2020 GT500 rear seat delete

[TonyNJ]

The sensor is literally that black plastic chunk at the opposite end of the plug. However, this is exactly how it comes out of the seat belt assembly; no wiring required. Just plug it back in.

I was totally surprised when I saw these were now "smart" seat belt in this thing...wonder if this is why they raised prices in '22 lol. Anyway, in all fairness I noticed the FP install has the year disclaimer. Not a big deal overall.

I plan on doing this to my 22 in a few months. Good info. Thx

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[BoomBoy]

Any reason why M-6346612-GT wouldn't fit 2015-2017?

 

[Dig-It]

My kit will be for sale soon since I bought the ‘22 CFTP if anyone’s interested.

 

[Manny231988]

Anybody wanting to trade or sale rear recaros for oem seat delete out of my 21 CFTP?

 

[vtujoshua]

I'm a big fan of Mustangs with no rear seat. Whether from the sixties, the S197 version found in the Boss 302 Laguna Seca cars, the GT350R, or on the 2020 GT500 CFTP cars. There simply isn't much room for an adult to sit comfortably in the back seat without those in the front seats having to move forward and towards the dashboard or steering wheel. I don't have any kids so for me I'm happy to see the rear seats go and to be able to see a surprising weight savings. The problem is that Ford doesn't always make it easy to obtain the RSD panel/hardware. I'll speak to this later but it was a struggle regarding fitment for early S197 cars (including the GT500) as well as availability for S550 cars through Ford Performance.

I removed the rear seats in my '16 GT350 and added the GT350R RSD kit that I got through FP some four years ago, this month. Weight savings came in around 32lbs when all was said and done. When the '20 GT500 CFTP option listed a RSD as part of the package, I knew it would be the exact same as what had been offered in the GT350R since 2015. Problem for me was that FP no longer offers it and hasn't for some time now.

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6346612-M


This meant that the only way to obtain a kit was through the Ford Dealer parts network (hopefully) - so grab your ankles. List price comes in at $2,900.93 and while nobody should ever actually pay that much it is a bit insulting considering the fact that the part R&D, molds, etc, were no doubt amortized through the GT350R program. Economies of scale should be at play here what with the GT350R and the GT500 CFTP using the part but Ford isn't having any of that and instead raised the price ever higher. About the best price you can find, from Tasca Ford...

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/ford-mat-floor-fr3z6360508a

So while I wanted a 2020 GT500 with a RSD kit in it I wasn't willing to pay an additional 18k to get one via a CFTP car and I had little interest in buying from a dealer and paying 2.5 times what I paid in '16 to buy the same kit through FP. Madness.

Enter my good friend Bryan, who knew I what I had hoped to do to my Base GT500, and let me know he spotted an unused FP RSD kit for sale. After some negotiating I paid about the same price that I paid my favorite FP warehose distributor for the same kit 4 years ago. So I'd like to share the install of a kit this no longer available from FP but can be had for a hefty price through your dealer's parts department.

Since the factory RSD panel doesn't fold, you end up with a giant box that weighs next to nothing. Shipping cost is ridiculous in the context of weight only. Anyway, the gentleman I purchased the kit from made sure it was well protected and shipped through the proper channels. Ruby and Isabel handle all the inspections for me and were as excited to see this one arrive as I was.

Unboxed, you are immediately greeted with the large but extremely light panel.

The velcro strips are there to help locate the panel when in place. This particular panel was #10 out of a run of 25 and was produced by Vantage Technologies for Ford. The kit I installed four years ago was #2 of 25.

The included hardware...

The foam blocks in the photo above provide support as much as the panel is not designed to be sat upon. The bezels are the same as OEM factory except they don't have the rear seat belts running through them. Essentially, they are culled from production before being married to a given belt assembly. So they fill the space of your original one while allowing you to remove the retractable portion of the rear belt assemblies.

The kit can be installed with basic hand tools. The instructions get about a C- from me as they aren't as clear as they could be and require a bit of guesswork and creativity. Once you've done this once you don't need them again (maybe that's why there wasn't much effort in producing them in the first place). In a nutshell, you are removing the factory seat bottom/seat backs, removing the rear belt assemblies, and installing the delete panel. The instructions are still available for your viewing pleasure from FP... https://performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FORDINSTSHTM-6346612-M.PDF

This isn't meant to be a 100% step by step but should provide some additional insight that you wouldn't normally see.

Start by tilting the front seats forward and sliding them as far forward as possible. You'll be in and out frequently and in some rather compromised positions while getting this one done.

Push the seat bottom straight back about where your legs would normally be on each side and then lift it up and out. Really easy to remove.

The seat backs have a number of fasteners that need to be removed. First the stud and nut on the outside of each (the two sides mirror one another).

You can then maneuver each seat off of the center pivot bracket (on the transmission/driveshaft tunnel) and remove them from the car.

Car looks like this at this point...

You can now remove the center hinge, seat bottom attachment bracket, fixed belt latch, the lower portion of the retractable belt.

With all of that gone there are some threaded holes that go through the floor and need to be plugged with an appropriate and included bolt. Some holes do not go all the way through the car and as such don't get plugged.

At this point you can remove the scuff plates as well as the "load space trim panel" (the large panel that covers the area under the rear window with the arm rest on it, etc). Pull carefully and in the proper plane to minimize any shearing of the plastic fasteners - to be expected, as you really need to see the backside to have a clear understanding of where they are and how they work. Thankfully, your Ford service department carries the requisite pins, etc.

I "popped" the panels to loosen them and then got out of the car to remove them.

I found I had missing attachment pins, broken clips, and 1 pin where the head popped off when I removed the panel. Kind of disappointing in a way but regardless, I obtained some replacement clips from my favorite Ford parts guy.

Passenger side panel...

The pins that were missing or broken...

Back in the car and with the side load panels removed you can remove the parcel tray or shelf and gain access to the retractable portion of the seat belts as well as the seat strikes for the seat backs.

Remove three bolts (per side) and you can fish the retractable mechanism out.

You can now put the parcel shelf back in place...

I stopped at this point as I had ordered some pins for the load panels and they took just a couple days to show up at my doorstep. Thanks again Bryan!

I figured the break would be the perfect opportunity to weigh everything. I did this with the last two kits I installed and was eager to see if the numbers were the same. So here is everything weighed on my trusty WalMart bathroom scale...

Rear seat bottom

Seat backs (2 of these)

Every bit of removed hardware, belts, etc, I put in a bag together.

The delete panel was weighed along with the hardware it came with...

So how does all that work out? Here, this should help with the math...




With the replacement hardware in my possession, I readied the side load panels and installed them.

Study the sheetmetal as well as the panels to get a better sense of how to reinstall the panels.

Ford's instructions have you putting the RSD panel in before the side load panels. This is wrong. It was wrong when they suggested it in their S197 kits as well. Side load panels go in first, then you fit the delete panel. The idea is to put it into place so that you can mark the parcel shelf in two spots and to drill, so that you can put two fasteners through and into place. The threaded holes the bolts will use are already there as they are on each side of the seat strikes. You just have to put holes in the parcel shelf.

The delete panel is extremely light and flexes to allow fitting it in and back out with ease.

The panel fits perfectly into place. The engineers behind this get an A+. Every install I have done has been this way. You can see the two upper holes in the panel and you can punch through the parcel shelf using them as a guide.

You then remove the delete panel from the car - simple to do. I used a unibit to add the small holes you see on either side of the vertical oval openings in the shelf panel.

You can then peel and stick the two included foam blocks to the floorpan. Again, these offer additional support to the panel.

You can now reinstall the delete panel and fasten it into place with the supplied bolts going through the holes you put in and thread into two of the now unused seat back strike nuts.

The included belt delete bezels can be installed too.

Last but not least, you need to install the pushpin that gets installed on the lower portion of the delete panel.

You really don't have to install the velcro strips as if you did everything right the panel fits just perfect and isn't about to come out of place. I installed them after the panel was done by simple lifting the panel slightly, peeling off the backing, and then applying downward pressure to get them to adhere to the carpet. Pretty easy to do.

The panel matches the existing interior panels and carpet perfectly.

The new install at Flat Rock is much easier because on R or CFTP cars the seats and their requisite hardware isn't in place and needing to be removed. This will take you a few hours the first time and be much easier any time after that.

Hi! I made/make this part. It is extremely light because it's made of a molded, fiberglass-filled polypropylene substrate that weighs about as much as cardboard but is extremely strong. A great deal of time and effort is spent by our small company to make this part perfect.

The edge wrapping you see is a very articulate, difficult process that is done by hand, but creates such a better look and feel in the end. It leaves no exposed substrate edges and helps prevent damage to the edges during installation.

I've seen that there are many companies that copied this part with lower quality materials and craftsmanship, but to each their own (and their own budget). The competitive parts are floppy, heavy, and leave an exposed, cut edge that just doesn't look as good. The carpet and substrate we use is specified by Ford for it's extremely high quality, durability, look, feel, and sound insulation.

As to the market pricing, obviously that's not dictated by us. We sell these assemblies for a semi-fixed, negotiated price between us and Ford. I can tell you I would never in ten trillion years pay $3000 for it, but it's not my business to tell people what something is worth to them.

It's very satisfying to see someone enjoy a product I (and others I work with) make. Your write-up on the install is fantastic and it's a great guide for people looking to make this upgrade/replacement.

 

[Epiphany]

I understand that Ford isn't offering a RSD on any S650 option group at this point. I would hope that decision changes and you guys get the opportunity to do one for that car too!

 

[vtujoshua]

I understand that Ford isn't offering a RSD on any S650 option group at this point. I would hope that decision changes and you guys get the opportunity to do one for that car too!

If the 650 delete seat is in the design stage, I am under NDA and can't discuss it. ;)

 

[Gnatsum21]

Maybe people will fit in the back again and the rear seats make sense again for non track people (S650)?

 

[Epiphany]

Statistics say othwise, America keeps getting fatter. Long live the RSD!

 

[biminiLX]

Maybe people will fit in the back again and the rear seats make sense again for non track people (S650)?

It’s a Mustang and that’s irrelevant to this discussion.

It’s an excellent option I’d choose if I didn’t have kids that use the back seats.

Tob I have an OEM from a parted out CFTP car. It’s a nice design and well made.
Hope things are well.
-J

 

[Gt350procharged]

I saved 30+lbs by installing a 5lbs lithium battery......I need the rear seats to fit my kids or women also fit well back there

 

[Brian_S550]

I understand that Ford isn't offering a RSD on any S650 option group at this point. I would hope that decision changes and you guys get the opportunity to do one for that car too!

From sitting in pre-production examples, the physical fitment should more than likely be identical in 2024+ cars.

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