69 GTO interior floor

I am going to put new carpet in my 69 Goat.  The floor pans have some surface rust but are solid and usable.  My plan is to sand off the surface rust and paint on a coating of Rust Bullet.  Has anyone tried that stuff?  Should I lay down some kind of sound/heat insulator layer before I install the carpet?

Also, my floor pans have those little oval covers just sitting there.  It appears that they were glued on or something.  What is the proper way to mount/seal those little oval cover things??

Thanks!  
1969 GTO, YS code 400, 350hp/445 ft lbs of torque (stock specs), LT headers, H-pipe, 750 Holley 4160, Ignitor II ignition.  Complete Painless wiring.

I haven't tried Rust Bullet so I can't comment on it, POR-15 seems to be the product of choice for this purpose. If you haven't bought the carpet yet order it with the factory style underpadding kit. But if you are on a budget like me (read: CHEAPSKATE), go to a home carpet store and buy some carpet underlay, the 1/2" thick stuff that looks like chips of colored foam glued together. I used it on my 80 Camaro years ago and plan on using it in my Firebird when I finish installing my new repro floorpans and new carpet. It is really light weight and I put it behind the backseat interior panels and over the headliner as well and it really cuts down on road noise. The little oval covers can be resealed with a tube of seam sealer.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

I don't know about rust bullet but I have used ERF black paint with great results which is a permanent rust inhibitor and can be bought from www.jcwhitney.com and they have good quality automotive carpeting as well.  
professional hi-performance engine builder

Horsepower sells engines and torque wins races

I have a 69' also and used a sound product caller "Fatmat".It has an adhesive side and a foil side and was the best deal(also read Cheapskate ). It was easy to install and really keeps the sound and heat down.The product you mentined for rustproofing is comparable tp POR-15 and works well.
                                                             Good Luck  
Im sorry you must have misunderlistened !

Do I have to use seam sealer to seal the oval covers in the floor pans, or can I just use some RTV silicone?  
1969 GTO, YS code 400, 350hp/445 ft lbs of torque (stock specs), LT headers, H-pipe, 750 Holley 4160, Ignitor II ignition.  Complete Painless wiring.

If I'm not mistaken, the purpose of those oval things are to let water drain out.
I don't think they should be sealed at all - maybe just bent to where they fit down snug to the floor pan. I went through a hurricane in Houston last year and was glad they were loose. I can see the point of wanting to keep water from getting in from underneath, so maybe the RTV would be the best choice instead of something more permanent.  

Ohh okay I see how it could function for water drainage.  Good point.  Thanks.  What I ended up doing was just painting Rust Bullet On both contact sides of the oval cover and just sitting it in its position.  The product definitely dried and created a good bond and seal.  That'll work  
1969 GTO, YS code 400, 350hp/445 ft lbs of torque (stock specs), LT headers, H-pipe, 750 Holley 4160, Ignitor II ignition.  Complete Painless wiring.

Just a note about the floor drain plugs you mentioned. On repro pans they are stamped as one piece without the holes. If you want them to look original, you have to cut them open and install the plugs. Mine will be staying closed.
Steve  
A little help... 'cause we don't all have to learn the hard way!

Hmmm interesting.  I suppose I'll keep mine closed too.  
1969 GTO, YS code 400, 350hp/445 ft lbs of torque (stock specs), LT headers, H-pipe, 750 Holley 4160, Ignitor II ignition.  Complete Painless wiring.

I just came across this old post concerning the floor pan drain holes. Before committing to leaving the holes closed, consider their reason for being there. I was forced to put my new carpet installation on hold this week because of heavy rain. When I went out this morning in the sun to start installing the underlay, I encountered a pool of water right over that oval on my new pans. This TA has no T-Tops but water can creep in from anywhere....rain leaking into the area at the bottom of the windshield at the corners (a rust prone spot)....missing rubber grommets under the dash where wires and things pass between the firewall... The outside moulding around the front windsheild is really bad about leaking if the weatherstripping on the glass is not sealed well - it heads straight to your brand new carpet and pans. I think I'm just going to drill a half inch hole at that point on the two front pans, hammer a chisel into them a little to help water flow out, and stick a little rubber plug in them after I'm sure the leaks are fixed.

Pontiac must have known everything leaked or they wouldn't have put a swimming pool size opening down there.  

Never trust rust - it's very sneaky and always comes back to bite you.  

I've never used Rust Bullet but it sounds similar to POR-15 (pretty good stuff).  These products seal out air to stop rust - but all you need is a few pin holes and rust comes back. All in all they are quick and work pretty well when applied according to directions

If you looking for a more professional/factory result here is what I do.  For light surface rust I sand with 220 grit and spray Loctite Extend Rust Neutralizer it is relatively inexpensive works pretty well - since this needs a little rust to start working you don't have to worry about getting every partical. Next I spray two coats of Epoxy Primer and finish with two coats of top coat

For more extensive rust I sand blast and weld in new metal where necessary. Next I apply a two coats of self-etching primer and two coats of epoxy primer (BTW regular primer can absorb moisture) followed by paint; which could be Rust Bullit or the factory color paint

If you have a daily driver that is out the rain then don't seal the drains (under the back seat and the front and back floor boards) permanently. If you investigate you may find them already sealed. Flash flooding can happen anywhere in any season so keep that in mind.

For a daily driver I've used HushMat, CoolIt, and Gater Skin.  They all help insulate it from heat and cold and deaden sound - but they can cost $10 per sq ft.  

A small detail I just noticed about the pans. The area directly below the gas pedal needs to be low enough to where the carpet doesn't interfere with the gas pedal. Even my new carpet is lacking the juke padding around it, although I added it.

If patches are welded in this area they should be contoured (or hammered) down below the accelerator low enough so that your not driving with the heel of your foot. Every Firebird I've seen in a salvage yard had a big hole in the carpet right there where the carpet didn't allow room for the drivers big foot.  

Hey man,
At our restoration shop we use POR15 on the interior floors that stuff works well, while your there check over all the seam sealed areas. Make sure all the seam sealer is in good shape. The body plugs should be held in with seam sealer also. The new carpet if its a pre-molded deal should have the jute padding attached to it in all the right spots. To quite things up I would get your hands on some Dyna Mat or Hush Mat and lay that down after the floor coating and what not.