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Absolutely! Carpet is on the short list, but I've got a couple of other things in line first.
While you are at it.....
HVAC wrap and heavy-duty HVAC aluminized tape to hold everything in place.
It reflects interior heat like you would not believe...as a bonus it absorbs noise too.....
This won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I had a stereo put in today, along with a backup camera. Down the road, I might go with a better stereo, but it’s nice to stream and make hands-free calls. My previous aftermarket radio from Custom Autosound quit working, whether because it got wet in the storm or just died after 30 years. I have the original radio and bezel tucked away in case I ever really want to go back to stock, but that’s unlikely.
I'm very delinquent in posting, but I'll throw up a few updates from summer and fall over the next couple of weeks. The car has been in and out of the shop a lot this year, but I did get to take it on a road trip from Fort Worth to San Antonio in August. For reference, the car DID NOT have AC. I was validating whether I really wanted to spend the money on Vintage Air. Turns out, yes I do. Here's some of what I learned on the trip and a pic of the car at the Buc-ee's in New Braunfels (you can see the beaver statue in the background).
The good:
- 250 miles each way, flawless engine performance, kept up 75+ mph at 3,500 to 4,000 RPM for hours at a time
- Temp was under 200F, my guess around 195F, just the tiniest hair over what it normally is when warmed up, despite 100F+ ambient
- Just at 16 mpg. Not as good as I remember back in the day, but I'm also driving it faster than back in the 1990s
The bad:
- Loud as hell, both windows open the whole way, except when I got caught in a heavy rain
- More work to do on window fit...it rained a little inside the car with the windows up
- Used 1+ quarts of oil each way. I can live with it given the stress I was putting on the car and the engine is original, untouched, and at 99K miles
Catching up a little more documenting my build...added in new rear speakers to go with the new stereo. Two Polk 6x9s really upgrade the sound. I went with the cutout boxes rather than the soundbar. The boxes were easy to install to the car, two holes drilled and two screws each, but putting the speakers in afterward was a PITA since I only have two hands. It might have been easier if I'd ordered the pre-installed speakers; the screw holes in the boxes didn't match up with the holes in the boxes, so I had to drill some new ones, which I think made it even harder when reinstalling them in the car.
