I was thrilled to see:
the inner door panels had picked up such detail that they even included the masking tape texture (used to protect the chrome trim edge against the leather when they molded the car)
the B pillars and door sill tread plate details
the grille behind the fire extinguisher was exactly the same grille used on the #1 for the top of the center console, and it confirmed two of my theories.
I was disturbed to see:
tens of thousands of pinholes in the finish where the flocked fuzzy finish was sandblasted off the car--along with all of the gelcoat!
plywood for 1/3 of the floor pan--including where the seatbelt mounts were located
the rear half of the car was wired using 220 household wiring, the front half included an extension cord in the mix, and a pair of two gauge wires were bolted together inside the dashboard--with no insulation! The join was three inches away from metal for 360 degrees. It could have arced and burned down the car, the garage, and the house of the owner.
the brake line was completely pinched between the metal floor pan and the frame
We were able to salvage:
almost everything from the original car that was still present. We had to replace one third of the transmission tunnel because it was riddled with holes, with cuts, and repair pieces. We replaced the proportioning valve, the fuel filter, all electrical, tachometer, the carpeting, the vinyl on the dashboard, and the right 'arm rest.'
The original interior:
was pretty much gone by this point. The dashboard was redone by the Chicago Antique Auto Museum (probably at the same time as the restoration of the paint job) sometime between 1973 and 1976. Almost everything on the dashboard had to be sourced. The owner supplied the vision viewer, the yellow and the silver/black horn buttons, and the driver dashtop lights, as well as the detectascope/radar scope. We supplied everything else. The hardest items to find were the Muntz 4 track player, the silver speaker box on the driver dashtop, the large red light on the passenger dash top, and the biggie--the Ford Safety Package.
I'll try to add some photos later tonight.
