Project EHR: Concluded! (For now...)

I've upgraded a number of pieces in the 2001 Bullitt interior so far including a new steering wheel, shifter and e-brake boots, e-brake handle, shifter trim and other billet bits, floor mats, pillar pods, rear shelf, console cover, and an epic Dynamat install.

And while I still have not installed the Alcantara headliner I bought, or wired the lighted visors and aftermarket rear view mirror, I'm calling this project done—for now.

Here's where I started a couple months ago.

The "new" interior has some worthwhile upgrades that make it a quieter and more comfortable place to be.

I'll update individual posts as the remaining final pieces are finished, particularly the headliner and rear view mirror.



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More Steady Progress on the '66

We've made a little more progress on the '66 the past couple weekends. The engine is now sitting in the engine bay, and the large-diameter Centerforce clutch is installed onto the back of the engine. The bellhousing and the transmission are installed as well.

We are ordering a few more needed bits and pieces this week to hopefully get a bunch more done next weekend.

The 331 is installed in the engine bay—headers and starter bolted on.

Here's the CenterForce DF021048 installed on the back of the engine.

I'll more closely go into the EZ EFI installation in another post as work progresses (and I have more pix to offer). The Worx has come up with what appears to be a stellar solution to one bit of the install—where to install the ECT sensor. I'm looking forward to explaining that in case anyone else decides to fuel-inject their small-block Ford.


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Project EHR: Billet Bits

The model year 2001 Bullitt package offered a few billet-look items including the shifter bezel and door lock pins, as well as a real aluminum shift knob and pedal covers. I wanted to remove the billet-look items and replace them with real billet, which looks better.

I found a billet shifter bezel, and even an e-brake handle on eBay, and used the Best Offer option to knock some money off each one. (On a side note, I recommend using that eBay option whenever offered, since the reply is now automatic and immediate for the bigger sellers, and the savings can be worthwhile.)

Here's the eBay-sourced brake handle and shifter surround with the Bullitt knob.

I also found a set of billet door lock pins, but they don't seem to fit like the factory plastic billet-look ones, so I've been speaking with the manufacturer to possibly make me a pair that are threaded correctly so they'll fit better (i.e., fit flush when locked).

Project EHR: Room with a (Rear) View

Two items that immediately date the 2001 interior is the stock rear view mirror and the lack of HomeLink controls anywhere.

Fortunately, Gentex manufactures a line of aftermarket rear view mirrors in addition to their OE mirrors. I bought the GENK41A, which is auto-dimming and also offers 3 HomeLink buttons to control devices in your garage or home (usually garage door openers).

I installed the mirror on the windshield, but haven't wired anything yet since I intend to do the headliner recovery at the same time. When I get the time to install the mirror, I'll update this post.

Stock mirror on left; GENK41A on right.

GENK41A on left; Stock mirror on right.

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Project EHR: Proper Pillar Pods

One of the items I wanted to swap out in the Bullitt interior was the aftermarket AutoMeter pillar gauge pods. I could have painted the black plastic of the pods to make them the correct interior color, but it's an overlay design that fits over the stock plastic pillar underneath, and frankly I just didn't like it.

Fortunately, Speed of Sound offers their gauge pillars for Mustangs. These pillars start out as stock Ford pillars so the color and grain pattern are correct, and then a pair of cool custom pods with the proper color and grain are attached. I think this design simply looks and fits much better.

To install this new pillar with existing aftermarket gauges,
I had to elongate the gauges' wiring, since those gauges
are now positioned slightly different.

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Project EHR: Rear Shelf Recovery

I found some time today to finish up the rear shelf fix-up on the Bullitt. After I removed the stock rear shelf, I covered the area in Dynamat. Then I covered the shelf insert itself in some of the extra Alcantara I had bought by the roll from Dallas Custom Steering Wheel to match the Alcantara elsewhere in the now-modified interior.

Here's the rear speaker system of the stock Mach 460 stereo.

I covered this area in Dynamat, while leaving the speakers and middle ports uncovered.

The key is to leave the speakers as unobstructed as possible,
so nothing interferes with the stereo sound. But you have to add something—or you'll see the Dynamat under the grills.

I used the black felt (right) under the speaker grills. Alcantara (top) and just about any fabric will muffle the highs and midtones. The stock grey material (left) allows sunlight through (and lets sound through too.) Speaker grill cloth would be ideal.

Here's the underside, with the felt installed. I stretched the felt a bit with my hands to open up the fabric a little more.

Before installation in the car: the felt allows sunlight, and sound, to pass through.

Here's the rear shelf covered with Alcantara, with the speaker grills and baby seat anchors reinstalled. I simply covered the existing carpet with the Alcantara using 3M spray glue. (Stock carpet seen in foreground.)

I don't know what the durability of this Alcantara will be, but the look is great.

With the additional covering, and a new layer of Dynamat, I actually had to readjust the Mach 460 Bass/Treble/Fader a bit to get the sound I wanted.

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