XR7-4.6's Disjointed Build Thread

[XR7-4.6]

Put it a black carpet today, was a freebie donated to the cause but unfortunately I got what I paid for! The molded backer is toast and consequently it's super lumpy around the trans tunnel, not to mention the gap by the console I expected from a 90-93 carpet(which I filled with a scrap cut from it). At least it'll hold me over through the rest of the blackening process though, but damn once everything is recovered/dyed I think I'll be absolutely dieing for a new ACC from Rockauto lol

Speaking of which, what exactly is the difference between the Cutpile and Essex choices? I see Essex is costlier but that's not my only motivator, since I actually want to retain the stock style texture my car came with,which I assume that's cutpile correct? I briefly had a Mark VIII carpet and didn't particularly like the more velvety texture of it, and I assume that's how the Essex is right? Any first hand experiences with both? Pics would be welcome!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Yeah the carpet part of the carpet is actually much nicer than the grey carpet it replaced, it just has no structural integrity whatsoever underneath, which doesn't really show up in pics. If you push on the floppy part of the tunnel it'll pull up on the floor portion, which is really really pushing my boundaries of tolerance lol. I had to poke a few holes into the console area and tie it to various hardpoints on the unibody(clip holes, studs, whatever I could get them around) to minimize the console area gaps. I suppose if I dodn't know I installed it in such a ghetto manner I wouldn't mind it so much

I became aware of the early/late padding differences last year, in addition to the rubber pad and padding they've also got HVAC vents for the rear seats integrated in that padding and no tar sound deadener glued to the pans like the 94-97s have, another reason it sits weird I'm sure. I glued padding from another 94-7 carpet I had onto it in a futile attempt to make it work better.

I might have to search for Mark VIII carpet again but I'm very hesitant about that, I really don't like the velvety texture of it compared to the stock cutpile (just personal preference) and the dead pedal I simply don't want period - I have a SC one, and it has the matching Bullitt pedal cover, I really don't want a dead pedal under another dead pedal with a non matching integrated pad. I'd like to see how other offerings and the Stockinteriors fit is before I give up though, hence the thread. I really haven't seen anyone actually post up their aftermarket carpets in anything but a verbal level, which only further makes me suspect the available options suck

 

[XR7-4.6]

Most people would just buy a good transmission and swap it in, but Nooooooo I had to be special. And now that I have something to fix in the one I took apart and rebuilt in my garage in front of my car, I went and got another trans to salvage the part I need, taking it apart in the garage in front of my car

Luckily this trans was toast in all the right places, 3-4 was bad, the reverse slider is all chewed up, 5th was plain gone but 1-2 was in decent shape and that's exactly what I needed. Fork even appears to be the updated version like my 04, but unlike mine it was perfectly centered on the hub before I took it apart and that presumably will fix my popping out of second issue.

And again huge thanks to 97Turd for yet another donation to the cause, I may be $$$ deep in this trans anyway but this would have easily pushed the tally into "why didn't I just buy a T56!!!" territory had I bought a new one ? And someone buy that bird of his already lol

 

[XR7-4.6]

So DOHC is here.

This is the most I've had it apart since I got it, and I like what I see.

Only dark sludge in this thing is on the reused Mark VIII pickup tube. Even the original timing cover is super clean inside...

The not so pretty ?

 

[XR7-4.6]

It occurred to me that I can finally share the wiring now since it's coming together.

Note that I did most of the harnesses over the course of a few weekends in 2013, and this was a total geek out for me, as I wanted it to be IDENTICAL to a factory 03/04 Mach 1 wiring harnesses. Why? Because I like factory appearance, and because I could. Only differences being I set it up to be able to switch with relatively little effort between waste spark COPs and genuine COPs(4 extra jumper wires for waste spark, 4 extra trigger wires for true COP) and wired in a FRPS for returnless. I'd like to go with a Mach 1 EEC eventually but this allows me to save $$$, not just in the new PCM, but the new PRP database I'd have to purchase from SCP, which is an offputting expendature frankly. When I am willing to do that however, it will be a matter of relative plug and play and a slight tweaking the COP branches of the harness.

Much of the process I used only the intake manifold as a guide, and only united it with the motor to get a few take out connector reference positions. I also scoured the internet to find as many reference pictures of Mach 1 engines and bare harness from Ebay and whatnot I could possibly acquire(seriously, I have a 400MB file of dedicated pics saved), I also purchased a 2003 Mustang EVTM chock full of wire colors, splice pack locations and connector pinouts. I went into this with the primary goal(challenge) to use up as much of my stash of wires and connectors as possible, which led to a scavenger hunt of finding long lengths(long enough to go unspliced from connector to connector) of matching color wires to all the EVTM descriptions, which, with very few exceptions I succeeded in. It reminded me of the days I played with Legos lol. It all started like this...



I think these connectors and wires came from an Explorer, they were surprisingly complete with the the colors matching and the injector connectors matching the new style injectors I plan to use(I have both #24s and #39s) so this gets the honor of being the cornerstone to the project.





A few circuits added(TPS and EVR from what I see), the basic routing nailed(taped) down



The yellow and white "wire" going through the rubber hose sections are actually pieces of coat hanger, and served as sort of a temporary backbone of sorts to keep the wires is shape and went all te way around the manifold(not super visible in the pics after this first one, but it's there), it would be removed once completed and ready to do the final wrapping.






IAC control and DPFE sensor wires in place.



Various splice wires run and spliced(power, sig rtn and such). The square connector on the bottom is for the reverse lights, VSS and LF and rear 02s on the trans.



EVR, ECT, PCV heater, FRPS circuits done.



Wires being organized into main connectors.







I ran this connector way down on the branch of wires to help keep them in place and tight as I began the internal wrapping - as I rolled the tape a few inches, I moved the connector back.

*Note, this connector was temporary just for this task as it was hacked to allow the wires to pass all the way through without binding.







Next the wires were positioned 90* in the temporary connector, just as they would be installed, I then marked their position, removed them one by one, and soldered the new pins onto each wire. This part was VERY tedious, time consuming and repetive, my fingers are still numb!

*Note the connector at the left is actually a V6 Mustang section I cut off at the junkyard just for positioning purposes, I taped it to my harness just to nail down where the new connector sits.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Installation in the "new" connector.





All done.... Crap! Except for coils lol

This I admittidly took a liberty with, I wanted the coil wires to be larger gauge than stock and I couldn't find any in my stash so I had to use a roll. Black wires are the triggers, red is power. Obviously to make it easy for me I had to label them to make sense of things once assembled





I did however slip short lengths of matching color tube over the stripped wires to make them look correct from the untaped areas at the connector(the green/white wire is the most visible in the pic below), took some trickery with a heat gun and managed to slip it right over the strands, I then put heat shrink over the junction to seal it. All because I'm OCD



I didn't take pics during the final wrapping, which is unfortunate since it was as involved as everything else but if you've paid attention this far you can see the details, again all lifted off the Mach 1 layout.









I also drilled/tapped the valve cover for the 03 style PCV valve mount to use the larger factory tube this Intake is set up for.




Now that the engine is here I can finally finalize the coils, as well as the oil pressure sensor and alternator stuff I couldn't previously do. Stay tuned!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Finished up the coil wiring today

Weirdly Factory Mach 1s don't use these nifty wire guides for some reason, I got mine out out of a Continental, presumebly Mark VIIIs use them too? Either way, was able to neatly tuck the unused 1, 3, 7 and 8 coil wires inside until if/when I do the PCM swap.





Also mounted the noise caps and ran their wires



<a href="http://s78.photobucket.com/user/cougarman1/media/2015/001_10.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j108/cougarman1/2015/001_10.jpg~original" border="0" alt=" photo 001_10.jpg"/></a>

The bracket holding the harness to the head in the above pic I custom made using pics of Mach 1 harnesses. think I got it pretty close(though I need to repaint it since it got scuffed up during the wiring mock up





Used these pics(circled in red) to make a template from, think I got it pretty accurate considering.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Two hours and a toothbrush later...








Cleaned up surprisingly well, so the dilemma is clearcoat the natural finish or paint it silver?

 

[XR7-4.6]

98 Cobra cams!

Been holding out for a pair of these since I bought the motor, conveniently a local member of my Mustang club posted up a full set recently, including the heads(which I may copy Racecougar with, vis a vis sweet table ) for a good price. Paid much more than I would Conti cams but I really haven't been able to go junkyarding to get them anyway, so extra 4 degrees it is.





Also learned what a pain it is to pull the cam on the drivers side head, the tensioner can't be removed like the other side so the sprocket needs to come off. Probably not a big deal on the car but it sucks getting leverage when the head is loosly placed on a bench!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Finished my valve spring compressor! Total cost: $0.00



Put to the test.

 

[XR7-4.6]

It begins...Again!




Yep. Replaced the valve seals, valve cover gaskets/grommets, exhaust manifold gaskets, oil filter adapter gasket, timing cover gaskets, front crankshaft seal, rear main seal, oil pan gasket, oil pan itself(rust free!) installed the 96-98 Cobra cams and degreed them to 108* ICL/114* ECL. Sorting out other odds and ends occupied most of the season.




Stay tuned

 

[XR7-4.6]

Are you running the 03-04 EEC?

You are doing an awesome job; I can't wait to see it run!

I never thought of trucks for wiring lengths, lol. Good tip!

I'm going to use the MBE3 PCM for now, I modified the EEC harness in the spring to work with both PCMs since the pinouts are actually quite close, so my car is wired for knock sensors, returnless fuel, ect if/when I do it. I even added 4 extra wires to the engine harness for the COP jumpers, I just need to clip those and plug in the 4 other true COP wires tucked away in the harness. Kind of OTT but it'll cost me a minimum of $500 to use the Mach PCM, between the PCM itself, SCT's database and the aftermarket tach driver (there's no output in the PCM for it, just a do all CAN bus), not worth it unless I stumble across one cheap one day

Speaking of trucks, 99-00ish F150 5.4s have throttle cables that are the correct length and correct connections(2 bolt firewall/square bracket clip) for 99/01 Cobra/Mach 1 intakes. HUGE savings from what I've found for the real deal online

 

[XR7-4.6]

It continues!

I haven't taken pics of the disassembly up to this point, and I know it seems like I'm leaving you all hanging on this gripping thread, but I assure you, you're not not seeing anything you haven't seen before so just use your imaginations for trans removal, driveshaft removal ect. Real documentary worthy progress will come in the assembly side of things.

But until then here's how I spent the afternoon, after replacing the bent 1-2 shift fork yesterday. For new readers or those who forgot, second gear would pop to neutral when any power was applied, and the only part I neglected to replace from the damaged second gear assembly during the first rebuild was the fork. The difference between forks is very subtle, I needed a straight edge to see the old one was bent but it most definitely was, and the corner wear on my bronze fork pads told the tale as well. Fingers crossed the new fork solves it. For good measure I added a 1/8"shim to the 1-2 detent plug to add spring tension just in case.

Also of note, or maybe not, this is the first time I used Right Stuff RTV to seal it up. Up to now I've been using Ultra Black, which takes 24hours to dry, have to initially hand tighten, then torque in an hour yaddayadda. Right stuff is torque within 5 minutes and done, literally that's what the instructions say, so I'm a bit on edge wondering if all my synchromesh gushes out like a waterfall lol

 

[XR7-4.6]

Got the 2V stripped to the longblock, ready to pull. Today I mocked up my one of my most desirable "mods" on the 4V with the removed parts





If I cut the hose where my thumb is it'll clear the pulley easily. It's actually a pretty good fit despite the different location.




I'm going to up my oil change frequency just for the hell of it with this kind of access!

Ironically getting to filter from the factory location was super easy today with the power steering pump off... Yet I still managed to get an armfull of oil!!!

 

[XR7-4.6]

2V out!

 

[XR7-4.6]

DOHC still awaiting transplant, but spent my time making sure it'll fit under the stock hood.... I hope. Got this idea from the the first gen FN10 crowd with Cobra intake swaps.


My "kit"

The K member to body alignment had me somewhat concerned doing this and after some careful thought, measuring and sifting through my bucket of bolts I found 4 with flanges the correct diameter, so I cut them short and drilled/tapped the two front spacers and put them in each end, one to align the frame and the other the K member. works perfectly

 

[XR7-4.6]

4V in!

Also figured I'd revise my tidy power steering hose layout since I had room. You can see the old version in previous pics where it makes a broad loop under the sway bar and then outside the K member to the cooler line. Since I had much more clearance with the engine out I added a 90 degree elbow to run it behind the bar.

That will be nice to see it fit under the stock hood, I don't care too much for aftermarket hoods.

Yeah that's a big motivator. Since I have a 94 Cougar my only option would be to get a 89-93 Thunderbird hood(Mach 1 or Cobra R, neither of which I like) and cut the grille section off. On top of that I don't trust fiberglass latches at speed, period, so I'd need ugly pins. Want to sell me on them being safe without pins? Pay for the damage if/when it flies open. Other easy option of course would be a bolt on scoop, which, ugh.

 

[XR7-4.6]

I really hope you clear too; I've got that same intake.

Goldbird just barely had to have a hole, and that blower was at least an inch taller than the Mach intake.

Well you do have 96-7s, so you may have a fighting chance without mods. I measured the height difference between from the alt/bellhousing flanges and the highest point of the manifolds - the plenum near the throttle body on the 2V, and the end of the cast portion where the EGR snakes - and the difference was only about 5/8". Trouble of course is the 2V plenum only takes up a narrow area, the 4V intake is tall right from the end of the alternator back, and sports a few lumpy accessories(throttle cable, EGR, EVR), but with the extra clearance 96-7 hoods offer you may be able to squeeze it in without shims.

So does it fit? Well I planned to save it for near the end so as to not spoil my optimism in case it doesn't.

























But **** it...

 

[XR7-4.6]

Stock motor mounts. I swapped the assemblies directly from the 2V to the 4V. Side profile is going to be skewed no matter what because these will be going in place of the Tokicos (thanks MikeB!)



Wiring has been mostly posted but I'll have more when it's in the car. I basically copied the New Edge Mustang layout in both cases, the 2V was over the top from there since I made a custom vacuum harness and relocated the EVR to the back. The 4V is very much stock Cobra/Mach 1 configuration, which is fine with me since it's clean and tidy. 2Vs are hard to make pretty because that nice and low intake manifold is consequently buried by everything, including the fuel rails, IAC tube/muffler, PCV ****, ect. for which nothing can be done about. I'd like to think I had the cleanest plastic intake 2V setup you can get without outright deleting functional components.

Today I'll be installing the clutch and maybe getting the trans in, hoped to get some of that done earlier on the weekend but got distracted by exhaust ideas.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Exedy stage 1 clutch in



ooh pretty stickers!






Overnight parts from Japan




Also worked on the throttle cable. I found one from a 2000ish 5.4 F150 since they're identical in length and they use the same connections the Cobra/Mach 1 throttle cables have... minus the substantial "Mustang markup" I failed however to take into account the length of the cable itself which is about 4" longer than ideal compared to the 2V cable(above)




So I scoured the net for ideas this morning and copied what bikers use, and rather than order and wait on yet another part I made my own from a hitch pin and a bolt I found in a drawer. FREEEEEEE!




Cut the end off and test fitted



And it works!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Heater hoses done. I was going to add CELO but messed up the doner tube with the boss while flaring it, so I used a straight one (also modified from an old tube). Oh well, maybe I'll revisit later. I used factory clamps and mesh for a clean install, also switched the inlets/outlets around as discussed earlier, and added a ground wire.

Rust free 4V tubes

This is all that remains of the factory heater return hose. luckily it's a tight angle so despite the heater core outlet angling off to the other end it actually ends up straight in this direction. The metal fitting is the remains of some tube I had, if I add CELO later this is what it will go in place of.

Parts store straight hose was all I needed

 

[XR7-4.6]

I'm sure all of you are sick to death of seeing rats nest wiring **** in this thread but I assure you this is one of the final postings I plan to feature it so prominently. I spent the afternoon on this due to a slight miscalculation...



Sorry for the out of focus picture, but you can still make out that these connectors are facing the opposite directions, the right one is old 96 connector, the left one is part of the new Mach 1 cloned harness I built from scratch. Oops. This isn't the mindless oversight you may think it is - that I wired it backwards by accident - No. What happened was I failed to take into account that the bottom, EEC harness, section of this connector clips from the BACK, to the firewall, on Mustangs, rather than from the FRONT, to the shock tower, on MN12s. As is the pinouts actually were identical, problem was the harness would be hanging over the passenger fender in order to plug and play

Rather than flip the custom engine harness connector, which I made the wire bundle very tight and tidy, and would be damn near impossible to flip without messing it up, I decided to take the rather unorthadox approach of "flipping" the bottom, EEC harness, connector, without actually flipping it.

Bear with me, things are about to get weird.






As you can see, the internal pinout in these connectors are actually identical whether one end is facing east or west, but several physical stops on the inner and outer connector shells impede doing such an act(for obvious reasons). Well, that act is exactly what I did.


That means, for starters, I had to do this



And then proceeded to rid it of the stops

First though came the top number plate. This wasn't actually necessary for any kind of fitment(identical pinout regardless of rotation) but it made replacing the wires (which I actually hat the foresight to label for once) very easy. All I had to do here was file two notches to clear the two clip mounts on the connector body, then simply flip it 180*. Clipped right in place.



Next I had to make similar notches on the other end of the connector itself to clear the engine connector's clip mounts. I used a Dremel with a 1/8" cutting bit from here on out.



Opposite end(visible are the opposing factory slots I just cut above) I cut this long center slot, where a clip on the engine connector slides through, the old slot is visible in the previous pic.



Next were the internal stops, all 3 had to be ground down on one end, and just the two outermost ones on the other. Not super pretty but I went in blind since the lip of the connector shell covers 2/3 of them, which need to be ground all the way to the gasket.





^ the slot behind the clip also had to be widened.

Wires in place and fully bundled up.







Success!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Had to order some stuff before I could proceed further, unfortunately it took until today to receive some key parts (ugh October first, at this rate it'll be done just in time for hibernation). There's about a dozen other things but the one I chose to start with and present for your viewing pleasure is the steering mod, my take on it specifically.



As you can see one of my low budget solutions to this was utilizing a factory column joint for the middle pivot, these are extremely common, cheap, extremely robust, cheap, are easy to find in good used condition(they're mounted in the interior afterall), and yes, CHEAP. DD shaft, same deal. 80s-90s era Fords are loaded with them, I have a particularly large section(pictured below) I'll be using after this mockup phase is complete(replacing the ugly telescoping section I'm holding up)

I originally planned to do this reusing the factory rag joint, I have another rack in mind down the road that uses a different style connection and didn't want to invest in anything MN12 specific, let's just say. But what I quickly realized and what caused the week + delay in progress was that this joint clocks the other end of the shaft 90 degrees. In my head this was a simple solution - the steering rack uses an even 36 splines, so just clock the ragjoint 90 degrees too. Well that would have worked just fine, that is until I laid eyes on this flat alignment section in the stock spline area, preventing doing just that:



Oh yeah and as it turns out 22 year old joint from an already soft and isolated old man car = sloppy as hell.



So the solution to both problems is... upgrade!



Obviously having 3 joints requires some kind of support, I can't just ziptie the thing away from the exhaust! Well I have a solution for that too:



Tune in for the next installment!

 

[XR7-4.6]

Finished my *temporary* throttle cable bracket - Obviously it lacks cruise, for which I was unsure whether or not it would even clear the hood, nor was I sure what cable to use so I just pressed ahead with throttle only, keeping it as close to the intake as possible to minimize hood interference. Nothing too fancy, just thick flat sheetmetal with a rollpin used to space the spring out.






Hood closes with it in place but I'm curious just how that area fits, so I stuck my old digi camera with a timer under to get an idea of how close it is

:saeek:



Does not get closer than that! Luckly it's under the brace so I can notch that for engine movement, I'm also happy to see there's ample room for a cruise cable to go

 

[XR7-4.6]

Continued from where I left off here

The big chunk of aluminum stock replaces the factory steering shaft boot assembly, serving as firewall bearing support. I opted for strength so I used 6061 Aluminum 0.25" thick. Should be stronger than the sheetmetal it's attached to, and was an utter pain to cut out

After some trial and error I found the most ideal location for the bearing, both for best clearance around the engine, as well as minimizing angle to ensure tight easy to seal gaps for final install

The bearing I installed from the interior side of the plate

Engine bay side. I used countersunk SS bolts here, kind of overkill as it turned out, but my initial plan was to mount the bearing plate diagonally with the bolt sandwiched between the firewall, but with such a fluid project, not really knowing how it would go together until the moment of truth, there was plenty of space to mount the bolts on the outside, clocked vertically, with easier access in case I ever need to remove it.

Here it is installed from the inside, after thoroughly sealing the potential air gaps in the bearing with right stuff, as well as the plate. As you can see the shaft is just the stock section, which turned out to be nearly perfect length(I actually had to shorten it a hair)

This is partially complete, the rubber grommet on the shaft will be used to seal off the shaft bearing passthrough - it's a full 3/4" circle rather than 3/4" DD like the shaft so there's two half moon gaps - I'll be pushing this grommet right up afainst the bearing using a section of the stock telescoping shaft sleeve to hold it in place, sandwiched on the other end by the U joint.

And the payoff.

I still need to countersink the set screw holes for the rack U joint but all assembled it's very nice, even with the tires still off the ground turning the steering wheel feels smooth and bind free.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Out with the cut Tokicos













In with the 3/4" drop Vogtlands



Also doing the endlinks. They were the originals and actually feel pretty stiff and performed fine, but the boots were TOAST.



So in with NOS TRWs



Nice even gap all the way around.

 

[XR7-4.6]

My cut tokicos were lower than 1.6" vogtlands, probably between 1.8" and 2". I don't like that kind of low anymore, not sure I ever really did(seemed like a good idea at the time) it scraped eveyywhere and just aesthetically I'd rather have an even symmetrical gap all the way around the wheel opening.

Plus I need to change my car up, because copycats

So, when are you taking it off the jack stands? :grin2:

Hardy har har

 

[XR7-4.6]

Boom! 15,000th post in my own thread!



Not much going on since the last update due to a 1-2 punch of some family matters and the weather, but I should update lest this project look as derailed as it is ?

First task, I decided any attempt at using Mustang airtubes and airboxes is pretty much a pipe dream, so instead I'm now using a complete Gen II Mark VIII setup. The throttle body placement is identical between the two and obviously the shock tower is the same so it's really pointlessly stubborn of me not to go this route. Couple key mods had to be made though. I'm not using the stock internal MAF the Mark has, so instead I swapped in my GT 80mm, which lucky enough is a direct bolt in

The only physical modification needed was the trimming of this lip at the bottom of the sensor, the housing won't fit back together with it in tact

1/4" cut off with the dremel made short work of that

Here it is installed. The FN10 uses a different core support believe it or not so I ended up eliminating two of it's mounting ears for tidiness

Here's the MAF/IAT inline connectors I had to add, keeping in mind the main connector is effectively sealed inside the box. I tucked them in underneath to keep it tidy

and I also added the wires for the IAT as well ad the 6-pin connector - you all know my wiring by now so I'll spare you the pics of that process ?


The intake tube is essentially unmodified... except the one you see here which I used as a test piece to hack up for other possibilities... but because I used Mach 1 valve covers with the front breather, rather than the Lincoln style covers with the rear one, I would have had to loop a hose way back and around to the tube's rear facing outlets. Instead I found some suitable PCV elbows and added a grommet to the front corner of the tube, which I can simply join with a straight hose.

Other than that..... Well...?

 

[XR7-4.6]

On today's installment of short attention span workshop - $20 battery relocation!


Ok, before anyone says it, this isn't at all NHRA legal, but I really don't give a ****, I'm not firewalling a redtop and adding kill switches so I can hit the dragstrip once every three years without getting hassled by tech. This looks stock, because it is essentially stock, using parts and layout from stock cars, so maybe, just maybe I'll fool em into thinking it came this way

Underrated source for large cable? The Lincoln LS. These things have become staples at U-Pull-It over the last five years and they all have factory trunk mounted batteries, run entirely inside the passenger compartment - so no corrosion either - Admittedly I found it to JUST fit the longer MN12 platform, and because it ends at the firewall on the Lincoln I'm doing the same, no direct route to the starter as most do when using new cable from scratch. No matter for me though, I actually planned it this way before the discovery.

Next task was the tray, so... reuse the underhood tray! Add a hole here, cut there and it's all set for trunk floor mounting

Now I just put it all together

Cable run along wheelwell, under carpet(I'm going to add some convoluted tubing to protect this leg of it)

Under the L brace and to the floor

And once at the floor it conveniently fits in the slots the JBL amp/CD changer harness formerly resided

And here's where I leave you, it ends up right at the passthrough grommet I was aiming for.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Continuing from this thread: Rear Deck Recover in Black

I decided to get this over with, so to recap, O'Reilly carpet, I used Super 90 adhesive and applied it directly over the factory Sport carpet

Sprayed both sides, allowing 5 minutes before application

I started from the hump where the CHMSL would go, working my way down, kind of a pain and probably should have worked my way down little by little, but I got the shape nailed

Hardest part was cutting all the holes, especially the smaller ones. My tools are not meant for upholstery work! But it turned out pretty well

Back in the car, matches the other factory black parts around it very well.