I currently have an 84 that I have been putting my system in. I am working on a fiberglass panel for my trunk. I'm getting rid of this car to get a later model that already has a V8 in it that I can rebuild. I got the car for cheap and was going to do a V6 to V8 swap but have determined it is not worth the headache. It would be more expensive to get this car ready for the V8 than to just go and buy one that is already set up for it.

Are the trunks similar enough to where if I finish my cover board for my amp rack and subs that I should be able to take it out and put it in the new car when I get it? I would be sticking in the 84-92 range with a firebird or TA. We're not talking about a simple carpeted cover board but rather a full fiberglass panel with the amp rack molded into it that takes up the whole trunk and blends in with the sub box.

Thanks for any input.

 

The only difference youre going to run into is going to be if you are going from a t-top car to a non t-top, or vice versa. If so, the back vinyl trim piece is going to be shaped differently. If you have t-tops, you will have the strap clips in the back, and if you have the hatch on there, you will have bolts sticking out to attach that too. Otherwise, same overall shape.

 

t-tops or not, the trim piece is the same. The only difference is that the t-top cars have a hole in the trim piece where the latches stick through. Those can be easily removed though.

Anyway... 82-85 has one style plastic trim piece at the back, and 86+ have a different style due to the power hatch motor.

89+ cars have the rear seat belt shoulder mechanisms in the back, and if you build your box all the way forward, that becomes an issue.

 

Thanks for the input. My strategy will be to build a panel for my existing car for the experience and to have something until I get rid of it. Then for the new car I'll do a new one if I end up going with a later year.

I'm sure that by the time I get the new car I will be sick of the present install and tear it out and start over anyway so I'll be due to redo the panel. I tend to only be good with an install for 3-6 months before I want to do something else anyway. Mostly because the more I work with glass the better I get with it and the more confident I am to try to do something really cool.

So 89+ has rear shoulder belts. I might go that route since every now and then my boy wants to ride in "daddy's car". The lap belts don't hold the car seat in as well as I would like so I have to tell him no and he gets upset.