After detailing the engine compartment, dash, and interior, we've finally reached the rear of the car. Now it's time to detail our hardtop's trunk. When the project was debuted-fresh from the paint booth-at last year's MCA Grand National, we installed the gas tank, the taillights, and the rear bumper so we would have a sealed "storage" area for our trip to Raleigh-Durham. But once we returned from the show, we removed everything from the trunk area so we could document the detailing properly and not omit anything.
Although the trunk area is the least seen, even at a show when the trunk is open, it's one of the easiest areas to properly detail and quite possibly one of the most economical as well. Of course, your costs will be determined by the type of parts-N.O.S., repop, or good-used-you choose to restore with. In our case, we restored our trunk (and rear body area) with reproduction parts, and our total was right at $600. Yes, that sounds like a lot of money for trunk detailing, but it includes a new Styled Steel wheel and tire and a new wiring harness. You can also put these costs into perspective when you consider the cost of a complete interior restoration.
You may not need all of these items, but we suggest that if you're completing a full restoration, don't skimp on the cost of a new fuel tank. The cost of a new tank is good peace of mind when you have all-new fuel lines, a new fuel pump, and a completely rebuilt engine all relying on the fuel coming from that tank. The headaches you prevent will most likely be your own.
Next month, we'll build up our V-8 spec C4 transmission with the help of the tranny gurus at Dynamic Racing Transmissions, while we keep our fingers crossed on our latest 289 to go to the machine shop. Shortly afterward, we'll finish our hardtop's exterior trim application and present the 289 engine buildup and installation for you, hopefully in time for Silver Springs 2002! Keep an eye out for these updates.
Our hardtop's trunk is ready for its first show, which hopefully will be Silver Springs 2002. Come show time, we hope our hardtop's trunk will hold all of the Missus's "essential" items for show travel (and any purchases while we're there too). | 
1 Bolting the fuel tank into place with a new hardware kit is the first step to completing our trunk detailing. We suggest skipping the original hardware, since it's usually rusted beyond use, or missing, and the new hardware kit is only a few bucks. Don't forget 3M strip caulk sealer between the tank and the trunk floor. | 
2 This is an old detailer's trick that's been mentioned many times, but is always worth discussing for the new people in the audience. When installing or replacing the fuel-tank filler neck, place two cork gaskets (instead of one) behind the filler-neck flange. The extra thickness is barely noticeable, and the fuel-filler cap will now be situated off the taillight panel enough to prevent scratches in the paint. |
3 The fuel-filler neck is positioned over the tank opening, then the new fuel-filler neck hose is attached to the tank and the filler neck. Notice the position of the hose clamps. This is the location used by the factory to prevent anything snagging on the head of the clamps. | 
4 Don't forget the trunk-floor drain plugs. These rubber plugs prevent water and dirt from getting into the trunk area, ruining the trunk mat and causing rust damage. | 
5 Since we had our trunk floor replaced during body repairs, the original mounting holes for the trunk filler extension board weren't there. Using the new extension board as a template, we drilled small pilot holes for the new self-tapping screws. Once the holes were drilled, the new tapping screws were installed with a dab of caulk on their tips to seal the holes. |
6 Another often missed, yet inexpensive item in the restoration and detailing of the '66 trunk is the luggage strip found only on the left wheelhouse. This rubber strip is applied over the weld seam of the wheelhouse to prevent abrasion damage to suitcases. It's not used on the passenger side because the spare tire prevents contact with the lip of the wheelhouse there. | 
7 To protect the fuel tank and add an insulating factor, we installed this barrier insulation from Ssnake-Oyl before installing our plaid trunk mat. You'll notice in this photo that there isn't a pass-through hole in the right trunk floor for the fuel-sending unit wiring (due to the new sheetmetal). A hole will be made when we install the wiring. | 
8 While the thin-felt-backed trunk mats are a nice touch for a daily driver, we opted for the more expensive, correct-style, thick rubber mat. Be sure to get the correct mat for the year of your project. A new scissors jack and correct ratchet-handle lug wrench (both missing when we bought the car) are in place here with our spare-tire hold-down hardware as well. Don't forget the jack sticker, since it doesn't come on the new jack. |
9 The new taillight reflector housings are installed using the proper hardware and new gaskets. Notice the two angled spacers on the top studs. These are often missing and are a great detail touch for a correct restoration. They don't come with the housings, so be sure to order them. | 
10 New taillight bezels and lenses are installed to the reflector housing with the proper screws. These short-body screws don't take much to strip out the threaded holes in the reflectors, so take your time during installation. | 
11 Our taillight harness had seen better years. Somewhere along the line, the harness had been tapped into for extra lighting, and the woven cover was long gone. A new harness was our answer. The harness comes with these adapter ends, allowing the harness to plug into early- and late-built Mustangs. Our Mustang required the adapters to plug into the steering column properly. |