How-To: '71-'73 Interior Install - Project Lazarus

We couldn't believe the difference in the belts when they arrived. The chrome shone like a mirror, and the webbing was glossy. These belts will now be a shining spot rather than an eyesore in our interior.

This is how the shoulder belts looked after we installed them. Note the retainer clip. These chrome, W-shaped clips helped to hold the belts out of the way. Though this '72 did not have them, we found a set at a salvage yard in a '71 Mach 1 and snagged them. We are not sure if these clips were used in 1972 but feel quite certain that they were part of the '71 Mustang package.

We used our Jim Osborn assembly manuals (available from most Mustang parts houses) to help get the rear belts installed, as per Ford requirements. The fronts will have to wait on the carpet. These manuals are worth their weight in gold when reassembly time comes.

Our factory-style underlayment from Ssnake-Oyl went in without a hitch. We used trim adhesive to set the pieces after we were certain of the fit. We also set the carpet several times to make sure that the rug would lay correct.

We laid our carpet over the engine bay, then coated it and the top of the underlayment with 3M trim adhesive (PN 08090), then we carefully laid the carpet in position. We installed the front first, then the rear. The trim adhesive will keep you from having bulges or lumps when it is laid out. Be sure to spray the sill area as well.

There are a number of wires that pop out of the carpet when you have the Convenience Group. In the center of the floorpan is the seatbelt warning buzzer and seat-back latch wire. A hole had to be cut where shown to allow the wires to attach. The same step was repeated with the wire that cancels the seatbelt warning buzzer as well as the seatbelt mounting hole. Remember to start small when cutting these, because you can cut too much material and expose the underlayment.

The trim panels were installed next. The trim piece on the passenger side was a bit off, so we had to redrill the holes and shove some insulation into the area behind the sail panel to get a good, tight fit.

The base was aligned and set, the belts were pulled through the panels, and the retainer clips were installed.

Next, we installed the seat back-and-hinge assembly. These were moved around until they centered up and the latching mechanism operated properly. We installed a set of fold-down bumpers for the '65-'70 and found that we needed to bore the hole in the trim piece out just slightly to get them to fit.

Note the nice line of the seat back and trim panel. This could only happen when you take the time to adjust and custom-fit the panels.

Finally, the seat base goes in and the belts are pulled through.

The original seats were a bit dirty, especially in the heavy-grained accent stripes. We used our Krud Kutter and a toothbrush to bring the seat back to its original color. After the seats were cleaned, we wiped them down with Lexol leather conditioner.