Squarebird interior ...

[Guest]

This winter someone had asked what kind of seats I put in the Bird and if I could post some pics. Back home now for the summer and got a few pics of the seats and the stereo install. The stereo sounds great, just plug in the i-pod and I'm ready to cruise. There is a 300W amp in the trunk, powered crossovers behind the rear seat back, and I built a baffled speaker enclosure under the rear package tray. Will be putting 500-600 hundred miles on it this weekend. Mike

[Dakota Boy]

Is your back seat still the original leather?

Where did you get those seats from?

[Guest]

Seats ...

The seats are made by Procar which is a division of Scat, the people who make stroker cranks and rods. Yes the rear is the original leather. The seat back is in pretty nice shape but the lower is beyond saving. Going to have them redone this year to match the fronts. Mike

[DKheld]

Very nice - suits the look of the car very well. Seat belts and headrests to make it safer - they look comfy too - no wonder you'll be putting a few miles on it - I'm green with envy.

Humm... vintage air set-up?

Eric

[Guest]

Hey Michael,
Love the seats! The speakers in the kick panels. How much room is there behind them? (between magnet and sheet metal) I want to do the same thing. I have bought grills, I don't want my speakers to show!
Richard D. Hord

[Guest]

Very nice - suits the look of the car very well. Seat belts and headrests to make it safer - they look comfy too - no wonder you'll be putting a few miles on it - I'm green with envy.

Humm... vintage air set-up?

Eric

The A/C is from classic auto air, but they all use pretty much the same components. Mike

[Guest]

Hey Michael,
Love the seats! The speakers in the kick panels. How much room is there behind them? (between magnet and sheet metal) I want to do the same thing. I have bought grills, I don't want my speakers to show!
Richard D. Hord

Once you cut through the interior sheet metal directly behind the kick panel the void is about six inches deep. I used Dyna Mat on the inner wall and some fiberglass insulation in the open space behind it. Mike

[simplyconnected]

But Mike, doesn't it get wet between the kick panel and the fender?

[Guest]

Thats what ...

I thought originally, but there was no evidence of water. I think there must be some kind of baffle in the cowl area to prevent any serious amount of water from from entering that area. Mike

[Dakota Boy]

I have seen the inside of this area because I have cut into it with a Sawzall to clean all the garbage out, while I was replacing the front fenderwell splash panels. (see the "my '58" post in Our Rides).

The cowl vents in front of the windshield dump air (and whatever else) down to the heat/defrost blower and also to the air vents down by your feet.

I suppose if you have cut a hole for a speaker, it would be high enough not to allow water into the passenger area, and the rain water would drain out the holes along the rocker panels.....but the backside of those speakers might still be exposed to some rain mist and dampness/humidity.

But then, how many rainy days do these old cars see anyways?

[60 T-Bird]

Mike...the seats look great. I go back and for with modern racing seats vs. stock seats. Now I'm back to racing seats after seeing yours. I don't mind losing the power seat option after the fiasco I went through with the window motors. Were they relatively easy to adapt? I know it is cheaper to buy the Procar seats than re-do the old seats with foam and covers. By the way...FYI black vinyl is available for our cars upon requests from the suppliers. Same cost but slightly longer lead time. It beats paying a fortune for a leather back seat you will probably never sit in.

[Guest]

Seats ...

I adapted a power seat base from a 66 Bird on my Drivers seat. The new seats are vinyl so I was planing on vinyl for the back. I ended up modifying the 66 seat bases. Not too difficult if you have access to a welder and chop saw. Speaker locations are pretty limited up front. I've never liked putting them in the doors. It's hard on the speaker and the wiring. I have a feeling they will do fine where they are. Mike

[Guest]

Once you cut through the interior sheet metal directly behind the kick panel the void is about six inches deep. I used Dyna Mat on the inner wall and some fiberglass insulation in the open space behind it. Mike

Hey Mike,
Thanks!
Richard D. Hord