Santa brought my son a package tray & set of sail panels both of which were missing on his 69 std
my question is do we need to remove the back seat to install these correct and does it matter
which goes in 1st, the panels or tray ?
The rear seat must be removed and so must the rear window. You will also have to remove the windlace at the rear of the rear side window and the interior quarter panels. The sail panels wrap around the rear window channel under the rubber gasket and the windlace holds them in at the rear side window. Install the sail panels then the package tray then reinstall the windlace, rear interior quarter panels, rear seat and finally the rear window.
To do this correctly is not a quick and easy job. You may be able to get the sail panels installed without removing the rear window but I’ve never done it that way so I don’t know if it will work. My guess is that they won’t stay tight to the headliner unless you remove the rear window.
As I recall on a 70 the rear seat back needs to come out for the package tray. I would guess it would for a 69 also. As for the sail panels I don’t think it makes a difference. Good luck. I did not remove the rear window. I’m not saying that isn’t the correct way. Just saying I didn’y. Mine slid in by the back window and stays close to the headliner just fine. Again not disputing that’s the correct way. just i did it a different way and was maybe an hour to two hour job(after painting/dying panels).
Honestly I have never heard of any one removing the rear window to do this, which probably means they were all doing it the easy way! But it also means that it must be possible.
Father son projects are the best! My son and rebuilt his '68 and we both had fun and learned a lot. I was able to expand his vocabulary dramatically, including some automotive terms to go with the profanity… LOL!
The reason people do not remove the rear window to install the sail panels is because the reproductions are made incorrect. The originals have about 1" of extra material that goes around the pinch welds at the back glass and around the the pinch weld at the quarter windows. This kept the panels from falling down over time. If you use the reproduction panels you will need to put double back tape on both ends to keep them in place. Don’t rely on just the clip located in the center top of the panel.
Thanks for clarifying, John. I’ve never used the reproduction panels so didn’t realize they didn’t have the extra material on them.
My problem has been that there is not enough material, if I have them forward to where the windlace holds the front, then they are not long enough to go under the rubber around the back glass. What would the cure for this be?
The cure would be to make a more correct pair yourself or do what John suggested and use double sided tape to hold them in place.
Thanks everyone for the replies. we’ll probably tackle this some evening next week. gotta do the rear brakes and brake hose this weekend and go thru the parts my brother brings over to see if we have everything to convert the front to disc.
and yes I sure he’s picked up a phrase or two that he can’t use around the women folk !
I agree, but what would you use to make them out of?
Good question. You could use the reproduction cardboard backing and find a suitable type of material to cover it with. John was kind enough to make a set for me and I believe he used some material he got from a book bindery that very closely matches the original in both grain and thickness.
I put the package tray and insulation in last nite. just pulled out the rear seat and it slid right into place. after we testfit the sail panels I’ll take them to get covered and get those in. we did the rear brakes over the weekend, one drum was able to be turned but we had to buy one new one. I about sh*t when they said the drum was $65.00. I think I paid about $25.00 the last time (which has been awhile) but he’s got all new on the back including lines and hose. next up will probably be converting the front to disc, so I’m sure we’ll have more questions. Thanks to everyone for your help.
I’m thinking about replacing my beat-up package tray, too. So after the seat back came out, there was nothing else to remove? Is it held in with fasteners, or just by the back seat itself?
As I recall there shou/d be 2 sheet metal clips held in place with a screw that need to come off. Also having the sail panels off helps IIRC the package tray goes under them. But you should be able to do this with out removing them.
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As I recall there shou/d be 2 sheet metal clips held in place with a screw that need to come off. Also having the sail panels off helps IIRC the package tray goes under them. But you should be able to do this with out removing them.
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Ditto on the clips, also the package tray goes under the the side panels in the back where they meet up, also helps hold it down.
I’m thinking the package tray goes on top (installed after) the sail panel trim. Or is that just a '69 thing?
I concur with the observation for the 1969 Cougar. There are two metal channel clips that screw into the top edge of the sheet metal ( that the package tray rests on ) and these help to hold the package tray firmly in place. The package tray itself sits on TOP of the lower edges of the sail / side panels; there is extra material on the lower edge of the sail panel, which forms a ‘skirt’ that the package tray rests on. Not sure if this is the same situation for the 1967-1968 Cougar, but I don’t see why not. I have a 1971 T-bird ( 4-door ) and it is the same set-up and assembly as the 1969 Cougar !
Yes, the package tray goes on top of the Sail Panel material pix below is before i replaced the stained one in my 69.
You can see where the sail panel material has pulled up in the back. The pix is of a (IMHO rather substandard) NPD replacement package tray. My new one is a color matched piece from WCCC with Rear Speaker cutouts and much better fitting along the back.
67-8 Cougars do not have a separate sail panel, the headliner material extends all the way down to the package tray.
Randy Goodling
CCOA #95