Followers of the slow-boat restoration of our '91 LX hatchback know we recently finished having TMI/Classic prototype its Fox sunroof headliner in our car. It came out great, complementing our TMI-sourced leather interior and Chicane Sport Tuning carpet. However, a headliner, carpet, and upholstery a new interior do not complete.
Sure, it's no blower, but...
Sure, it's no blower, but minor parts make a major difference. Like most old 5.0s, our door-latch bezels were cracked and doing their best to fall off. For $19.99 and about two minutes with a screwdriver, we replaced the pair and haven't had to apologize to passengers since. Latemodel Restoration Supply offers these parts in the original all-black shown here or with a chrome surround.
There were plenty of small items still stinking up our LX's cockpit. The old SVO leather shift knob looked dog-bit, with the leather ripped open, thread hanging out, and white underlayment blazing like a searchlight. The clutch and brake-pedal pads were worn clear through. The door map pockets were sagging after 19 years. Like seemingly every Fox these days, the door-pull surrounds were cracked in two, and even the leather-trimmed steering wheel was alternately shiny smooth or lunar-pocked where fingers had worn it down, or rings and fingernails had dug out the trim.
The good news is that aero-nose Foxes such as ours are fully supported by the aftermarket, so searching flea markets and junkyards for trim parts isn't required. In fact, with Latemodel Restoration Supply on the scene, it's pretty much one-stop shopping for sprucing up a Fox interior these days. And that's exactly where we headed, having LRS supply a couple of small boxes of vitally needed resto trim parts.
Our pile of parts from LRS...
Our pile of parts from LRS didn't even scratch the surface of what the company has available. Some of the parts are LRS' own; others are sourced from other aftermarket vendors. When it makes sense or they're available, genuine Ford parts are supplied. Best of all, LRS has the pesky supporting pieces, such as screws and other small hardware, already bagged and marked for each specific application. This saves a ton of running around looking for matching trim screws.
As we can't photograph ourselves doing the install work, even for jobs as simple as these, GTR Performance was once again drafted for installation duty. It was like a day off for Ricardo Topete at GTR after his steady diet of bolt-ons and supercharger installs. How involved can slipping on new pedal pads be? In fact, the only challenge was R&Ring the steering wheel. Like so many interior parts, you just have to know where to pry with a screwdriver to get the job underway.
Some of our window and lock...
Some of our window and lock switches had given up and almost all their paint had worn off. The switches aren't repairable and cleaning them won't restore the painted characters, so we replaced them all with new Ford parts from LRS. The window switches are $14.99 a piece, or $39.99 for the convertible version with four window switches ganged together. The door-lock switches hover around $25 each.
Note that getting trim parts to fit just so and matching colors takes more than expected. Much depends on your ultimate goal. If you're sprucing up a weekend-drag or open-track car, you've got better things to worry about than if the map pockets are the exact same shade of gray as the door panels. But those things do matter-a lot-when restoring a Fox for pride-and-joy cruiser status. In that case, count on spending some time making things fit, and err toward replacing everything at the same time for the best color matching. It's not that the new parts are necessarily bad, but after 20 years, the originals have faded or warped out of shape, and dye lots vary no matter how diligent the manufacturer. We also suggest keeping a spray bottle of vinyl cleaner handy when doing this work, as it's an excellent time to clean years of grit from otherwise inaccessible nooks.
Once we had our interior parts installed, our old hatch turned the corner from tired airport car with a few new parts to a newly exciting weekend toy -or in our case, daily driver. Yes, our mechanicals still have 197,000 decently maintained miles on them, but the feel of the car went from social outcast to neat old car!
Besides not taking long, if you're sprucing up a tired daily driver such as ours, the cost is really quite reasonable. Many of the usual cracked plastic bits are ten-dollar parts, so it shouldn't take long to save up for a small-parts spruce-up. And when you're done, you'll agree that the small parts make an amazing difference.
At $6.99 a shot, pedal pads...
At $6.99 a shot, pedal pads have to be the least expensive, easiest install "slip-on" in the Mustang universe. That is, until you get to the pad for brake pedals in automatic Foxes; it's just $3.99. Of course, you can spend more. LRS offers these typical Fox clutch/brake pedal pads with a "5.0" molded in at $9.99. And if we have to show you how to install these, you need to put down this magazine and get someone to water you.
Much of our work was in the...
Much of our work was in the door panels, which are easy enough to remove. Remove the small triangle piece inside of the exterior mirror, strip all the bezels and the armrest, pry the bottom of the panel away from the door, and lift it up off the window channel. Now the panel can be cleaned or replaced, and all new bezels and switches can be installed. Our door panels were in good shape, but for best results for matching map pockets and arm rests, replace the door panel at the same time.
Unless you have a large bench,...
Unless you have a large bench, working on the floor could be the easiest way to work on the door panel. Here Ricardo is removing the map pocket from the panel, which involves bending up a small forest of metal tabs. A split-toed upholstery tool worked well to move the tabs, and the washers were pressed over them.
Getting started on the new...
Getting started on the new map pocket we sourced from TMI/Classic requires a minimum of three hands-all those metal tabs have to be bent together at the same time. We found two people could get the tabs aligned and fitted into the panel, while one person simply worked in circles on this chore.
Ricardo isn't really trying...
Ricardo isn't really trying to drill a hole in his hand, but enlarge a hole in the replacement armrest pad. It uses a different mounting system than the stocker, and we found it best to enlarge the mounting hardware, thus enlarging the mounting hole. Each pad is $39.99 and is available in black, red, or light gray for '87-'93 Foxes (earlier years are also available). These pads can also be painted with LRS spray paint, but we found the as-delivered color was the best match.
Typical of later Foxes, our...
Typical of later Foxes, our driver-side-lock and window-switch bezel was bent. We opted for a $19.99 stock replacement from LRS, which also offers a billet-aluminum bezel for $29.99 or $39.99 for convertibles. Installation is as simple as one screw and can be done without any other door disassembly.
A serious day or two cutting...
A serious day or two cutting paint and buzz-canning the windshield wipers, mirrors, and worn rub rails positively transforms the typical older Fox.
Matched Setting
With the guts of our '91 LX looking so good, we couldn't help but think about the outside. Original as they come, our car had its share of bump and grinds, faded paint, and stained wheels.
Our first thought was new paint, but a quick stop at the good auto-body shop in town and the from-the-hip $7,000 estimate told us everything we needed to know about that option.