Any suggestions on a material to use in the trunk to keep condensation from forming? I live in Florida where there's excessive humidity in the summer months.

I have the factory style houndstooth vinyl trunk liner covering a solid trunk floor in my 66 442. When I went to vacuum out the trunk the other day, I discovered that the trunk floor and trunk liner was wet and surface rust discoloration was beginning to emerge in spots caused by excessive condensation likely associated with the colder gas tank underneath. After cleaning everything up, I'm wondering what any of y'all are doing to mitigate this problem. I'm thinking maybe a thin sheet of felt like material?

Anyone here dealing with this issue?

 

Having owned too many boats in salt water environments I've found CargoDry Packs are good desiccants at a reasonable price. Purchase at most marine stores.

CargoDry Pak Plastic Desiccant Bag

 

www.beachfilters.com

I use these guys' Sta-Dri moisture packs. They come in a variety of sizes and can be baked in your wife's oven to regenerate (the girls love that!).

Also remember, any time the car is stored or will be out of service for more than a few days, get everything out of the trunk, including (especially) the mat. Those things are moisture traps, especially the heavy rubber factory-style ones.

 

If the interior of the car is not getting wet, make sure the drain holes are not plugged and the trunk like weather strip is not leaking.. If this is happening when stored inside, leave the trunk lid up to let air circulate. If you have a trunk light, don't forget to disconnect it.

 

This is a common issue. Turn the trunk mat over the spare tire when not in use.

 

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will try out the desiccants and keep the liner off while not in use. I keep my car in a 20x50x20ft car condo / storage unit which stays relatively cool but the humidity is still very high - like basements up north. Just discovered that one of my garage neighbors uses a dehumidifier for summer use so that may help to solve the problem too.

 

Absolutely. I use two 50-qt units in my garage.

 

I thought one of the vendors was selling a breathable mat. It doesn't look stock.

I have a 100% restored 68. I do not use the factory style rubber mat. When I take the car out I lay down two large bath towels, red to match the car.
The cooler chair and tool box sit on them until I return home. Once home everything but the jack and spare come out.

Yes leave the lid open and the windows.
Yes a dehumidifier is strongly recommended.
A small desk top fan on a timer might help too.

My garage is attached and directly off the kitchen family room. I leave that door open most of the time. The garage is fairly well sealed. Fireplace keeps the whole house dry in the winter. A/C keeps it dry in summer.

 

I installed the Steele self adhesive product last year. I was a little skeptical about it, but it worked well. I wish that the seal was a little softer.

 

yeah I got into the trunk and shut the lid found several small gaps. Saw daylight. got a new trunk seal, then got in the trunk and had a person outside run a water hose around the trunk lid to check the seal. Now good..

Just to make sure.. Got SoffSeal, Steele and Metro seals, like the Soff Seal the best but still not as soft as factory seal, takes a bit to shut trunk now..