Child seat retrofit

Most cars and trucks before the model year 2000 do not seem to have the package tray child seat restraint system known as LATCH. It was only a federal mandate after the 2002 model year. After a bit of research on crownvic.net I found that Ford "sells" a retrofit kit, F3LY-63613D74-A, for older vehicles. The kit is a piece of chromed steel that looks like a bent beer can tab, a large washer, a hardened bolt, and a pinch nut, plus some instructions. I couldn't really find any information about this kit, so I had it ordered at my local dealership. The woman who helped me ordered two just because they're free. After inspecting the instructions, the kit looks like it can be used in several applications. The "Aero" Crown Victoria from 1992 onwards can accommodate up to three hooks, so I ordered a third one.

The instructions note three package tray locations marked with an embossed letter "T" that's visible from within the trunk. They also suggest putting a hole through the existing tray and cinching it down to a particular torque spec. I didn't like the idea of the end look, so I decided to retrofit the package tray with the flip up latch covers found on later Crown Vics. I just happened to find a grey interior version from a 2001+ model, and bought the whole tray, even though I wasn't sure it would fit. The "Whale" generation crown vic appears to have a narrower package tray, so I measured and cut holes for the covers. I used a utility knife, but they were not clean cuts. The fiberboard is actually quite fragile. I ended up using a hot glue gun to greater secure and stabilize the covers. In retrospect, I should have used a Dremel cut off tool or other fine saw.