Factory ran out of Deluxe door panels?

I wish my car came with standard panels. The deluxe are all cracked and the aftermarket still hasnt gotten their act together for replacements.

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We've discovered some fairly odd occurences on our cars here. Anything is possible with end of model year production.

Post an introduction if you haven't yet and let us give you a proper welcome!

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I hear there are "workable" black and white panels on the market. I need med blu which is a common color for our cars but not for door panels. The guys with green interiors are screwed!

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Can anyone varify this? Over the years, I have taken my 71 conv to judged car shows and getting gigged for Standard door panels cause the rest of the interior is Deluxe.. my car was built in May.. some say they ran out of Deluxe door panels... during the new body change. Did they run out? Is this rare? Should I switch to Deluxe or keep std. as a factory flaw?

I'm pretty sure my car came with the std panels since I bought it from the orig. owner in 1983 ( who would switch Deluxe for Std. anyway?)

Thanks for reply.. lovew this site

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Can anyone varify this? Over the years, I have taken my 71 conv to judged car shows and getting gigged for Standard door panels cause the rest of the interior is Deluxe.. my car was built in May.. some say they ran out of Deluxe door panels... during the new body change. Did they run out? Is this rare? Should I switch to Deluxe or keep std. as a factory flaw?

I'm pretty sure my car came with the std panels since I bought it from the orig. owner in 1983 ( who would switch Deluxe for Std. anyway?)

Thanks for reply.. lovew this site

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Thanks for the info.. I'll have to check my door sticker (it's still there!)

I assume I have a deluxe interior since the car has vinyl comfort weave seats, two spoke steering wheel, chrome accents around the bezels and glove box, full console, rear ashtray duel racing mirrors rocker moldings wheel lip mouldings and rare? hood lip moulding near windshield.. also has protection group side body mouldings and front bumper guards.. I have orig. window sticker from the late Lois Eminger who was Ford employee..

I will try to post it here

In 1971 your car would have come with standard door panels unless you had the interior decor group. If you have the door tag you would be able to tell by the trim code or if you get the Marti report. The interior decor group is a rare option on the 71 convertibles.

"Deluxe" refers to the interior "Decor Group" option which included cloth or comfortweave seat covers, rear ash tray in right quarter trim. Black instrument panel appliques, deluxe 2-spoke steering wheel, molded door trim panels, color-keyed racing mirrors, rocker panel moldings and wheel lip moldings.

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If your car truly came with the deluxe interior, I doubt it came with standard panels. If so, there would have been some kind of credit on the window sticker. Do you have access to the original sticker?

This is what I think may have happened:

The car was probably delivered with deluxe panels, but in a convertible the deluxe panels perished pretty quickly. Probably within 3 years or so they may have been cracked and split so badly that the owner was compelled to replace them sooner rather than later.

There were no NOS deluxe panels available at anything other than stupid money, so the owner may have just bought a pair of easily-available and cheap repro standard panels. I've seen this scenario many times over the years.

The repro deluxe panels that came later were big expensive, and really ard not very accurate and are quite ill-fitting. I have bought and returned 3 sets over the years because they were poorly executed.

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My 71 sounds like your description, it has Deluxe seats but standard door panels. The window sticker is posted in my Photo Album, it lists Decor Group. It has been this way since purchased in 76.

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You are different, and us deluxers have never liked it when you standardites try to attend car shows and blend in with the rest of us. You flat-panelers have no idea how cool it is to thrust your left hand into the grip of the voluptuously-curved molded foam and vinyl piece of automotive artwork and pretend that you are "Maverick" sighting down on some unsuspecting schlub in a fart-can Honda who can't seem to get his "10 second car" out of our way in traffic.

Although, you are our brethren, fellow Mustanger and one day we hope you will see the light and come over to the "no room between the steering wheel and door panel" side with us!

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Your car came with the standard door panels, in 71' convertibles came with standard door panels unless you got rhe decor group.

Then you got the deluxe dashboard and door panels.

sent from my Samsung SIII via TapTalk

Click to expand...

If your car truly came with the deluxe interior, I doubt it came with standard panels. If so, there would have been some kind of credit on the window sticker. Do you have access to the original sticker?

This is what I think may have happened:

The car was probably delivered with deluxe panels, but in a convertible the deluxe panels perished pretty quickly. Probably within 3 years or so they may have been cracked and split so badly that the owner was compelled to replace them sooner rather than later.

There were no NOS deluxe panels available at anything other than stupid money, so the owner may have just bought a pair of easily-available and cheap repro standard panels. I've seen this scenario many times over the years.

The repro deluxe panels that came later were big expensive, and really ard not very accurate and are quite ill-fitting. I have bought and returned 3 sets over the years because they were poorly executed.

Click to expand...