The driver's compartment is one of the most crucial areas of a car to get right. Let's face it, it's where you spend almost all of your time. Even though our 2011 AMSOIL Mustang GT isn't what some might consider a normal build, every aspect of the car needed to be something special-and the interior was no exception.
Building a project car is nearly mpossible without the help of good partnerships-be it your friends, a shop to help do the work, or simply a place to get the parts you need.
For our AMSOIL GT build, we teamed up with some of the best in the business. AmericanMuscle.com
(AM) made sure we were comfortable by supplying a set of Corbeau CR1 racing-style seats and the correct brackets to bolt them in the stock location. AM also supplied the rear seat delete that helped shed a few unwanted pounds, while giving our interior a super-clean, racy look at the same time.
Our 2011 AMSOIL SEMA GT started...
Our 2011 AMSOIL SEMA GT started life as a base-model Mustang. The car was not dealer-prepped (as we picked it up in Detroit near the assembly plant) so many of the interior pieces were wrapped in plastic.
Although we already took care of our power needs (with the FRPP blower, Kooks headers, AMSOIL fluids and SCT tune), we felt the need to raise the bar. NOS sent one of its universal EFI nitrous kits and a couple of super-slick composite nitrous bottles, which we custom-mounted in a dual-bottle bracket from Blow-By Racing.
The silver look of the bottles coupled with the bling of the polished billet bottle mount tied perfectly into the black-and-silver theme of the interior. We cover the entire install, as well as give you the hardcore dyno and track test, in a future issue.
The black and silver theme also ties into our seats. Summit Racing sent us a set of Simpson Platinum five-point racing harnesses to hold us securely in place at the track, and they look great, too! We also added an NHRA-legal six-point, bolt-in rollbar from Maximum Motorsports.
Since our AMSOIL GT started out as a base-model GT, the steering wheel was bland, to say the least. As members of the edit staff on the greatest Mustang magazine, we can pull some strings from time to time. A phone call to a friend at Ford scored us a GT500 steering wheel, which was a needed addition to the driver's compartment.
With the help of great partnerships, our AMSOIL GT's front office was completely renovated in short time. Best of all, we did all the modifications in our SIM Snap-on Tech Center. The additions add a great blend of form and function, and help set this 2011 Mustang apart from the rest.
The base cloth seats, although...
The base cloth seats, although comfortable, didn't have the aggressive style we were looking for.
The base interior meant we...
The base interior meant we got this no-frills steering wheel. Even though it serves as a perfectly functional unit, we wanted something a little more racy.
Because we have connected...
Because we have connected friends, we made a few calls and were able to score a steering wheel from a 2011 GT500. The Alacantara and wider grips feel great. Let's face it, you have a lot of interaction with the steering wheel, so it must feel good in your hands.
We started our office renovation...
We started our office renovation by removing the front and rear seats. This made room for the rear seat delete, rollbar, and race-style seats to come.
Maximum Motorsports sent us...
Maximum Motorsports sent us one of its six-point bolt-in rollbars. Installation of the bar was simple and straight forward, even though we didn't exactly follow the directions.
The stock lower bulkhead brackets...
The stock lower bulkhead brackets need to be removed for the rollbar installation.
Maximum Motorsports supplies...
Maximum Motorsports supplies heavy-duty replacements that are beefier than stock. The new brackets also serve as the mounting points for the main hoop.
The Maximum Motorsport bulkhead...
The Maximum Motorsport bulkhead brackets are made from much heavier gauge steel.
They need to be painted before...
They need to be painted before installation.
After removing the excess...
After removing the excess factory seam sealer, the new brackets slide right into place and bolt up using the stock bolt holes.
With the brackets in place,...
With the brackets in place, the main hoop slides into the cabin and fit like it was designed on this car. At this point, we also marked and drilled the holes for the rear down bars, which bolt to the wheelwells.
Next we measured and cut the...
Next we measured and cut the holes in the interior panels. This is where we strayed from the directions. Instead of cutting apart the interior panels for an easy installation, we drilled holes for the tubes to go through them.
Maximum Motorsports includes...
Maximum Motorsports includes a piece of PVC tubing to use as a template to mark the holes for the rear down-tubes, helping you to cut the holes in the perfect location. With the interior panels in one piece, we were forced to assemble the four rear points of the rollbar and the rear interior panels outside of the car. Installing it this way was very challenging, but the end result is super clean. We could not have done this without the help of Mark Houlahan, tech editor on our sister magazine Modified Mustangs & Fords. Thanks, Mark!
Installation of the door bars...
Installation of the door bars is much simpler. The bars slip into place, and the front plate is used as a template for the four holes that need to be drilled.
A plate on the underside sandwiches...
A plate on the underside sandwiches the floor for extra strength.
We knew we weren't going to...
We knew we weren't going to run a rear seat once the rollbar was installed.
AmericanMuscle.com supplied us with a rear seat delete (PN 80304) to take care of the back-seat area. The panels are thin, lightweight wood that is covered in carpet. They simply slide in and are held in place by a few factory fasteners and Velcro.
The lower portion fit perfectly...
The lower portion fit perfectly and covers the access points to the fuel system, which reside under the rear seats. This panel can be easily removed for any service or upgrades.
The upper portion fits neatly...
The upper portion fits neatly between the rear plastic interior panels and is held in place with a few factory clips and a strip of Velcro.
The finished product is simple...
The finished product is simple and clean, but when youe build a car for the SEMA show, simple and clean is never enough.
The interior needed a little...
The interior needed a little bling. We found it in Blow-By Racing's polished billet nitrous-bottle mount (PN BNB-EC2-A). The mount is super-slick looking and holds two bottles.
After heated conversations...
After heated conversations about where and how to mount the bracket and bottles, we decided to mount them on the back of the harness bar. This put the NOS carbon composite nitrous bottles on display for everyone to see.
The nitrous bottles from NOS...
The nitrous bottles from NOS fit the black and silver theme of our interior nicely. Look for a full story on the nitrous install, along with some hardcore dyno and track testing, in a future issue.
AmericanMuscle also supplied...
AmericanMuscle also supplied with so-racy-yet-comfortable new office chairs. Corbeau CR1 (PN 80902) race-style seats wrapped in black cloth give our interior a clean, yet very aggressive look.
AmericanMuscle also sent us...
AmericanMuscle also sent us the correct seat brackets (PN 80917) for our new Corbeaus to bolt into the stock location.
Safety is paramount. To ensure...
Safety is paramount. To ensure we are held securely in place, Summit Racing sent us a set of Simpson Platinum fine-point harnesses (PN SIM-29110P). The shoulder harnesses are secured to the harness bar of the rollbar, while the side belts attach to the factory location. (The inside of both the driver and passenger seat attach to the seat bracket.)
In about two days, we took...
In about two days, we took the driver's compartment of our AMSOIL GT and transformed it into an aggressive, race-inspired cockpit. It's a great blend of form and function that is not only comfortable, but looks cool too!