not sure. The past owners of my Mark did a lot of mods over the years,
After market sun roof
Hood ornament
Very wide white walls
Some things were glued to the wood instrument panel
Aftermarket radio
Most of which I have removed.

Trunk liners might be found on ebay

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Mine looks to be original and there is a spare tire cover that matches the rest of the felt so I'll assume it is original as well. I have found some trunk liners on eBay and other eCommerce sites but they're running around $500 and I'd rather put that money into other items on the car (all the pitting on the drivers mirror is an eyesore). That and.... I like trying to do things myself.

You forgot the picture?

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[Action]

Sorry about that.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

That is beautiful. Mine currently doesn't have the nice edging. I am inspired.

 

[Action]

It is nicer looking than factory.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Hey @Action I'm looking back at that picture of the trunk and it looks like the ductwork, behind the spare, leads to the center of the trunk. On my 71 the ducts go almost straight down from the package tray vents and attach to holes in the spare tire platform directly beneath the vents. I assume those holes then lead to some kind of motor/fan. Am I correct in assuming that there is a blower located beneath the spare yet outside of the trunk?

I ask as it looks like the duct work in my trunk has been replaced with some generic flextube and I'd like to restore it to original but that pic leads me to believe that the design of the ducts may have changed between 69 and 71. Thoughts?

Stovebolt

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[stovebolt1]

Wait - is there simply a big plenum that directs incoming air from the external vent above the trunk lid into the passenger cabin via the package tray? And then that ductwork is used by a separate defroster fan to pump heated air into that same set of vents, but in that instance the plenum would be closed to external air. Hmmmm.... I'm beginning to see the light.

 

[Action]

There are two drain tubes that direct water coming through the exterior grille to under the vehicle. The factory drains are rubber and are corrugated. (see pic) They have been reproduced for about 5 years. In the picture that I posted (stolen from the internet) there is something on the driver's side that might be that drain.

The whole rear vent system is old school air extraction. How it works is there is a lever to the left and down low of the steering wheel. One position is off and the other is on. (see owner's manual) The lever operates a vacuum signal to a vacuum motor that opens a flap. This allows air in the passenger's compartment to flow out below the rear windshield and out the rear grille in front of the deck lid. Good to evacuate smoke from a cigarette. Except no one smokes any more. Anyway that area below the rear windshield can collect water. That water has to be drained. So there are rubber drains that direct water flow out of that rear vent system, past the trunk and out the bottom of that tray that holds the spare tire.

The rubber used by the factory does get hard, cracks and leaks after some decades. I have seen all kinds of home made alternatives. The factory drain has a one way valve at the end to allow water to drain out and closes so dust does not come back up.

Action

 

[Action]

Here is a shot (stolen from the net) of that rear vent system with the spare tire removed. Showing the two drain hoses installed.

I am pretty familiar with all of this as I brought reproduction drains a number of years ago and removed the POs attempt at a home made solution with PVC pipe that looked like crap and leaked a little.

One last comment on this picture. On the far left and cut off by the edge of the picture is the CA emissions fuel tank vent. This is a cylindrical piece to the left of the spare tire stop and just behind it.

My mark is Federal emissions and not CA. It was build and delivered for an Ohio customer. I bought it in Illinois just outside of Chicago and it is now in South Eastern Michigan. My Mark III does not have that.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Wow! I was way off. Those are pretty hefty tubes for drains but I can respect that the Mfr didn't go with some piddly little hoses that would clog with the first speck of dust that falls in there. Looking for vendors and.... Holy moly - $150 for a pair of rubber tubes? I'm in the wrong line of business. Regardless, those look so much better than the dryer vent tubes I currently have.

So how does the rear defog feature work? How does warmed air get to the package tray?

Stovebolt

(BTW - just tell me when you tire of the questions )

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[Action]

I bought my drain hoses when they were $52 a pair.

The rear window has two options for clearing.
A defogger and a defroster
The defroster is the electric wire grid in the glass.
The defogger is an electric blower. (no heat) See attached,

I went to college in Michigan and had a 1970 LTD. I had the rear windshield defogger. When I sold it (for parts because it rusted away to nothing) I removed the rear defogger system. I likely that much versus having nothing. I even added a heating coil and heavier wiring to add heat into the air.

Action

 

[Action]

Answer questions, it is a thing I like to do. Especially for FLM products between 1965 and 1972

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[stovebolt1]

I was just about to click the button to buy those $159 vent drain tubes and I just.... couldn't.... do it. I think I have a mental block on that particular part for some reason. So I figured, I'll make my own. A couple of heavy rubber pipe adapters, two Dayco flexible radiator hoses, and two gaskets cut out of some scrap plumbing rubber I had laying around and viola.



Not perfect but better than the dryer vent hoses the PO had installed. And these should last a decade or two. And for around $25 I'm happy. The rubber gaskets form a decent seal around the hoses but I may apply a small bead of plumbers caulk around the inner ring of the flange just to ensure that no exhaust fumes creep up into the cabin.

Stovebolt

 

[Action]

I have seen much worse.

I would not recommend caulk. It will eventually dry up, harden and crack.
Would recommend a sealant like RTV.

Action

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[stovebolt1]

I would contend that it is the best you've ever seen! Sound advise on the RTV.

 

[Action]

I would contend that it is the best you've ever seen!

Besides the real thing or an exact copy reproduction.


I bought my 70 Mark III in 2014.
It was far from perfect and perfection for that car isn't on the horizon. Much less close by.
However, I bought, collected and looked in some far corners of the internet to buy reproductions or very good quality used parts. Most of the plastic parts (lenses) on the outside have been replaced. Much of the rubber has been replaced. And all of the items I bought were for the most part pre-pandemic. So the cost was much lower than now.
I bought a reproduction windshield washer reserviour for under $30. That is going for double in some places now and just looked and someone wants over $100.
I just wonder how the industry (car restoration) will fair when discressionay money shrinks. Or may be I am just getting squeezed and others are fairing better than me.

Just my off topic musings.

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[Action]

Oh and a suggestion on making your resto dollars go further.

For all things plastic, rubber, vinyl and leather I used multiple applications of a conditioner. The flavor I prefer is Maguires. One of the things that is still the same price a pre-pandemic. (About $8 at Walmart) There are other brands that work as well.

I use this on anything inside or outside of the vehicle. And some pieces taht are not on a vehicle.
Like the rubber tubes you have made. I would spray and wipe the conditioner on the rubber. ives it a lil longer life

If you have good weatherstrips (which are hundreds of dollars if reproduced) use this conditioner at least a couple of times a year. Sure helps a lot.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

I've been using a product called Einszett Tiefenpfleger which, oddly, I can no longer find online. It's a little more expensive but I like the matte finish it leaves and no discernible smell. Put it on the new cars, as well as the old, and especially the weather stripping as here in Minnesota those things take a beating in the winter. I had an old-timer tell me to simply buy a tube of silicone lubricant (like you'd use to lubricate brake components) and spread it sparingly on all weather stripping. I can see how it would protect and preserve but I didn't like the thought of brushing against it and getting some on expensive clothes or worse.

Geez - I just referred to an old-timer and now that I think about it I'm an old-timer.

Stovebolt