I have wanted to cover the plastic hatchback panel, ever since I upgraded to leather Flofit seats. I made sure that Seat Source sent me all of the extra leather (almost a complete hide!!) just so that I would have it for such projects and repairs etc. Well, after 3 years, I finally decided to cover the plastic panel, with red leather, matching my seats. This will also add a nice tie in, adding the red burgundy color, to the porno red hatch areas.

I also thought that it would be cool, to add the SALEEN logo, to this panel, kind of like Saleen did, with the 1999-2004 cars, with their logo'd trunk panel. I purchased a black street sign, with silver Saleen logo, planning on 'frenching' it in, to this panel. However, the street sign proved to be too small, and honestly, it would look just plain cheesy, really cheap looking. So I decided to try my hand at the upholstery technique of embossing the logo, in foam, then covering the panel. Similar to what you see on hot rods, with flames embedded into the door panels etc. So I used the street sign, for a template, and simply scaled up the SALEEN letters, to better fit the panel. Here is the panel, with the paper templates. And no, I didn't forget how to spell Saleen, I only made one 'E' template, which I will duplicate!! 

Next I transferred the paper templates on to cardboard, and then finally on to foam. I had a hard time, finding the foam, as I was impatient, and didn't want to order off of the internet and wait for shipping. I found this 3/16" foam, made for laying on metal shelving. You know the kind of closet shelving, made of wire? This lays on it, providing a nice flat surface, so your clothes don't get wire dents in them, or so your cans of food will lay flat, in your pantry, etc. I watched a couple of tutorials, on Youtube, and they all recommended using a razor blade, to cut the foam. I found that this really did work better, than scissors, as you can cut the foam, on a 45 degree bias, providing a much cleaner, more distinct edge. I also used high quality 3M spray adhesive, to attach the foam letters, to the Mustang panel. It worked, really well, but did not leave a lot of time, to move the letters around. I was confident, in my placement, and had the letters/template well layed out, with plenty of witness marks! Here is the panel with the foam letters, glued on, and a close up of the 'S' profile. 

Thats it, for now, I will be gluing on the leather, in the next day or so, so stay tuned for an update! BTW, if anyone has any experience with steaming creases/folds out of leather, please chime in. I was planning on using my Steam Shark, to get the leather to lay perfectly flat?

Anyway, here is an updated pic:

I adhered the leather to the panel, today. I set up a little work bench, out in the sun, and let the leather get nice and warm, first. I started from the center, gluing just the letters, and working my way out to the sides. Like all of my projects, it is not perfect! However, I am OK with that, I have learned to accept, just a shade away from perfection, over the years, lol! A couple of the letters, the edges aren't as sharp or as crisp as I would have liked, but I did end up with no bubbles or wrinkles! I am planning on letting the panel sit, for another day or two, just a few hours each, in the sun. It is my experience, that the leather will contract and shrink, and actually end up looking better. I have used the spray adhesive before, and in the past the media, that was glued, actually shrunk, quite nicely. We'll see. Final pic will be of the panel, mounted up in the hatch of my car. 

Not mounted in the car, yet. I will probably get it done, over the weekend. I did take a better pic, of the panel, basking in the sun, earlier today! I had to remove a screen, and lean out a window, to get this pic! The panel is rather large, and it is nearly impossible to get the whole thing into frame, for taking a digital pic. Anyway, I let it sit in the sun, for a while, then went over the whole thing with a decal squeegee. It actually got rid of a couple of bubbles, that had developed overnight, and helped to sharpen up the letters' edges. I felt that too much sun, would be a bad thing, and cause the glue to get soft, and release. So I left it out, for just a little while, then back into the basement, to cool. 

BTW, if anyone else wanted one, I would be happy to make one for you! I would just need you to send me your panel, and whatever cloth or leather etc. that you wanted it covered with. I think that shipping back and forth, would be cost prohibitive, however. If anyone was interested in just a set of the foam letters, for a DIY project, just let me know, I would be happy to send any club member a set, you pay for shipping, only!

As promised, here are the pics of the finished product! Once again, I am absolutely thrilled, with how this project turned out.

Anxious to hear your feedback!

Like a lot of you guys, I have way too many powered accessories! Which, of course, includes a bunch of power wires, cluttering up my engine bay and/or fuse panel. For example, I have: one wire for the alarm, one for my Ipod controller, one for my power amp/subwoofer, one for my external T-Rex fuel pump, and finally one for my Crane ignition box!! That is too many wires, with three directly on my battery, and two on the starter solenoid. It looked like crap, to put it plainly. It needed to be cleaned up, and with my 1st show approaching, now was the time.
So I began my search looking for a power distribution block. Sounds easier than it was. Believe it or not, there is not that much out there! There is plenty of stuff for the bling crowd, mostly car audio related. All of these products have flashy colors, lots of clear plastic, gold plated terminals, blah blah blah. Nothing that I would put under the hood of my now 20 year old Stang. Luckily, I discover Wiringproducts.com. They have a few decent, well-made products, mostly finished in black and stainless steel. I also learned the difference between a power junction block, and a power distribution block. The junction is useless for distributing power, it is, as the name states, used for only a 'junction' or single connection. Luckily, that lesson only cost me $50 worth of wrong parts, that I can still return! lol
So I ended up with this:

Here is the link:  http://www.wiringproducts.com/index1.html
Next I fabbed up a nice large gauge cable. I did use the blingy type of audio cable, simply because I had some on hand, and it was going to be hidden, in the fender well, for the most part. I used heavy duty copper terminals, soldered in place, with a torch. I also used a really good quality glue infused heat shrink tubing. I want this setup to last, function well, and be indestructable! Here is the cable:

Originally, I wanted to mount my block, behind the battery, up against the fender, as there is actually a good deal of room there. However, the distribution block I ended up using would not fit. It is kind of bulky, and features a large 3/8" stud. You could even wire one of those single wire alternators to this thing if you were so inclined. I neatly tucked the large gauge wire, in the fender well, routing it through the washer fill opening, and one of the many 'swiss cheese' holes in the fender. That part was easy. 
In all of my 'messing around' in the area behind my battery, I broke off one of the plastic tabs, holding my washer fluid reservoir in place! Never fails, a 'simple' project just keeps getting more and more complicated! The damn thing is full, and heavy, and I haven't used it since I bought the car! (that was when I foolishly filled it, to the brim) Next car wash I will be judiciously dumping most of that fluid! I was able to fix it with an industrial width/length zip tie of sorts. My friend gets these for free, they are used by the power companies to hold overhead electrical lines in place, so needless to say, they are tough! There are plenty of holes and slots to route the tie, but I did have to lift the car and attack it, from below, to thread the damn thing through! As I hoped, the fix cannot be seen, and it should last a good bit longer than Ford's inferior mounting system! I also found that before the mounting tab broke, the tank was sagging, due to the weight, and the rubber hose was rubbing on the horn mounting bracket. If I didn't plan on emptying this thing, it would have emptied itself at some point! If you don't use your windshield washer, I highly recommend emptying that reservoir! It is not mounted very well, and if it left full, over time, the plastic tabs will break -- you have been warned!
Anyway, I found another spot, bolted to the radiator header panel, in front of the battery, towards the front of the car. This necessititated lengthening all of my power wires, save one, which was a major PITA, considering that all of my cables were hidden in split loom, heat shrunk etc. etc! Here is where it ended up:

Note the desired end product, of nothing wired up to the battery, except for the positive and negative cables, as it should be. Although it can't be seen, due to the coil cover, there is nothing 'extra' cluttering up my solenoid, either.
And a close up pic:

I used on of those red boots off of a one wire alternator, just to insulate the connection. It was not necessary, but I tend to incorporate a lot of overkill in my projects! I tested it out, and so far so good, everything powered up just fine!

ps. The battery is a custom made, high powered Interstate battery. Interstate dealers generally don't stock the MTP (high power) 58 series, for some reason. They all have 58R's with reverse terminals, though?! Strange. Anyway, the custom order didn't cost any more, and it comes through finished in plain black. A couple of eBay Champion stickers later, and it really complements the look, underhood, with the ties to Champion being the original battery supplier to Saleen.