The MMD Convertible Styling Bar in charcoal is a great choice for any '94 to '04 Convertible
Mustang owner who's looking for a unique custom exterior styling that complements the body
style perfectly.
This one is one of the simpler options as far as styling bars go.
And it comes in right over the $300 mark.
Now, as far as the installation is concerned, this one is gonna get two out of three wrenches
on our difficulty meter here simply because it is a little more involved than a direct
bolt-on.
Now, when you drop the top of your convertible, it is definitely pretty cool, but you have
a very unique opportunity to take that a step further, one that Coupe owners do not have.
The styling bar adds just a little extra layer of customization to your SN-95 or New Edge
Mustang.
Completely changes the look of your Mustang when the top is down, but once it's up, you'll
only see the bar from the inside.
Now, aside from the obvious appearance change to your Mustang, it also helps to stiffen
the chassis a bit, which can reduce body flex.
The bar is a super tight fit in order to stiffen that up, which can make the install just a
little bit trickier, but it's still pretty simple.
And it's definitely worth noting that this is not, in any way, supposed to be an anti-roll
bar or anti-roll cage.
It holds no weight in helping to protect against rollover damage, so keep that in mind.
This is purely an appearance and chassis stiffening piece, but it's mainly focusing on the styling
aspect.
Now, this was made using a tubular steel for strength, and it gets its shape using a molded
foam with a durable weather resistant urethane vinyl wrap that has an OEM-style grained texture
to it.
But obviously, when it rains or snows you'll throw your top up, but it'll tuck in right
under the ragtop perfectly without causing any issues getting it up or down.
The dark charcoal finish here matches the charcoal interior of some of the models in
this generation, but it even goes with the black interiors as well.
Now, if this color isn't really your favorite or if you've got the tan interior, there are
styling bars to match that as well.
Now, you can get this for just under the $300 mark, but there are some more advanced ones
out there that incorporate maybe a third brake light when the top's down or even some carbon
fiber finishes as well, which would definitely run you a bit more money, but it's worth adding
if you're into the added functionality.
Now, as far as the install is concerned here, this one is gonna be a little bit more involved
than a direct bolt-on, so I am giving it two out of three wrenches on our difficulty meter.
Now, we put our own Mustang into the shop here to see how it's done, so let's head over
there to get this installed.
First, use your flathead screwdriver to push in the retaining clip holding the lower rear
seats in place.
Then remove the seat from the vehicle.
Remove the two 10-millimeter bolts holding the upper rear seat in place...
Once removed, pull up on the seat to release the upper clips holding the seat to the vehicle.
Using the trim removal tool, remove the upper trim panel pin and two rear trim panel pins
that were hidden by the rear seat.
Now remove the two pins holding the rubber seal to the trim panel as well as the upper
speaker grill.
You're gonna pry away carefully with a flathead screwdriver...
Now use a Torx head bit to remove the lower part of the seatbelt from the vehicle.
You're then gonna remove the rocker silk cover by carefully pulling upwards and removing.
The interior panel will now be free and you should be able to remove it entirely...
Use the provided template and drill a 1/8-inch pilot holes into each of the cross-sections.
Once the holes are drilled through the panel, file with a one-inch hole saw through the
outside of the panel.
These holes will intersect and you may file them to make one uniform oval.
After the holes are drilled, pry the upper trim mounting clip from the panel, it is no
longer needed.
Remove the rear speakers with a seven-millimeter socket and remove them from the car.
Now you can loosen the inner quarter panel covers by prying them away from the body.
They're held from the factory with a black sealant.
Take care not to scrape this off, as it will be reused when resealing the panel.
There are two brackets that are included with your styling bar marked L and R for proper
placement.
The crimp nuts are offset on each bracket and you're going to use the opposite side
bracket for each side of the vehicle to mark the holes you're going to drill for the body.
This will ensure, when installed on the proper sides, the holes will line up as they should.
Make sure the bracket is running parallel to the B pillar of the car.
When it's correctly placed, use a center punch to mark the body of the vehicle through the
holes of the two crimp nuts.
You're then gonna drill a 1/8-inch pilot holes where you marked and then you're gonna enlarge
them to 3/4 inch.
Now you can place the brackets on the inside of the B pillar on the correct side of the
vehicle and use the supplied rivets to secure them to the body.
Make sure the brackets are flat against the inside of the pillar and that the crimp nuts
are facing the rear of the vehicle or the styling bar will not tighten properly.
Once the brackets are secured to the body, reinstall the inner quarter panel trim and
outer trim panel...
Carefully slide the styling bar into the holes you drilled in the interior panel trim.
Push the bar down as far as it'll go on either side.
Now use the supplied hardware to attach the bar to the brackets inside of the B pillar,
but do not fully tighten until the final adjustments are made.
Place the provided plastic plugs into the remaining holes in the quarter trim panel
and reinstall the rear seat.
Reattach the lower portion of the seatbelt to the factory location.
Make sure the styling bar is fully secured to the brackets during final adjustment before
driving the vehicle.This is where you're gonna make sure everything is tight and placed exactly
where you want it.
Just to wrap things up here, if you're the owner of a '94 to '04 convertible Mustang,
then you might wanna check out the MMD Convertible Styling Bar in charcoal, which you can find
right here in americanmuscle.com.