Rigidly formed just like your...
Rigidly formed just like your S197's trunk liner and covered in much the same material, CDC's Detail Corral creates valuable storage space and installs with minimal effort. The included aluminum brackets, set screws, capscrews, and push pins make the job a breeze, as do the paper template and illustrated instruction sheets.
"Why didn't I think of that?" was all I could muster when the ever-inventive crew at Classic Design Concepts demonstrated their new and aptly named Detail Corral for S197 Mustangs. This is a brilliantly simple concept: a lightweight, good-looking storage compartment for housing basic detailing or cleaning components on the otherwise unused and ugly Swiss-cheese sheetmetal on the trunk lid's underside. Most of us carry this stuff around anyway, usually taking up valuable trunk space. The Detail Corral is a much better-and better looking-solution. Best of all, there is nothing to cut, aside from the included paper templates. There are no holes to drill, and the whole installation shouldn't consume even an hour of valuable time.
In typical CDC fashion, the Detail Corral components are OE quality, and the finish matches the S197's trunk-liner material. At $179, this is an affordable way to add practicality and a far more finished appearance to your '05-and-up trunk area.
With the trunk lid raised,...
With the trunk lid raised, the first job is to pop out the push-pin fasteners securing the wiring harness to a few holes on the right side of the lid. These fasteners have already been removed on our subject vehicle, but you can see the holes they once occupied. Their harness-retention function will be replaced by a couple of the brackets we'll soon be installing.
The included paper template...
The included paper template gives detailed instructions. Basically, you "cut the hole out of the donut" on each template segment. By flipping each over as needed for a side-to-side mirror image, these templates allow marking the six bracket locations needed to mount the Detail Corral.
Each template is held in place...
Each template is held in place around its correspondingly shaped trunk-lightening hole. At the template's notch cut-out, a Sharpie is used to mark the location for one of the mounting brackets.
The aluminum brackets are...
The aluminum brackets are clamped to the sheetmetal at each marked location using set screws and some form of thread locker. There are three different bracket configurations, and CDC gives guidance as to their appropriate locations. The Detail Corral will, in turn, be fastened to the brackets.
Here, we see the right-side...
Here, we see the right-side brackets in place. Note the bottom pair has threaded holes to receive capscrews to mount the Detail Corral and also act as clips to support the trunk wiring harness. The top-most bracket's hole is not threaded.
Now the process of securing...
Now the process of securing the Detail Corral to the brackets can begin. Four capscrews, with washers, are included for the quartet of lower brackets. These fasteners will be hidden within the outside and center storage compartments, and are installed by opening the respective compartment doors and painstakingly tightening the capscrews with a 5mm Allen wrench (not included).
The top of the Corral is secured...
The top of the Corral is secured using supplied plastic push pins for an utterly OEM look.
What can you put in the Detail...
What can you put in the Detail Corral? Well, the left-side compartment is an ideal place to tuck one of CDC's compact dusters (available separately for $9.95).
The center compartment was...
The center compartment was sized to accept the popular "Absorber" synthetic chamois. Notice that the compartments use closure snaps with pull tabs, and have invisible "living hinges." The right-side compartment is similar in size to the left and will fit a bottle of quick detailer and polishing cloth.