Factory ran out of Deluxe door panels?

[Boss1Ray]

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!

:goodone: rofl

Ray

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Cars from the deep south definitely had much quicker and more severe sun-and-heat damage to the interior pieces than cars from more temperate locales.

 

[caspianwendell]

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!

Your delineation of said panels has only proved my theory of "old fat guy" trying to squeeze into a sardine can for fun. Thank you for reinforcing the right decision in keeping the flat panel with the cool metal top trim that will never crack in the sun. And as far as "fart-can honda's" with rubber band tires on wheels tilted inward due to incompetent lowering, that take 5 minutes to cross railroad tracks at present, I just hang out the window and pretend to laugh uncontrollably at them rofl. but I don't think they notice cause all I ever see is the tip of their head above the top of the door, stretching to see over the dash. Perhaps a large push bumper for the truck is in my future :angel:

 

[dhvidston]

Good conversation here folks... yeah, not sure that my door panels would have been replaced.. they are stamped Ford.. not aftermarket.. plus the door hardware is different than Deluxe...I bought the car in 1983 from orig owner with 76,000 miles on it...

Here are a few photos and the window sticker... dont see a "delete" line

for door panels... very interesting

 

[imusa76]

That's how your car came from the factory with the standard door panels, if it had deluxe door panels it would have also said "MOLDED DOOR TRIM PAELS"

and you have all of the Bells and whistles of the Deluxe interior except for the door panels, they were part of the Décor Group, but looks like not added to your car.

in 72 it became a standard part of the verts, but in 71' it was not standard.

see my sales invoice below.

also below is what the 71' Décor Group included.

 

[dhvidston]

That's how your car came from the factory with the standard door panels, if it had deluxe door panels it would have also said "MOLDED DOOR TRIM PAELS"

and you have all of the Bells and whistles of the Deluxe interior except for the door panels, they were part of the Décor Group, but looks like not added to your car.

in 72 it became a standard part of the verts, but in 71' it was not standard.

see my sales invoice below.

also below is what the 71' Décor Group included.

Thanks for the feedback... telling how your invoice specifically lists moulded door panels and mine are missing.. very interesting... even though it lists the Dlx door panels on the 71 Decor group...

Do you happen to know (or does anyone) when the last 71 rolled off the line?

 

[judge]

Maybe not so quick. Yours doesn't say knitted vinyl seat trim. Yet it has knitted seats.


You also have the deluxe two spoke steering wheel; also have wheel lip and rocker panel moldings, but they're not on your invoice. It appears that the n/c items are listed sometimes and sometimes not. The build manual says they all came with knitted vinyl seats.

 

[imusa76]

Judge, they are part of ghe Decor group.

sent from my Samsung SIII via TapTalk

 

[judge]

Good point. He still should have deluxe door panels. And convertibles came with knitted vinyl as a standard feature. Deluxe convertibles and standard convertibles recieved the same seats. That was to address another comment earlier about solid vinyl being in a vert.

 

[dhvidston]

Maybe not so quick. Yours doesn't say knitted vinyl seat trim. Yet it has knitted seats.


You also have the deluxe two spoke steering wheel; also have wheel lip and rocker panel moldings, but they're not on your invoice. It appears that the n/c items are listed sometimes and sometimes not. The build manual says they all came with knitted vinyl seats.

I never noticed that before on my sales sheet.. or thought about it.. but I see it's listed on your sales sheet.. that interesting


Still curious if someone can tell me when last 1971 was built or came off the line... ? trying to figure out if this was a late production car.. and if they truly did run out of deluxe door panels or if this is a factory fluke..

Thanks all for the great feedback!!

 

[Mac]

The 1971 Convertible came with "standard" & "upgraded" interiors, including door panels when the "Decor Group" was purchased for a suggested list price of $92.10 for a convertible.

I has seen and judged 1971 Mustang convertibles at MCA national meets for the past 19 years now.

I've attached a few sheets taken from Ford records from the 1970/71 time frame. Notice the sheet with the header "Mustang Convertible" it clearly shows a base model convertible with standard interior and has a description written up in the "Interior" paragraph. Also included is a sales price sheet showing cost of Decor Group.

Ford is noted for changes, not always documented. The only documented change that I have been able to verify for the 1971 convertible is a late model change where tinted windshields were made standard equipment. Also attached FYI.

Hope this helps.

Mac



Price Sht Interior.pdf



1971 Newsflash Sht 2.pdf

 

[imusa76]

Mac, great info there!!

sent from my Samsung SIII via TapTalk

 

[Mac]

Mac, great info there!!

sent from my Samsung SIII via TapTalk

Glad I could help!

 

[OLE PONY]

Great info Mac! Reputation points awarded!

 

[judge]

The sales sheets seem to be a little inaccurate, in that there is no convertible top switch(I believe all were power operated), the rear seat bun seems to be a little long from the inner quarter to the first seam. Convertibles are about 5" inches there, I believe coupes are about 7-8" there. These appear to be coupe rear seats. Also in the same photo the left rear inside seams to curve away from the back, like a coupe would. The convertible seat would meet at 90 degree angles with the inner quarter. Other things of interest in that sales book: the door mirrors are different on the two cars and the one with the sport mirror only to have one mirror. While not that significant, I believe we should not use these pictures to guide our understanding of what Ford offered. I will agree the standard and deluxe doors were available. I believe all convertible seats were knitted vinyl.

 

[dhvidston]

The 1971 Convertible came with "standard" & "upgraded" interiors, including door panels when the "Decor Group" was purchased for a suggested list price of $92.10 for a convertible.

I has seen and judged 1971 Mustang convertibles at MCA national meets for the past 19 years now.

I've attached a few sheets taken from Ford records from the 1970/71 time frame. Notice the sheet with the header "Mustang Convertible" it clearly shows a base model convertible with standard interior and has a description written up in the "Interior" paragraph. Also included is a sales price sheet showing cost of Decor Group.

Ford is noted for changes, not always documented. The only documented change that I have been able to verify for the 1971 convertible is a late model change where tinted windshields were made standard equipment. Also attached FYI.

Hope this helps.

Mac

Thanks Mac for the info... clearly, the brochure shows a standard interior with standard door panels.. but what do you make of my car with Decor Group listed but NO moulded door panels on car or on window sticker? How would this car be judge in an MCA show?

 

[Mac]

The sales sheets seem to be a little inaccurate, in that there is no convertible top switch(I believe all were power operated), the rear seat bun seems to be a little long from the inner quarter to the first seam. Convertibles are about 5" inches there, I believe coupes are about 7-8" there. These appear to be coupe rear seats. Also in the same photo the left rear inside seams to curve away from the back, like a coupe would. The convertible seat would meet at 90 degree angles with the inner quarter. Other things of interest in that sales book: the door mirrors are different on the two cars and the one with the sport mirror only to have one mirror. While not that significant, I believe we should not use these pictures to guide our understanding of what Ford offered. I will agree the standard and deluxe doors were available. I believe all convertible seats were knitted vinyl.

All 1971 Mustang convertibles came with a power top. As far as the picture not showing the actual switch, as you had stated, “Not that significant”. Ford like most manufacturers have used and reused photos for a variety of advertisements.

A back seat in a convertible is not the same size as a coupe. Additional clearance is needed for the convertible top linkage mechanism. Although Ford redesigned the 1971 convertible top assembly so that the stack was wider and linkage simplified so that the stack sat back further and lower in the well. This resulted in more shoulder and elbow room over the previous years.

The standard, base model convertible came standard with an all vinyl thin shell construction high back bucket seat. Any convertible could have been ordered with the décor group. This option offered a choice of knitted vinyl or cloth & vinyl. However one exception was when a convertible was ordered with the décor group, knitted vinyl was required. This makes sense when one considers driving with the top down, how quickly dirt could become embedded in a cloth seat. The number of 71-73 Mustangs entered in MCA national shows is small and unfortunately getting smaller. There have been some shows were I have only judged 2 or 3 cars from those years in the concours class. Almost all convertibles entered now are upgraded models. If not purchased that way, the current owner upgrades due to personal preference. One would think that Ford only built convertibles with “hockey stripes”, ram air hoods and magnum 500 wheels. It is unusual to see a plain Jane convertible.

Photos, unfortunately are the only verifiable means we have today to determine what Ford had intended 43 years ago. So fans today consider factory photos from the era “gold” and scrutinize them intently. Most show cars are over restored and do not truly represent what was on the show room floor in 1971.

The 1971 Convertible came with "standard" & "upgraded" interiors, including door panels when the "Decor Group" was purchased for a suggested list price of $92.10 for a convertible.

I has seen and judged 1971 Mustang convertibles at MCA national meets for the past 19 years now.

I've attached a few sheets taken from Ford records from the 1970/71 time frame. Notice the sheet with the header "Mustang Convertible" it clearly shows a base model convertible with standard interior and has a description written up in the "Interior" paragraph. Also included is a sales price sheet showing cost of Decor Group.

Ford is noted for changes, not always documented. The only documented change that I have been able to verify for the 1971 convertible is a late model change where tinted windshields were made standard equipment. Also attached FYI.

Hope this helps.

Mac

Thanks Mac for the info... clearly, the brochure shows a standard interior with standard door panels.. but what do you make of my car with Decor Group listed but NO moulded door panels on car or on window sticker? How would this car be judge in an MCA show?

After looking at the photos (very clear I might add) of your vehicle certification label, I can see a build up of red paint around the edges. My guess and it is only a guess is that when your car was repainted, the door panels were changed. Most original molded door trim panels, especially the drivers side would crack where the driver would rest his elbow while driving and are often replaced.

You are correct though in stating that your car came with the decor group option and should have had the molded panels. In a concours class you would loose points, in a daily driven or modified class no, as judges expect that as a car is driven, things wear out and are replaced.

Keep in mind in an MCA show, you can enter your car in a number of classes. Checking my 2014 list of classes, you can enter in:

CTE 1971-73 concours trailered

CDE 1971-73 concours driven

CDT 1964-1/2 - 94 concours driven trailered

URA 1964-1/2 - 73 unrestored

THBA 1964-1/2 - 78 thoroughbred

ODD 1971-73 - occassional driven

DDA 1964-1/2 - 73 daily driven

MA 1964-1/2 - 93 modified

DSP 1964-1/2 to present - display

It is up to you to determine how you would like you car judged. Keep in mind that you are entitled to the actual judging sheet via the mail after the show is over. Most owners use it to help improve their cars. Also the name of judge who judged your car is on the cover. You can contact him for more info if needed. Most judges will help as we want to see the hobby continue.

 

[dhvidston]

Thanks Mac for the info..I agree with you that most 71-73 Mustangs I see are over restored or modified ( dont really care for rear spoilers on convertibles.. but that's just me) I've tried to keep mine factory correct...

Good observation on the paint masking... I bought my car in 1983 with the original Bright Red paint still on it... I was just happy that the body shop didnt paint over the sticker entirely. of course it had the same door panels you see in the pictures as well.. nothing has been changed... actually, it would be somewhat difficult to change from deluxe to standard panels because you would need the metal top panels, std. arm rests and door hardware.. not an easy swap.

At least my sales sheet varifies that I did not get Moulded door panels.. I guess I could show that in judging... that this was either a factory mistake or they ran out of moulding panels.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Actually, it is quite an easy swap. The metal panels attached to the door cards, so they may have purchased complete from a donor vehicle.

 

[OMS]

Thanks Mac for the info..I agree with you that most 71-73 Mustangs I see are over restored or modified ( dont really care for rear spoilers on convertibles.. but that's just me) I've tried to keep mine factory correct...

Good observation on the paint masking... I bought my car in 1983 with the original Bright Red paint still on it... I was just happy that the body shop didnt paint over the sticker entirely. of course it had the same door panels you see in the pictures as well.. nothing has been changed... actually, it would be somewhat difficult to change from deluxe to standard panels because you would need the metal top panels, std. arm rests and door hardware.. not an easy swap.

At least my sales sheet varifies that I did not get Moulded door panels.. I guess I could show that in judging... that this was either a factory mistake or they ran out of moulding panels.

Keep in mind you are comparing your 1971 window sticker [ with optional decor group ] to Iymans 1972 sticker when deluxe door panels / interior was a standard item.