(all years) - Removing floorboard foam

Post by **j-dawg** » 08 Nov 2014, 11:35

Hi all,

I wasn't sure if I should remove the carpets to clean out coolant after I had a heater core excursion incident (report filed with the NRC, ruling from the commission pending). I'm glad I did. That foam is sticky and disgusting.

Anyway, I've got the carpets out, but what's the best course of action for removing the foam itself? It seems to be pretty intricately woven into the car.

Should I cut the foam? How do I get those black rear seat heat vents out? Pic shows where I'm at

Post by **abscate** » 08 Nov 2014, 11:38

I cut mine out with a sharp box cutter, took out and submerged in water to get the EG out, then reinstalled with duct tape on the cuts.

Post by **j-dawg** » 08 Nov 2014, 12:11

Okay, wicked. Any way to get those ducts out? They're pretty stubborn, and I don't want to break anything.

rhalkyard · Post by **rhalkyard** » 08 Nov 2014, 12:39

I did the same thing a little while ago – just cut the foam out and taped up the edges when I put it back in.

If you're looking to remove the ducts just so that you can get the foam out, it is possible (although a real pain) to get the foam out with the ducts in place, if you cut high up on the transmission tunnel, starting from the hole in the foam where the dash brace attaches. You need a very small blade (I used a scalpel), and you still need to bend the duct up a bit in order to get in behind it, but it is possible to get it out with the duct in place.

I spent a long time trying to get the ducts out before I tried just cutting behind them. Still haven't got a clue how to get them out with the dash braces in place.

Post by **abscate** » 08 Nov 2014, 13:00

I can't remember how the ducts came out but I had the whole dash out so it probably wasn't that hard.

Post by **j-dawg** » 08 Nov 2014, 14:20

Probably not.

I removed the knee panels and just yanked at the ducts until they came out. The driver's side one cam out very unhappily, and got a little bent. The passenger's side one seems healthy, but I have no idea how I'm going to get them back in.

Has anyone ever tried to build their own floor mats outta foam and something waterproof? This seems like it could be a good course of action, since the rubber layer on the driver's side is all cracked up and the foam is thoroughly soaked with either coolant or tap water. I've set them out to dry but they seem like they're not in great shape.

Post by **Ben850** » 08 Nov 2014, 14:51

I must have been incredibly lucky when I had fond the carpet for my sedan in one piece.
Two years ago at this point. I did bring home the sound deadening matts as well from a '95 850.

I believe the floor ducts were easily pulled apart by hand. The install seemed as easy.
I did remove the seats from the donor, as well as my sedan. That only made sense. Moldings were relatively easy to pop off at the floor door jamb/rocker areas.

I actually have a full set of the sound deadening pads in storage. Sorry for the difficulty you may be having.