Author Topic: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?  (Read 4254 times)

Offline NEFaurora

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Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« on: January 17, 2011, 08:10:04 PM »

Subject: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?

I was cleaning up my rear seat area floor yesterday on my '66 Convertible and noticed two rubber plug holes pretty much where there would been seatbelt anchor nuts if my car was a hardtop.  But since my car is a convertible, It looks like Ford just plugged the holes with a rubber plug since the car is a convertible.  I referenced the Assembly manual, and it has the two rubber plugs going in from the inside of the car, but I found one of the plugs coming through from the backside pluged in from under the car instead of being plugged in from behind the back seat.. Anyone know which way is "Production" correct?

Thanks,

Tony K.
 
Tony Kovar (NEFaurora@aol.com)
1965 Mustang Convertible 200 cid 3spd manual
1966 Mustang Convertible Sprint 200 C4 Auto
2007 Mustang Convertible V6 Auto with "Pony Package".
1966 Mustang Sprint 200 Registry Owner/Moderator
MCA#70001

Offline bryancobb

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2011, 05:28:03 AM »
Tony,
I have a 66 Metuchen Convt.  I had the same questions.  My rear seatbelts attach to the vertical rib braces.
There were 2 oval holes through the inner wheelhouses that I guess were seatbelt attachment points for hardtops?

My oval holes EACH had 2 round rubber plugs crammed in them from the outside before the wheelhouse sound deadener was applied.  Looked factory to me?  I guess Ford didn't have any oval plugs so they just used 2 round ones in the same hole.

As I said, mine were inserted from the outside.
66 Metuch Conv
Nightmist, Std Blu Int
6T08C223904    76A       K         22       15c     21      6        6
                      BODY  COLOR   TRIM    DATE   DSO   AXLE  XMSN
   C/O  785                                   (rotation #)
   16    C14   6T08C223904        (weld bay 16, bucked MAR 14)

Offline NEFaurora

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2011, 08:25:02 PM »

Found the answer.

Those plugs certainly indeed came in from behind...and were meant to come that way.  Just like the one original plug I found still installed from behind.  My 2nd plug was missing.

Here's where the confusion come in.  The 1966 Ford factory assembly manual shows the plugs coming in from the front on other models (Hardtop and Fastback) if the Rear Seat belts were deleted.  I then found a specific diagram (for Model 76 (Convertible Only) that shows the plugs being installed from behind, right on the bottom of the next page (Page 20).   According to the Original Assembly diagrams, The plugs definately come in from the rear (Behind) ONLY on the convertible. The bottom view of Page 20 clearly shows this.  Page 19  shows just the opposite for the Hardtop and Fastback. Why they did this just for the convertible is another bizarre Ford history question , but now there is documentation to prove it.   The one original remaining plug that I had left in my car was clearly the original plug...as my Driver's side was missing.  There was original paint (The original plug was painted over body color at the factory, and alot of original undercoating from the backside.  Another mystery solved, Well sort of, We still have no reason why Ford did this just on the convertble, but that is the way that it was done in production.
Tony Kovar (NEFaurora@aol.com)
1965 Mustang Convertible 200 cid 3spd manual
1966 Mustang Convertible Sprint 200 C4 Auto
2007 Mustang Convertible V6 Auto with "Pony Package".
1966 Mustang Sprint 200 Registry Owner/Moderator
MCA#70001

Offline bryancobb

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2011, 09:44:45 PM »
Do you think FORD did my "two rounds in an oval hole" plugs?
66 Metuch Conv
Nightmist, Std Blu Int
6T08C223904    76A       K         22       15c     21      6        6
                      BODY  COLOR   TRIM    DATE   DSO   AXLE  XMSN
   C/O  785                                   (rotation #)
   16    C14   6T08C223904        (weld bay 16, bucked MAR 14)

Offline NEFaurora

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2011, 09:16:49 PM »

Not sure what you mean by "Oval Hole plugs"  The only OVAL HOLE plugs even near the area in question are the Big Oval plugs that cover the top of the Rear shock area, and those are not in question here.   The plugs in question here are the plugs (One on each side) that are where the seat belts normally go on the Hardtop or Fastback.  If you have oval holes in this are, I would sure love to see them!  They should be round.

Tony Kovar (NEFaurora@aol.com)
1965 Mustang Convertible 200 cid 3spd manual
1966 Mustang Convertible Sprint 200 C4 Auto
2007 Mustang Convertible V6 Auto with "Pony Package".
1966 Mustang Sprint 200 Registry Owner/Moderator
MCA#70001

Offline bryancobb

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2011, 09:48:23 PM »
How about THESE OVAL HOLES?  My car had 2 of these round plugs in each oval hole, from the outside and they had sound deadener on them like the factory did it.



Looks like they would be coupe/2+2 seatbelt holes?
« Last Edit: January 19, 2011, 09:51:46 PM by bryancobb »
66 Metuch Conv
Nightmist, Std Blu Int
6T08C223904    76A       K         22       15c     21      6        6
                      BODY  COLOR   TRIM    DATE   DSO   AXLE  XMSN
   C/O  785                                   (rotation #)
   16    C14   6T08C223904        (weld bay 16, bucked MAR 14)

Offline NEFaurora

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2011, 03:29:09 AM »

My God.  I have never seen those!  It must have been a Metuchen thing!  Dearborn convertibles just have a normal round hole there with one plug!  Now I want to see a '65/'66 San Jose Convertible's holes in that area!!!!!!

Anyone got pics?  :o)

Well, It certianly looks like we found something specific to Metuchen convertibles!!!!

I will post pics of my '66 May 18th, Dearborn Convertible.

One has to wonder, Why could'nt the Metuchen plant stamp a standard hole there?  I wonder why Metuchen needed a Oval hole in that area....?????? Scratching my head...

Tony K.

Tony Kovar (NEFaurora@aol.com)
1965 Mustang Convertible 200 cid 3spd manual
1966 Mustang Convertible Sprint 200 C4 Auto
2007 Mustang Convertible V6 Auto with "Pony Package".
1966 Mustang Sprint 200 Registry Owner/Moderator
MCA#70001

Offline NEFaurora

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2011, 05:57:54 AM »

Here are the pics from my May 18th 1966 Dearborn Sprint Convertible's Rear Seat Area Plugs.. Just ignore the extra undercoating from the Previous owner.. I am in the process of cleaning it up...lol...

Driver's Side:



Passenger's side:




Tony K.

Tony Kovar (NEFaurora@aol.com)
1965 Mustang Convertible 200 cid 3spd manual
1966 Mustang Convertible Sprint 200 C4 Auto
2007 Mustang Convertible V6 Auto with "Pony Package".
1966 Mustang Sprint 200 Registry Owner/Moderator
MCA#70001

Offline CharlesTurner

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2011, 08:51:30 AM »
FYI, '65 wouldn't have the holes... no factory option for rear seat belts.
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Offline 66candy

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Re: Rear seat Trunk Wall Rubber Plugs Inside, or Outside?
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2011, 07:41:55 AM »
66 San Jose convertible:

Erwin, The Netherlands

66 Red Convertible, 289/4V AT/PS/PDB/PT