Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

I have a base 87, and obviously prefer the look of the sport seats. I have an opportunity to buy some sport seats, but I want to keep the "center console" pod from the standard seats. Im 6'7", and the true center console would interfere with my legs.

Has anybody ever rigged this up?  I guess Im just going to have to take apart the standard seats first and weld the "pod" assembly to the drivers side sport seat frame...

Ideas?

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  I'm not 100% sure it will work because of the adjustable bolsters on the sport seats ,but I think removing and re- welding is the only solution

Nope....It's very simple...unbolt the old seat from the track (4 bolts) then bolt on the new seats. Done deal. No welding or mods. Simple swap.

Of course,this is a "I'm 95% sure" kind of thing.........

No, he has the consolette, which is part of the seat itself, not the track. If he goes to Sport seats, he'll lose the consolette.

As for cutting it off/welding it, I have no earthly idea if that would work.

How about the Sport seats, and a custom little enclosure of sorts to mount the window/seat controls?

Well, it looks like i can gut the interior for a couple hundo, so Im going to grab all the tools I think Ill need and get as much as i can. Any special tools i might not think of other than an assortment of screwdrivers, sockets, and torx?

I forgot about that. Thanks Beau. Maybe a full console is the way to go. Unless you throw your right leg over the tranny hump when you're driving.LOL. Perhaps cutting that section and welding IS the option......or build a bracket,attach the center consolette to it and attach it to the floor between the seats making it stationary.,thus leaving the Sport seats free to move for the side bolsters and all.

Can't you just take the whole seat and install the Sport cushions and upholstery?  I would think the basic seat frame is the same.  But hey it's a guess on my part.

Nope , the  seat frames are totally different . I think Vinnies idea of making a bracket to mount the consolette stationary is the best idea yet

TbirdSPS.....I was thinking that as well,then I remembered that the Sport seats have the power lumbar and the adjustable side bolsters....

By the way,when you go pull the parts,you may need the harness for the lumbar.

Thanks for the info guys.

How do I remove the back seat? I assume the lower part pops out like a stang, but what about the seat backs?

Push in at the bottom and then pull the seat out. It connects to two hooks at the bottom. The top is held in by the bolts that hold the outer seat belts in. After those two bolts are removed, just lift the seat back from the hooks it rests on. Done.

Wow this does present itself quite a fabrication challenge. I agree the best idea is to cut the consolette section from the driver's seat frame and fabricate brackets to hold the consolette stationary to the tranny hump. Under the center tunnel carpet is locations fore and aft for screwing down the factory full length console. Just curious which part of the factory full length console would interfere with your legs. I assume it's the sides of the front section of the factory console, although to me it doesn't seem tall enough to interfere. However if you tried sitting in a full length console equipped car and it's just enough to intefere then I get what you are saying.

I might also suggest hacking a full length console so that it stops in front just ahead of the window switch trimplate and ashtray. It seems the exposed area hacked from the front end could easily be covered with a small piece of fabricated trim to cap it off and look finished. At least the rear of a modified full-length console can be mounted to the factory locations on the rear of the tunnel while a couple of simple L brackets can be added to secure the front. Man ya'll gotta know I love a challenging fabrication project!

I actually have to say I just now remembered you can have the center console without the floor shifter. My 87 bird back in the day was a consolette model, and one of the reasons I didnt buy another Mustang was the center console pushed against the side of my leg, but looking at pics of Tbird consoles, i see they seem really low, barely sticking up at all.

Im going to go check this thing out hopefully saturday morning, and if the console looks good, probably strip as much as I can. If its jacked up, im just snagging the seats, and the silver dash trim. Funny, the drivers side door panel looks fantastic, but the passenger is all jacked up.

You can use the full length console and not have a floor shifter. There were trays in the place of the floor shifters on earlier years of aerobirds. I just sent a member here two of them,and I have on in the garage. It takes the place of the shifter panel on the console.

You need to go this route... I actually like the center console with the tray a lot better then the consolette. it gives me a place to actually put stuff
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/85%20Vert/center%20console/IMG_0232.jpg)

Here's how the consolette is attached
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/85%20Vert/center%20console/IMG_0224.jpg)

That would look good and be functional. It's a small amount of work,but nothing hard to do.

Agreed. This one is missing the tray, but no biggie.

I have to leave work today to meet AT&T Uverse at the house, might as well just pack up some tools, and go to this guys house right at 5. Its gonna be tough to strip everything before dark though.

No worries. Take some zip lock bags and a Sharpie marker and bag and tag the fasteners. Makes short work of reassembly. Let us know what you get and how it turns out.

(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/0db64b47.jpg)
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/440f68b3.jpg)
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/a8cf2204.jpg)
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/88087c3f.jpg)
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/c6f489f0.jpg)

Guys,

Ive torn several fox Mustangs apart, but never really took a bird interior down.(im sure they are very similar) If anyone could make themselves available by phone today at 5pm cst, id give them first dibs on anything I dont need.

there is nothing hard about any part of it.

Also, I am sure that you will have plenty of room. I'm only 6'4", maybe 6'5", but I have a buddy that is 6'7" and he had an 87 XR7 and had plenty of room.

Well, I only picked up the seats and dash trim. The center console was trashed. The lid was basically completely toasted, and the shifter boot/coin tray area was non existent, and the whole thing was pretty banged up.

The seller has a buyer for the shell of the car to replace a wrecked turbo coupe. He doesnt care enough to part out any more of it really, but said I could post a few pics. If somebody needs something, he would probably ship for the right price, or maybe I could swing back by. Super nice guy, had a cool Mustang SVO project working, and two other fox stangs.

This door panel was in excellent shape, save for the top cushion.
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/IMG_20101202_161628.jpg)

This one was pretty nice, just not as clean as the drivers side.
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/IMG_20101202_161642.jpg)

center console is pretty rough, he would pull the ac controller etc.
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/IMG_20101202_161654.jpg)

Taillights would look great with a little polish
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/IMG_20101202_161709.jpg)

Coupe front end looked fine, lights were typical
(http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/ac57/mtgmike302/IMG_20101202_161722.jpg)

If anybody is interested, it would help if you were local to Houston, but if not, like I said, let me know. You'll have to act fast though, the guy is selling whats left in a week or so.

The full length factory console really does sit low in the front and does slide in under the dash center stack. I really don't see this being an obstruction and believe the best way to go is in fact a full length console simply because it is much easier to install. Any extra parts you need I am sure many people here can help get them together for you.  If you visit the junk car with the seats and console still installed it will be just a moment to confirm there would or would not be any inteferance for you.

I have a full length console from my 1984 Tbird that is in decent shape. I had it for sale a while back but got no bites. Everything is there for it to be complete and it even has the light inside the armrest compartment. The foward trim piece is for cars without the floor shift. It will fit the later model Birds no problem. The console is oxford gray (light color). All the console needs is paint to match. The armrest pad is in fair shape for it's age. It has one bad place but this could easily be recovered or replaced later with a better pad.

I have no doubts at all that i would fit with it. My car has a blue interior, and I would prefer not to try to match paint on something that is so obvious when you look inside. Also, my interior is in pretty fantastic shape, and this switch panel was horrid. If someone has a console for sale, and can tell me what paint will match very well, Id go for it.

Otherwise, Im trying to get the engine installed so i can actually enjoy this thing. Welding, etc is easy and free for me. I work for my old man at his Heat Treating Plant(in accounting) and they have several full time welders, sand blast cabinets, tools, etc., and I can bring projects any day, so that stuff is actually easier than matching paint, at least for me.

The name of the paint is Regatta Blue and Latemodelrestoration.com has the matching paint.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/MET-FL37/85-89-Mustang-Regatta-Blue-Lacquer-Interior-Paint (http://"http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/MET-FL37/85-89-Mustang-Regatta-Blue-Lacquer-Interior-Paint")

Dude, you've got all the answers, but its just not the priority right now. It would probably cost a nice chunk to ship that too. I may go pick up the a/c- stereo trim piece just to have this as an option later on.***Edit. I have the coin/ash tray on the lowest part of that panel now, so this panel wouldnt work...Do any of the floor console versions of the console stack trim use the ash tray, or they all for the "info center" idiot light display?***

Edit 2: I guess they are all that way, and that is the ash tray for the floor console model just in front of the area where a floor shifter would be.

That does it, Im sticking with the consolette.

Are the door/seat/window swiches all the same, just mounted differently?

I really appreciate all the info.

  Yes the switches are identical,,,earlier this year I did the consolette to console switch 


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