front trunk coconut mat

[davidschmidle]

Looking for suggestions on best way to clean the coconut mat in the front trunk of a '64-C. Got dirt, over-spray, years
of general use. I know the plastic cover hides the mat, but as a true 356 owner " I know it is there" at 2am!

Thanks for ideas.
David Schmidle
Tucson

[Dick Weiss]

David,

I've never seen or heard of a coco mat (why?) under the plastic trunk liner in the later B/C series; the liner only covers the black
roofing material glued to the top of the tank.

Dick

[Tim Herman]

David,

As a restorer, I can share your angst about that material. Once it begins to deteriorate and look shabby there is little that can be done. Seems the more you try to "fix" it the worse it looks.

Vendors such as Stoddard NLA sell a replacement but it is not just like the original stuff.

Hoping someone has some input on a solution here.

[Mike Wilson]

Are we talking about the tar sound deadening panel on top of the tank? If so, one can be purchased from Bill Perrone at The Parts Shop. His contact info is in the vendors section. He has excellent sound deadening kits.

Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

[Greg Bryan]

I installed the fibrous material that Stoddard sells - it's an approximation at best - too thick and not compressed enough, but it was better than anything I could come up with ...

[Wil Mittelbach]

Perhaps a note of interest re. 356C fuel tank covers:-
The tarred mat tank covers were primarily intended to cushion the impact of items in the trunk on it's thin plastic cover, and not as a sound deadeninger.
Many later Cs did not have a tank cover. such as the depicted original coverless tank in my 65C cab, and that of a 64C coupe.
As Mike indicated for those needing a replacement, Bill Perone's 356 "The Parts Shop" here in Huntington Bch, CA, has close to authentic tarred mat covers for B & C fuel tanks. He can be contacted via tel:714-894-3112, or fax:714-894-8694.
- Wil

[Mike Wilson]

Wil: very good info and clarification on the fuel tank mats. I wasn't aware that some C's didn't come with them. I wonder if this was related to the body maker, Karmann or Reutter?

Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

[Cliff Hanson]

My 64C Karmann body coupe had a fibrous tarred mat surrounding the tank and a different material on the tank itself. I ended up making a new mat around the tank (shown in photos) by using a material like an outdoor carpeting that was about 2mm thick. I cut it to shape, fit it and then brushed on some Henry's asphalt emulsion into the fabric and let that set up a day or so, then turned it over and did the opposite side. Once it was cured it was somewhat stiff but still flexible and I glued it in place using Weldwood contact cement on both surfaces. The final result is closer to the original than anything I have seen so far, but since it is a tightly woven material it should be much more durable than the original more horse hair like material.

[davidschmidle]

Thanks to all for suggestions and advice. Still scratching my head and looking. May try used furniture
shop for old "horse hair" stuffing. Cliff, you did a outstanding job on the looks of your front trunk
refinish!
David Schmidle
Tucson(where is the sun screen again?)

[Joseph Kuntze]

ok when i was restoring my 63 super 90 i had way too much time on my hands
there is a supplier of the original horsehair in germany but dont have nay idea how i found him and didn speak german
just kinda glued my old stuff together
maybe search internet for the stuff

wish i could be more help

[Brian Ingles]

My 64C Karmann body coupe had a fibrous tarred mat surrounding the tank and a different material on the tank itself. I ended up making a new mat around the tank (shown in photos) by using a material like an outdoor carpeting that was about 2mm thick. I cut it to shape, fit it and then brushed on some Henry's asphalt emulsion into the fabric and let that set up a day or so, then turned it over and did the opposite side. Once it was cured it was somewhat stiff but still flexible and I glued it in place using Weldwood contact cement on both surfaces. The final result is closer to the original than anything I have seen so far, but since it is a tightly woven material it should be much more durable than the original more horse hair like material.

Cliff, phenomenal looking finish! I am looking to do the same with my '64 C and was wondering what outdoor carpeting was used. Did you end up installing directly over the existing fibrous material or did you remove it?
Mine has that material as well and it's impossible to get clean and just doesn't look great. Thanks in advance!

[Mike Wilson]

I found a substitute for the "horse hair". Check eBay or Google "reptile cage matting" for coconut fiber matting. Looks close to original and you can use Henry's or soak with spray-on undercoating.

Mike

[Doug McDonnell]

Another product used here: viewtopic.php?t=40912 I checked your suggestion Mike and it looks like it would be similar to Karmann original-once black: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Reptile-Vivari ... R78gyXFlsA

[Brian Ingles]

Thanks gents, much appreciated! Going to investigate these options.