well as many of you know my 97 came from the factory with tan cloth, and after 220k miles as a family car it was showing it's age severely. (stains, broken down, headliner sagging ect) so i finally found a good replacement for it and i said i would do a write up as i switched over, so as promised, here it is.


i will give the explanation of how then the pictures to demonstrate the action. and i have a lot of "pointing" pictures so ppl know where the screws/bolts/nuts are located.

this is what we where starting with..










the donor


























OK now to start.

i started in the back seat.



BACK SEAT / REAR DECK REMOVAL

for the bottom cushion you will find a pair of "pull tabs" under the front edge of the seat they look like this




they are located here and there are two, one on each side of the seat. to remove gently pull on the tab and simply lift up on the front edge of the seat and lift the whole thing away.







next we have the back of the rear seat. you will need to start at the bottom of the seat by removing 4 nuts.. 2 3/4in in the middle that hold the seat belts in, then 2 more 10mm nuts that are extra hold downs..








once you get the 4 nuts out of the way you can pull the bottom of the seat up and forward enough to clear the bottom retainers from the studs in the floor





once you get those clear you can grab the bottom the cushion and push up to release the "hooks" on the seat back. ( it can take a good amount of force as these can be kinda stubborn) the pics will show the 4 "hooks" and the holes they lock into.






now for the rear deck there are 4 large headed plastic retainers that can be a pain to remove but get those out (the pic shows the holes, as mine where out already from another project)




there is a split for the seat belts to slide through



now lift up a bit and pull forward..





and this is what you should be left with..





if you need to pull the 3rd brake light. (tint looks much better this way..) simply pull it forward out of the channel it sits and disconnect the bulbs.












TRIM

next i started removing the door trim.. on the rear panel there are two screws and the front there are 4 that need to be removed. three on the floor like the rear and one up by the dash. they are all Philips head








front




now the center post trim pulls straight up





then the side panel by the seat pulls to the center of the car



the rear pillar pulls to the center of the car




and if your doing a swap like i am then don't forget the weather stripping is also color matched.







and being we where taking pictures which slowed my progress we took a break and the wife noticed how dirty the car has become sitting in the barn broken for almost a year.





for the side trim left there is a single 15mm nut that holds the upper seat belt on the pillar. remove this nut and the trim will pop right off the upper pillar.. (sorry no pic of this as the bolt on the one side was a pita and she took a break while i fought to remove it and i had it off before she could get there with the camera)



FRONT SEATS

and now back to the front seats. you will find 2 15mm bolts at the back of both seats..(note that none of the plastic trim needed to come off for seat removal) you will need the seat full forward to get to the rear bolts





to remove the seat belt from the side of the seat a single 15mm will take it off the out side of the seat (we will cover full belt removal in a bit.)







the front edge of the seat locks into place with a slot style hook




now to finish removing the front seat, tilt the seat all the way back





and now tip it up and while it is up pull it to the back.. to slide it out the slots set seat aside when done.




if equipped with a power seat you will need to unhook the wiring first.. a single plug that needs to be unplugged. i find it easy to use a screwdriver to help push the release.









HEADLINER


now you don't have to remove everything to change the head liner but remember that the weather stripping helps hold it up so the top portion will have to be pulled down to release it.

in the rear. you have the coat hangers.. they take a flat screwdriver to start pulling the insert out.






the center piece is quite long but once out the whole hook will pull out.




next are the rear reading lights, you will need to pull the clear cover off and take out the 2 screws under there..







once off you will need to reach down into the socket on both sides with the screwdriver to release the bulb from the housing



once both sides are removed the only thing left in the rear is a big plastic button..in the center of the roof







in the front you will have the visors 3 screws, and the visor lock 1 screw










and that should be about it holding it up. as i found out the hard way..
after you climb out there should be some wiring to pull loose glued on that runs to the front for the map lights, (and power port if equipped like mine was.)






now the inside is looking a bit naked






CENTER CONSOLE

next we will get the center console out.. again you can do this by itself.. there are 4 10mm bolts and a couple wires holding it in..you need to open the arm rest and pull out the storage bin, where you will find the first two..







and after getting the shift trim off, by shifting into D or so and pulling up..





if in the junk yard or your car is dead you just push the release button and shift



you will find the other 2 bolts




next is the power for the shifter




then the power for the power port on the side






pull up on the shift bezel to release it from the counsel then pull back on the counsel and remove









CARPET

now before we just pull up the carpet make note of the heat vents under the seats that stick through the carpet and take car no to rip them out (as well as power for seats if equipped)




now pick a corner and start working the carpet up being mindful of the shifter and the heat ducts






















now enjoy your bare floor..






DOOR PANELS

now we will cover (or uncover rather) the all intimidating door panels.. they make a trim panel tool that looks like a small pry bar that is forked at the end for helping to pull the push in retainers with out ruining them all.. a screwdriver can help too.

now for removal you will need a T30 torx bit. there are 2 torx head screws under the door pull. (there are usually a small plug in each hole that needs to be removed first)








from underneath





for the switches pull up the rear edge first or you will break the tab at the front and they will not stay in the panel very well..





there will be several plugs to unplug here..






















now start at the bottom and release the tabs holding the panel on





after pulling it loose start pulling up, being mindful of the door handle








now the insides are really naked





after some cleaning the carpet looked much much better than what came out..









ALLMOST DONE

still have a bit to put back in and some cleaning to do on some stuff, but it is looking much better now..

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

well i figured i had a quick pic of how it is gonna be for the winter..i couldnt find the new rear deck and dont have the time to do the dash, when i have more time in the spring i will get the last few tan things out of the car but right now i need to get the motor hooked up and running..

here goes..




















so


good job??

bad job??

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

Look good. Why you couldn't swap the gray seat belt instead use tan seat belt you have. I see you already got gray door pillar installed. It does look funny with mixed colors lol

It does look good. Kind like my project for black carpet, replace 97-03 cloth seat set for new 04-08 leather seat set, and swap cloth into leather door panel. It was fun project to work on that. I have thought about get headliner color as black and dashboard as black too. Decide not worth it and leave it alone.

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Personally i think some Tan in there looks cool kinda like the 04+ ones like mine with 2 tone black and tan. But to each his own. Great job man looks like alot of work.

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All sho no go...

i will change the belts later pat... i just didnt have the big azz torx bit that they use to hold them in with (my dad does so i will borrow it later..) and i will get rid of the other tan bits later. as getting the motor up and running. is more important right now.. (is gonna be wifes winter ride as the lebaron that she had i traded for the white gp in my sig. and i wont let her drive her camaro in the snow.) so the rest will get done next summer when it dont NEED to be driven.


and i do think it looks kinda cool with parts here and there.. i left just enough to make it look like i ment it. and there is probly about 6-8 hrs in doing it all right now.. (strip 2 cars and reinstall one (except dash)). but it is worth it.. it looks so much better both in wear/tear and color apeal. it feels like a different car in there.

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

I bet and again looks nice.

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All sho no go...

damn it's like a nightmare. reliving damn near everything of that when i had my tan leather interior

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cant say i care for the leather that much. but yah i like the dark so much better and i am not even driving the car yet, i will be glad to see the dash gone too.. i got the rear deck the other day so i have it all now. just need the time to do it all.. (that dash is a pain..)

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

Somebody has to say it...so I'll be that guy. All those pics...and none of the wife? LOL. J/K. Does look good. I kinda dig the two tone look, too.

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One Big Ass Mistake America

i ussually take all the pics but for stuff like this it was nice to have her running the camera. tell her what to take the pic of made for a decent writeup..

here is one of her when i first got the 01' and she helped a litte pulling the motor out, she was very proud of herself for helping..

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

is that a trans am in the back?

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post what pic and i can tell you.

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

thanks for that write up, without this i dont think i would have been able to do my interior swap..... using it again to get my headliner out........ startin today, wish me luck, LOL

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glad it helped. that was the whole point in doing it. good luck the headliner is a bit fussy but not too bad. when putting the new one in. use the weather strpping/molding to help hold it up so you can get the solid attachment points installed.

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

so basically i just need a screwdriver to do this?

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yupp a screw driver

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2 screw drivers would work better.

phillips for turning the screws
flat for getting lenses and such loose.

and dont forget about the wireing that is taped to the top side of it. that will have to get laid on top of the new liner as it goes back in. (the 97's and possibly the 98's have an extra connection for the overhead power port in the overhead console. (something i think i will add to my 01' if the power wire is there)).

-- Sun May 15, 2011 10:09 am --

and z3r0 the pic of the car in the back is no t/a it is my 72' LeMans

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

Good luck to get headliner out. It was pain the butt lol

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damn i waS kinda close

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At least you guessed in the family.

sent from my driod x, via my fingers through tapatalk

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

finally got the headliner out

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how about back in?? how did it go for you?

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock

was a PITA!
would i do it again?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

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can we please get 4 more posts to put this on page 2

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I will post again in my thread.

Did you get it back together bex?

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2001 white gt coupe with enough crap to make it run mid 13's with 3 bad pistons
2002 40th GTP sedan mostly stock