96 GT Vert - Interior Restore / PI Build

[SwimGreg]

Hey Everyone! After lurking around for about 6 months, I decided to start a build thread on my 96 Vert. This will be a different type of build than most I see here in that I will be doing the interior first, then doing a PI swap a year or two down the road.

Short history on car....I originally bought her in 1999 as a college graduation present for my wife. We drove her a few years, then sold it to family. After 15 years and multiple other family members driving her, she's back with us. It's the car we left our wedding in, so it has a lot of sentimental value to us.

The 4.6 still runs strong, so I am going to restore, update, modernize the interior first, then do a PI swap when I rebuild the engine. My goal is not to have a race car, but a good looking Stang Vert that my family can enjoy, with a few added HP from the swap.


Here is the car the day I brought it home. I got it from my brother (pictured).



My Daughter, who LOVES to ride in the Vert



And bring friends along!

 

[SwimGreg]

Here are a few more pics of her.

 

[SwimGreg]

In my humble opinion, very few convertibles look better than the 94-98 Mustangs. But, I'll never understand the rear wheel stance. So, first order of business was 1" spacers.

Before



Spacers



Definite Improvement

 

[SwimGreg]

Next, new headlights

 

[SwimGreg]

Now, this is the single best improvement I've made so far. Whoever designed the original cupholder in the center console was obviously not a coffee drinker. Many f-bombs have been dropped due to spilled coffee. No More!!!!

 

[SwimGreg]

LED Swap (It does change the color from green to blue!!!)

Before


After


AC Controls Before


AC Controls After

 

[SwimGreg]

After doing the LED swap, it made the factory radio look old and sad. So, a new radio is on the way. I'll post pics when it gets put in.

Next project was to freshen up the old wheels. Eventually I will update to FR500 wheels, but it's not in the budget right now. So, $20 in duplicolor and some sandpaper made a huge difference.







Front Wheel Done


Final Product

 

[SwimGreg]

Other items done are new steering pump, LED license plate lights, new passenger window regulator, odometer gear fix.

Next items on the to do list are:
1. New leather seats, front and rear (with new front foam)
2. Install radio (so my daughter can stream her favorite crap she calls music) and add small subwoofer (for just a little more bass)
3. While seats are out, pull carpet and clean.
4. Replace door panel cups on both sides. Replace all power buttons in both doors.
5. New steering wheel, but damn they are expensive.

With these things done, the interior should be pretty close to complete. Then, it's time for the real fun, rebuilding the 4.6!!!

 

[bluex]

Nice, reminds me of mine when I started. Are you going to redo the seats yourself? I did mine with parts from TMI. It was a lot of work but they look good. I also redid my steering wheel with a cover from redline goods.

 

[Gregor185]

Almost exactly how my car looked when I got it.

 

[SwimGreg]

It depends on how much money a local shop will charge me to do the seats. Any advice on the seats would be appreciated. I'll check out the steering wheel cover, thanks for the tip.

 

[98snakehorse]

Very clean vert! Nice progress so far. You will really like the PI swap, I love mine.

 

[bluex]

It depends on how much money a local shop will charge me to do the seats. Any advice on the seats would be appreciated. I'll check out the steering wheel cover, thanks for the tip.

I was getting quotes of 250/seat just to have the front ones redone locally, without new foam. Prepare to be shocked, it wasnt a hard job to recover them just time consuming. They have some really good instructions and you can get there covers in cloth vinyl or leather. I went with the vinyl as I still have kids that ride with me plus I found several good reviews of the vinyl. If I had it to do again I might would go with the cloth but only because the summer heat is here and my car is black. I did there entire kit, new foam for the front seats and seat heaters for about $680.

Details are in my build thread in my signature, check it out if your interested in doing it yourself. This was only my second time doing a seat recover. If you have any questions about it just lmk.

 

[DropTopPony]

Nice job bringing it back.

You''ll like the 01-04 Console even better if you can find one cheap.

 

[bluex]

Oh an I need some more details on the wheel refinishing. Mine need it as well.

 

[JerZeyStangz]

Stumbled upon this thread late. Keep the resto-modding coming a long!

 

[SwimGreg]

Oh an I need some more details on the wheel refinishing. Mine need it as well.

I need to say up front that the pics make them look better than they are. If you get up close, you can see some road rash and imperfections. I chose not to use filler because I plan to eventually move to the FR500 style wheels. But, I was very pleased how much better they looked. Definitely improved the look of the car, for only about $20. I used two cans of Dupli-Color Silver, and one can of clear coat Matte finish.

I sanded and cleaned them several times, put down a light coat of silver and let it dry, then put down several heavier coats of silver, letting it dry between each coat. The next day I did the same with the Matte. I did the same for the center caps.

 

[SwimGreg]

Stumbled upon this thread late. Keep the resto-modding coming a long!

Thanks! The wife keeps taking the car, so I must be on the right path!!!

 

[SwimGreg]

Nice job bringing it back.

You''ll like the 01-04 Console even better if you can find one cheap.

I tried to find one for a few months at a reasonable price, and never could. But, I'm still on the lookout.

 

[SwimGreg]

I was getting quotes of 250/seat just to have the front ones redone locally, without new foam. Prepare to be shocked, it wasnt a hard job to recover them just time consuming. They have some really good instructions and you can get there covers in cloth vinyl or leather. I went with the vinyl as I still have kids that ride with me plus I found several good reviews of the vinyl. If I had it to do again I might would go with the cloth but only because the summer heat is here and my car is black. I did there entire kit, new foam for the front seats and seat heaters for about $680.

Details are in my build thread in my signature, check it out if your interested in doing it yourself. This was only my second time doing a seat recover. If you have any questions about it just lmk.

Thanks for the advice. I'd really like to do leather, but I too have a young one (who often has friends along) that ride in the car, so I'm considering vinyl.

How is the vinyl? Does it look/feel like leather or is it the old school vinyl I remember when I was a kid?

Thanks for the help.