Custom Mats

[moonsketcher]

Okay...because the money I would like to spend on my car is going to go to performance stuff and not "pretty" stuff, I figured...why not be unique and customize my own mats? I couldnt bring myself to spend some outrageous amount of money on floor mats when I still want my exhaust...







And besides, I think they came out pretty nice

[EmersonHart13]

And how did you do that?

[Interfire]

Wow those are cool, I like.

I'll send you mine

[moonsketcher]

See the thing that looks like a soldering gun next to the carpet?

Thats a leather burning gun.

I traced out the pattern, then copied it onto a piece of really thick posterboard. And cut it out with an Xacto knife.

I pushed it down really hard so the carpet stood up inside of the lettering.

Then I burned the carpeting down, so it melted and left an indentation where it had been standing up.

When it was cool, I took it outside and went over it lightly (with the cardboard still on it) with a white spraypaint. Then touched it up with handpaint.

Removed the cardboard/posterboard and wallah

[moonsketcher]

And in the car....



Where I pushed the cardboard down real hard it looks like there is some discoloration on the mat. I just need to vacuum it so its all the same height again....

[Toyz]

Thats awesome Julez

[GTPGuy82]

holy crap, I would have never thought of that! That's really neat-o, major props to you on that one!

[ElecBlueG6GT]

Looks great. Very creative.

[DeEric]

Jules, you have more ideas than some of the guys on here and you are doing it yourself. Major props for that. You should write up a How-To if you haven't already. I love it, I plan on sending you my mats right now, lol.

[dre256]

That looks good! :smoke: am jellous lol

[EmersonHart13]

Have you done this before? How does it hold up?

[bluegtp33]

hmmm thats awesome jules

gonna have to customize mine now...well after i find someone with that nice tool

[moonsketcher]

For the most part, my how-to is right there, lol. I can write a formal one if you guys want me to?

Anyway, the total cost is like $27, if you dont already have the gun.

Get the gun from Michaels or Hobby Lobby or the like. I paid 19.99 for mine, but mine has like 25 different tips, because I use it for a lot of other stuff, and most of you wouldnt need that one. I think you can pick up a cheap one for like $15.99

The Xacto knife is a couple of bucks (You need an art one, not one of those big ones that guys use to open boxes and stuff). The posterboard was a buck or two (Its thick, like photo mat-ing board). The spraypaint isnt much, and then the handpaint was like 1.99 for a bottle at Garden Ridge.

The BIG trick to this...getting the center of the 6 to stay put while you run a coat of spraypaint over it. I ended up with white fingers, and had to get the paint off of them with nailpolish remover.

Total cost on this mod for me...since I had the gun...was > $7.

[moonsketcher]

Have you done this before? How does it hold up?

Nope, I was a mat customizing virgin. :P So I have no idea how it will hold up.

Considering its burned into the carpet, I can tell you, the letters wont lose their shape.

I used a plastic paint to paint them, because the fibers on the carpet are plastic, so I assumed that was the best route to go versus a cloth paint.

BUT....as i said, it cost me less than $7 to do, total. And if (after my CAI and exhaust is done) something happens to them, I'll just replace with the same mats that Clint got. I cant forsee them falling apart or anything though.

[bluegtp33]

if they color doesnt hold up....not like painting them again is to expensive

i like this mod...def gonna have to try it out

how you think a thin piece of cardboard would work, wouldnt have to worry as much about center of 6(if made a different type 6, yours you had to hold or put somethign on to hold it), assuming you put g6 and not something else


did it burn down to the bottom of mat thru all the material, or just down into the material a little bit?