This weekend I put a new rear package tray in my car. The tray in the car had warped (probably from previous humidity) and had speaker grill covers on it, which I did not like.
So I ordered the deluxe w/ mesh tray from OPGI along with the new padding to go under it.
In addition I got the trunk divider and padding.
Also, I got a set of brand new rear shoulder belts (which were a factory option) from eBay
I started by removing the bottom of the rear seat. For those that don't know, the seat is clipped in. To remove it push the seat bottom towards the back of the car and lift up, then pull forward.
I then removed the seat back, just lift up, its on 3 hooks across the back.
Next were the window cranks, there's a clip you have to pull out behind the handle, then pull straight out.
Then the side panels, uppers lift off, and lowers have a couple screws in the door jamb area.
Finally the sail panels - first remove the corner covers at the bottom of the rear window. Carefully... these are brittle!
remove the welting around the quarter window, and the rear window. This presses on, so just pull it straight off.
remove the light lenses, and then the two screws inside.
Remove the bulb and the wires, careful as the plastic is brittle!
You're now at the point where you should be able to take out the shelf. The front edge is likely glued to the structure of the car. remove it and clean it.
While at this point, I carefully taped up the rear window and sprayed some satin black to clean up the area
Using the old shelf as a template, see what needs to be trimmed off the new one
I ended up removing 1/2" from each side and 1/4" from the window edge.
Fits good!
Now's a good time to reach in with a sharpie and mark the 4 bolt holds for the shoulder belts.
I used a 3/16 drill bit to make the holes in the new tray
There's an obvious raised area where the bolts go.
You can see the passenger side holes in the next picture.
I removed it once more, to put the insulation in
I did cut the shape of the raised area for the shoulder belts out of the insulation for a nicer fit.
then re-installed the shelf.
I used 3M Rubber and Vinyl 80 spray glue on both surfaces and glued down the front edge
While I had the glue out, I test fitted the trunk divider and glued the insulation to it
The rear shoulder belts come with everything needed, even the hardware.
There's a plate that goes under the shelf, two bolts that go down though the bracket on top and a plastic cover, just like whats on front shoulder belts.
Once installed, they look nice!
The lower portion of the belts get sandwiched in between the existing lower belts on the middle two bolts in the floor.
Oh... before putting the package tray in, and the trunk divider on, I put some sound deadener on. Its like dynamat but its a roofing material called Quik Roof. I got it at Home Depot
[url]http://www.homedepot.com/Quick-Roof/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ34v/R-100594339/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UPQqx_IRDjI[/url]
(Model # QR625 Store SKU # 914563 - $16.45 /EA-Each )
This one roll covered the shelf, behind the seat and the floor. And I still have about 1/4 of it left.
Its a 6" wide roll. easily cut with scissors, peel and stick too. It easily confirms to the structure, sticks well, and has no smell.
Here you can see it applied to the floor.
it made a huge difference! I tapped on the car before and after sticking it down and the sound was noticeably duller, not tinny
At this point, re-assembly begins.
However for me, my sail panels were looking a little tired, they were wrinkly and falling apart.
So I started to peel them apart to re-glue and they basically fell part... uh oh.. what do I do now.
I called around (Friday 5:00pm) and could not find any material except for a local company that could overnight it from California for $100... nope.
I had a show Saturday night so I had to do something.
Off to Joann where my wife buys a lot of stuff.
They had some nice vinyl that matched the seats, but no 'wood' or structure material, I got 1/2 yard - $8
Went to Home Depot and found 1/8 fiber board that not too rigid - $5
Using the old ones as a pattern, I cut out new boards
The old ones had this 'velcro' type piece that lined up with one on the car too.
Its stapled to the old panel, I removed it and used Gorilla Glue to attach it to the new panel in the right location
Gorilla Glue expands when drying so you don't need much but is it strong. Clamp and leave it for a while.
Next I traced out the pattern on the vinyl
Applied the same 3M 80 glue on both sides, let it get tacky and apply the vinyl
fold in the top and bottom edges only, making relief cuts on some of the curves
Some cars dont have lights in the sail panels, mine did so holes were made
You do not glue front and window edges of the vinyl as that gets held in place with the welting around the windows
In the end it was a nice project, and I got to spend some quality time with my Dad who I only see a few times a year
I got my "car nut certificate" from him
And the show on Saturday night (well actually Sunday morning at 3am) was a success
Invitation only, 75 cars got to park on the Richard Petty Speedway at Disney. It was the 20th anniversary of the Disney Marathon, and 25000 (yes thats thousands) runners did a lap on the track as part of their 26 mile journey.
We had to be there so early because they wanted us in and setup well before the runners got to the track.
It was awesome, the runners were yelling "Thanks for coming out with your cars!"
I even had some stop to take a picture of mine
And as usual, the guy yelled "I had an 442 just like that!" and another lady said "Look a GTS!". I guess thats a cross between a GS and a GTO LOL
But it was great fun!
