Just got the new 99 peices dash, door panels installed, waiting to get new shifter before tackling the center console. Still have to run battery cables and other things under the carpet before installing the carpet itself. Pretty much how the fronts gonna look, but cleaner once it's all done. Also waiting for the gauge cluster from e-bay so I can gut it and install the arsenal of Autometer gauges as well. When more progress is completed I'll post them, but for now it's a start.

 

2nd

 

3rd

 

last one

 

Looks good! How much did you have to modify the door pannels to make them fit?

 

I'm redoing the whole car, and if the weather stripping would've been original old stuff, it might have been easier. The new stuff is so damn stiff it's hard to compress for test fitment. Anyway, cut the new "L" shaped door panel fastners off the backs since they are completely different than our year of cars with the push in plastic buttons. The front near the dash had to be cut slightly so the door would shut-otherwise the pillar near the dash would shove the panel back to the point where the door would not shut. After trimming the front, I had to notch a section out of the top rear section of the door panel, near the interior door glass strip so it would clear the weather seal on the top of the door jamb-the stuff mounted on the car itself. To get the door panel to sit down over the top of the door where the window comes through, I had to mark spots on the backside of the top interior door panel window strip and cut out, our doors have 3 spots on top that "bump" out not allowing the panel to clip over the top of the door-none of this is visible after installation because the interior window strip is mounted below the door and out of sight. To fasten them to the door itself, the new panels have a lip around the perimeter and I used self tapping automotive trim screws-small ones- and screwed thru this lip into the door itself. Once I rewire the power window switches and the panels go on for good, I'll also drill through the armrests in the factory holes and use big screws to make it even more solid than it is already. I had a buddy help hold/position so it only took us about 2 hours to get everything installed. Our factory door handles are too big to fit inside of the new pods, so I had to cut the top portions off the handle, so now it looks like a sideways L. You also have to grind out the new handle cover to clear the handle mounting point on the door. I'll also have to redo the manual lock rod-it has to be cut shorter and a new 90 degree bend put in it so the new plastic lock sliding thingy will work. I have to take them back off once I get the electrical connections from Hawks, so I left the fine tuning until that time. Just takse patience and imagination. The door panels will not work with the old third gen dash however. Make a note of that. They will hit the dash cover and the doors won't shut. There was alot of little things, but I'm not the type to write a tech article. I'll let someone else with more time do all that.

 

I think it looks awesome. Really making me look 4ward to doing my swap. Good job man! While you're redoing the whole interior, I hope you're replacing the stock steeringwheel with something else. I'm going to be going with the same interior (99 T/A) and a MoMo steeringwheel. One question ... how did the rollcage fit? Will a rollcage for a regular 3rd gen interior clear those door panels? I've read that they rub alot. What was your experience? I had planned for a friend of a friend to make me a custom cage because I figgured it wouldnt fit, but if the pre-molded cages do fit then I can save some $$. Also, who made that rollcage?

 

What's wrong with the steering wheel Yeah it's goin out the window so to speak. The cage is one straight from Jegs, just the standard 8 point, but I only made it a 6. When I originally installed it, I had left the original 3rd gen door panels on and left the seats in with just 2 bolts so I could position the door bars to clear everything. Then as you know one thing lead to another and I bought the stuff out of a 99 bird. Was seriously bummin cause my interior was in my garage, the car was being painted and the whole time I thought I'd have to cut out the doors bars and redo them becasue of clearance issues. When I shut the doors with this new stuff in there, the door handles just barely touch the door bars (just the way I had set it up with the old 3rd gen door panels)-I felt like I won the lottery because I NEVER get that lucky with anything, usually if it can go wrong it does, so this was a BIG sigh of relief when I found out the doors would shut. If you plan on retaining the rear seats, you will have to have the rear bars bent for clearance to go over the back. I'm not going to have them, so I just cut the bars to length and welded them as close to the center of the shock mounts as I could, but I did center the bars to the middle of the seats however so it's look alright if you looked at it from in front or behind. The Jegs unit fit great, just had to cut tubing to length and cut the angles to meet the floor pan/area above the gas tank. If you have'nt installed the cage, I'd wait until you can "mock up" the door panels and seats to find the best position for the door bars so they clear everything. The cage shipped to my door was only $228, but S&W makes a great cage also and usually runs specials on their website cheaper than a Jegs or Comp Engineering.

 

this is a pic of the cage after I installed it, it took a total of 5 hours from the time the saw fired up till the last coat of paint was on. I've welded and fabbed my whole life, so this was a piece of cake, I already have 2 other guys in the area that want me to put cages in for them, the chasis guys in town get around 6-700 bucks to put one in from scratch, for me and my background that's a rip off.

 

back side

 

Your hurting my feelings......

That's just awesome....

So when i bring my Trans Am dash and door panels to you in Waterloo, you can install them for me??.......

 

Heck no!! This car has already driven me crazy enough. Can't wait till it's done so I can get another full framed ride.