Flat Rock Assembly Plant Trip Report

[Old 5 Oh]

Tony Alonzo, fabulous job!

This is a great thread. Your pictures are excellent and you got some good details. Thanks for taking all the time to post everything up.

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[stangs-R-me]

Didn't look very hard? POST #36

I did see that pic, but from that view I assumed those were the CLOTH Recaro's.

Interesting that the cloth base & Recaro's have the same "sporty looking" pattern so that the back seat is the same. Don't think this was the case in 2013-14.

Certainly helps strengthen my desire for sticking with a base model and saving a bunch of $$ this time around !!

Base cloth upholstery in my 2004 V6 looked like cheap seat covers from Wally World, and the seats themselves were anything but comfortable !!

Doug

 

[aeropaul]

A few more Competition Orange...

Ugh, the wait! This is my color (although mine will have the GTPP black wheels), it's beautiful! Every pic of the CO makes me salivate a little. Thanks for all the pics and update.

 

[Clearman]

Really? Your driving a "Ford" Mustang lol. I admit I like the pony but am more than happy to display the Ford logo.

Exactly! :ford:

 

[Stonehauler]

Thank you, great pictures and write up.

You mentioned that you tried the tranny out....Did you check to see how much effort it took to depress the clutch? (knee issues here) Was it similar to the 14's, or did it require more/less effort?

 

[ronnieb1958]

Flat Rock Assembly Plant

detailed write up please!

can u post a larger picture of the Black mustang...looks sweet!

 

[Ericc B]

Thanks for the pix Tony!

 

[Tony Alonso]

Thank you, great pictures and write up.

You mentioned that you tried the tranny out....Did you check to see how much effort it took to depress the clutch? (knee issues here) Was it similar to the 14's, or did it require more/less effort?

I only have the comparison basis of my 2010 GT, which I find relatively light. It was lighter that that.

 

[G.4]

Thanks Tony- those pics are awesome

 

[Josh Painter]

Base cloth upholstery in my 2004 V6 looked like cheap seat covers from Wally World, and the seats themselves were anything but comfortable !!

Doug

The CW is that Ford lost tons of money on its brief ownership of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Range Rover and Volvo known internally as the Premier Auto Group (and mocked internally as Jacque Nasser's Folly).

But FoMoCo did derive cerrtain benefits from the association with the four European brands, although it's difficult to assign a dollar amount to them.

The styling cross pollination from Aston Martin is the most commonly cited of these benefits, but less often mentioned are two big DNA infusions from Volvo: structural integrity and proper seats.

What Ford lerned from the Swedish engineers helped it advance from the back of the pack in federal government and insurance institute crash tests. Volvos have for decades been reknown for protecting occupants after nasty crashes, with a doors still able to open and close, even after their cars had been rolled over multiple times. Each new Ford model for the past few years has finished in the upper percentile of all cars tested. Thank Volvo forlives saved and injuries reduced.

But the big payoff to me from the Ford-Volvo marriage, brief though it was, is Ford's ability to now design and build a more proper seat. Volvo consulted with a team of orthopedic surgeons in the 1960s to design its seats, and the company has been the industry leader in automotive seating ever since.

I've been a Ford guy since 1960, but until it hooked up with Volvo, FoMoCo had the absolute worst seats in the industy. I could never get comfortable in any of my Fords -- and I've owned a number of them over the years. I've owned a few Volvos too, and the difference between the two brands in seating support/comfort was like night and day. I bought my mom a 760 Turbodiesel back in the 90s, and I had an '85 240 Turbo for myself. I could drive either car all day long (which I did several times) and suffer no aches, pains or cramps at the end of the journey.

Thanks to Mr. Nasser and Volvo's orthopedic geniuses, Ford has closed the seating gap significantly. People who have back problems will appreciate the improvements.

 

[Sal JC]

I did see that pic, but from that view I assumed those were the CLOTH Recaro's.

Interesting that the cloth base & Recaro's have the same "sporty looking" pattern so that the back seat is the same. Don't think this was the case in 2013-14.

Certainly helps strengthen my desire for sticking with a base model and saving a bunch of $$ this time around !!

Base cloth upholstery in my 2004 V6 looked like cheap seat covers from Wally World, and the seats themselves were anything but comfortable !!

Doug

Yeah they did a good job, I ordered one without seeing it, I just assumed it was gonna be the same crappy plastic dash & plain seats as usual, except for the radio I like it better than the prem.

 

[TampaBear67]

Kinda like those hard upper door panels I just discovered I am getting. Sigh

It's been Confirmed that the Top Part of the Door Panels are going to be Soft Touch, even though some Early Tooling Trial Cars had Hard Plastic like the Guard EcoBoost I sat in. While they were Hard Plastic on that car I've gotta say, even if we were getting the Hard Plastic it Looked and Felt Much Nicer than the S-197's did, but I'm glad to know we're going to have something Soft to rest our elbows on when we roll down the windows.

 

[Old 5 Oh]

It's been Confirmed that the Top Part of the Door Panels are going to be Soft Touch, even though some Early Tooling Trial Cars had Hard Plastic like the Guard EcoBoost I sat in. While they were Hard Plastic on that car I've gotta say, even if we were getting the Hard Plastic it Looked and Felt Much Nicer than the S-197's did, but I'm glad to know we're going to have something Soft to rest our elbows on when we roll down the windows.

I've gotten all sucked into the we-need-68B-for-the-soft-upper-door-panels thing, but last night realized my freaking Lincoln MKZ has hard plastic there and I have not suffered for it. So I am going to quit worrying about it. If my 400A non-68B interior in the color I want doesn't have cushy upper door panels, I will be fine, LOL. I'll be too busy keeping two hands on the wheel (which actually is leather!) and listening to that Coyote burble.

 

[scottpe]

It's been Confirmed that the Top Part of the Door Panels are going to be Soft Touch, even though some Early Tooling Trial Cars had Hard Plastic like the Guard EcoBoost I sat in. While they were Hard Plastic on that car I've gotta say, even if we were getting the Hard Plastic it Looked and Felt Much Nicer than the S-197's did, but I'm glad to know we're going to have something Soft to rest our elbows on when we roll down the windows.

Maybe you missed it, but Tony talked to a Ford engineer who stated that the soft touch doors are actually package/trim specific (68B). So apparently not all cars will have them.

 

[TampaBear67]

I've gotten all sucked into the we-need-68B-for-the-soft-upper-door-panels thing, but last night realized my freaking Lincoln MKZ has hard plastic there and I have not suffered for it. So I am going to quit worrying about it. If my 400A non-68B interior in the color I want doesn't have cushy upper door panels, I will be fine, LOL. I'll be too busy keeping two hands on the wheel (which actually is leather!) and listening to that Coyote burble.

OK, I hadn't seen the whole 68b thing going on, but after just going over the Order Guide I think I understand the Confusuon. Now before anyone Jumps Down My Throat, this is How I Interpret the Guide.

The way I Read it is this, Stepping up to the "Premium Trim" gives You "Premium "Door Trim" which I Interpret as the "Soft Touch" Upper Door Panels over the Hard Plastic which would come on V-6 Models and on Base Trim Equipped GT and Eco-Boost models. Which would make Complete Sense.

Ordering the Premier Trim with Color Accent Group 68b offers Unique Door Trim, the Key Word here being "Unique" which refers to the Door Panel Insert Trim, which Adds "Perforated" Inserts and Contrast Stitching to the Door Inserts. Standard Door Inserts on Premium Trim Equipped Cars get Solid/Smooth Door Inserts with Color Matched Stitching.

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