Simple Upgrades for the 1998-11 Crown Victorias!

      As explained in some of the other Crown Victoria pages I've made, there are a number of items from both the older and newer Crown Victorias which can be added as upgrades. Throughout the years, Ford decided to eliminate many features of the Crown Victoria in an attempt to cut manufacturing and production costs to refine the profit margin. This process is known as "de-contenting." Most of the upgrades that I will mention on this page are simple enough that they don't realistically require much work and therefore do not justify their own tech page.

If you are looking for a complete list of all the options (by year) of the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis, please visit the "Year-to-Year Changes" page to see what will fit your car: http://www.pontiacperformance.net/TechArticles/CV_Year-to-Year_Changes.html

Here are some quick links to go directly to the section you're looking for:

          

INTERIOR / BODY

EXTERIOR / ENGINE

- Child/Baby Seat Anchors (for MYs 92-02)  - Color Matched Door Seals  - Chrome Fuel Door Release Switch  - Ford Embossed Door Threshold Trim  - Glove Box Dampener  - Glove Box Bumpers  - HomeLink Drivers-side Visor  - Rear Seat Armrest  - Seat Track Interior Trim  - Locking Trunk Release Switch  - Trunk Latch Liner  - Trunk Lid Organizer  - Trunk Light Upgrade  - Trunk Organizer  - Trunk Permanent Rubber Tie-Down Strap

- Accessory Belt Guard  - Bleedable Brake Master Cylinder  - Core Support - Noise Cancellation / Silencer  - Engine Beauty Cover w/ Chrome "V8"  - Exhaust Dampers/Resonators  - Hood / Engine Light  - HVAC Blower Noise Suppression Harness  - ProGard Skid-Plates (Front, Center, Rear)  - Silicone Heavy-Duty Blue Coolant Hoses  - Radiator Lower Air-Dam Upgrade  - Radio Noise Suppression Straps (53M)  - Rear Anti-Sway Bar  - Rear Fire Impact Protection Package  - Trunk Anti-Break-in Protection  - Improving Trunk Wiring

	-	Trunk Latch Liner Ok, I know this is silly. However, if you happen to be in the junkyard and find a 95-96 Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis, it might be worth your while to grab this trunk latch cover. It doesn't do much, but it helps improve the look of the open trunk. To remove / replace it, you must unscrew the two cargo net hooks, and remove the two plastic tree clips. The bracket just lifts off.

	-	HomeLink For Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis through the years of 1998-2002, "HomeLink" was an available option that was mounted on the outward facing side of the drivers sunvisor (as shown in the image below). This option has been offered in many well-optioned vehicles and provides configurable garage door and security gate control. This allows control of the gate or door from your vehicle without the use of a clip-on remote control. Most panthers will likely already be equipped with lighted visor mirrors so installation is as simple as removing the old visor, and replacing it with the Homelink visor. This can be added to earlier Panthers as well. For 1998-2002 CV/GMQ Homelink operating instructions, read CV_HomeLink_Inst.pdf. NOTE 1: Many later panthers from 2003-2011 had the Homelink installed in the overhead console. NOTE 2: Homelink can also be added to all Panthers with the upgraded rear-view mirror. Part #4L3Z-17700-B

	-	Glove Box Dampener In the 1995-1997 Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis, the glove box came equipped with an air-charged shock absorber that prevented the glove box from flying open. When the glove box door was opened 3/4ths of the way it would progressively slow the opening of the door until fully opened. The device that accomplished this was a plastic piston enclosure that mounted to the inside top frame of the glove box. It attached the spring-loaded piston to a cable which fed from the upper left ceiling of the glove box, to the upper right corner where it was then supported by a pulley. Finally, the string attached to a snap-in hook that mounted to the inside face of the glove box lid. Installation of this option is fairly simple, but you will want to obtain the following parts from the donor car (shown in picture below). This includes the plastic piston / spring assembly, the door to piston cable, the mounting bracket for the glove box door, and the small white pulley intermediate adaptor. You'll also want to obtain the two mounting screws that attach the piston assembly to the upper portion of the glove box frame. The OEM part number for the kit is F5AB-54061B40-AA; however, the part number is discontinued. These should be easy to find as every 95-97 CV/GMQ should be equipped with it. Finding an unbroken cable will be the hardest part, but thankfully, it's the easiest part to reproduce. These broke regularly as passengers would force open the glove box there-by breaking the cable. (plain image)

	-	Trunk Organizer First offered in 1998, this Ford factory trunk organizer was a dealer option that could be ordered with the vehicle, or seperately though the parts department. This trunk organizer fits in the lower well of the trunk area for all Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis. It reduces overall trunk space by making the floor flush with the upper trunk sides (as shown below). What the trunk organizer did provide however, was an area for more permenant storage of items in the trunk, where they wouldn't be prone to shifting during travel. This organizer retailed for around $200, and could be ordered at any Ford and Mercury dealer. (Additional Images: 1, 2)

	-	Locking Trunk Release Switch From 1992 through 1999, the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis came standard with a locking trunk release button. The button made use of the tip of the drivers key to lock and unlock the switch before the trunk could be opened. This was part of the "valet Key" standard package. The valet key could only open the drivers door, and start the car. It could not however, open the trunk, the glove box, or unlock the trunk release button. Although the valet key option was eliminated in 2000, the locking trunk release switch can still be used to help prevent a late-night smash and grab that would otherwise allow a thief to open the trunk. The locking trunk release switch can be installed simply by removing the door panel and replacing the plain black trunk release switch with the locking switch. Unfortunately, this switch was only available in chrome, so it tends to stand out from the other switches in 2001 and newer Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis.

	-	Trunk Anti-Break-in Protection Recently, it was discovered, that a criminal could easily use a hammer or other heavy object to smash out the rear tail lights of a Crown Victoria . Once the tail lights were broken out, this allowed full access to the inside emergency trunk release (2001+ MY). One pull is all it takes and the contents of the Crown Victoria’s Trunk are fully exposed and likely … Gone. The Anti theft tail light covers available from BB Enterprises can be installed behind the trunk lid panel to protect against theft. They are manufactured from 11 ga steel and completely cover the tail light opening, they are slightly bent to allow for a tight fit and by using the U-bolts and two hex bolts can be easily installed in a matter of minutes. To order contact BB Enterprises.

	-	ProGard Skid-Plates (Front, Center, Rear) ProGARD, a company who produces products primarily for police use on the Crown Victoria, developed a series of skid-plates to help support the durability and reliabiliy of the Crown Victoria. They offer three skid plates in total; the front skid plate is designed to cover and protect the oil pan area of the vehicle, the middle skid plate is an extension that covers the underside of the vehicle's transmission, and the rear skid plate which smooths the airflow passing aft of the rear axle to the bumper improving fuel economy and deflecting debris. The front and center skid plates are manufactured from 1/8th" steel while the rear skid plate is made of ABS plastic.   - ProGard U103F - Front / Engine Pan   - ProGard U104F - Center / Transmission Pan (Extension)   - ProGard U200FR - Rear / Bumper

	-	Child/Baby Seat Anchors for 1992-2002 Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis Want to put a baby or child seat in your 1992-2002 Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis? There are a number of improvements that were Federally mandated throughout the production of the Crown Victoria that can facilitate and improve the safety of child seat installations. 2000-2011 - Generation 1 Child Seat Safety Standard: In 2000, Ford installed child anchors at the top of the rear parcel shelf. These are acceptable to provide pitch support during a frontal collision. Unfortunately, this does nothing for lateral or belt support which requires the use of the factory lap belt in "locked" mode. 2003-2011 - Generation 2 Child Seat Safety Standard: To improve the practicality of child seat installation and to ensure proper lateral support, specially designed child-seat anchors were installed between the seat cushions from the factory seat-belt mounts. Any Crown Victoria from 1992-2002 can be upgraded with the Generation 2 seat anchors. The bracket simply installs between the factory seat belts and the bolts mounted to the seat-back firewall. The part is listed as "OEM REAR SEAT LH & RH CHILD SEAT ANCHORAGE #3W7Z-54601B28-AA" and the vehicle requires two of them. Once installed, the brackets provide child seat support for both the left, right, and center rear seats.

	-	Color-Matched Door Seals From the years of 1995-1999, the Grand Marquis came with door seals on all four doors that were color-matched to the interior. I'm unable to identify if the Crown Victoria came with these color-matched seals, but I do know that the Grand Marquis and the Crown Victoria shared many of the same interior color codes. This makes it easy for most people with 2000-2011 vehicles to make use of these with the correct color matching. In the pictures below, you can see the difference between the stock door seals (left) on my 2002 CV LX and what it looks like after replacing them (right) with the seals from a 1999 GMQ GS. The door seals are painted only on the side facing the interior while the exterior facing portion of the seals are still black. It's a subtle yet nice upgrade to the newer vehicles to improve the look of the interior. Also available are the door seals from the same year Lincoln Town Cars. They are similarly painted but have a felt touch to them. I prefer the ones from the older Grand Marquis. Note: click the images for a larger view.

	-	Accessory Belt Guard / Fuel Line Impact Protection for the 4.6 V8 In 2003, the Crown Victoria received a number of upgrades and improvements. Many of them were less obvious than others. This bracket installs on the passenger side cyl head, and protects the fuel rail in case of impact. It also has an added benefit of protecting the rest of the engine from the accessory belt in case of damage. If the belt snaps, this guard will help protect the belt from flailing wildly into the A/C tubes and damaging the air conditioning system. The bracket and the bolt can be removed from any 2003+ Panther including Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car and simply installs in the same location. It will work with all existing 1998-2002 Crown Victorias. Note: click the images for a larger view.

	-	Rear Impact Fire Protection Package In 2001, with the increase in the number of high-speed accidents that the CVPI was being exposed to, Ford offered a special option package to help prevent fires as a result of these impacts. This package was known as the Rear Impact Fire Protection Package. This package included a pair of high-strength resin / fiberglass shells that covered the top of the spring perch and the bottom of the shock mount (98-02 only), as well as a lower differential "U" shaped girdle/cap. In the case of a high-speed impact, the fuel tank would typically protrude downward and hit this area. This often resulted in the rupture of the fuel tank and spillage of gasoline. These shells, along with the girdle cap, would greatly limit any sharp points which may puncture the tank during impact. These shells weigh less than a pound each side, and can be removed from a donor vehicle with literally a flat-head screw driver, or a 7mm socket. It's worth mentioning that although it covers the anti-sway bar mounts, having the anti-sway bar was not a requirement when checking the box on the order sheet. The option was a fleet / police only option however. Note: The shells displayed at the bottom are for a 1998-2002, but the image above is for the 03+ model year which has outboard shocks.

	-	Anti-Sway Bar [Rear] The rear anti-sway bar is an option / feature that came pre-installed on all Police Interceptors and Crown Victoria HPP and Grand Marquis LSE vehicles. It was not included on the base or LX Crown Victoria, or the base and GS Grand Marquis. Installation is quite simple, but due to the number of parts required and the need to get under the car, I have also written a separate technical page for this. The parts can be scavenged from any year Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis that is so equipped. You will need the brackets, bushings, sway bar, bolts, bolt retainers, end-links, end-link washers, retaining nuts, and a new set of rubber or polyeurothane bushings. Installation is essentially done opposite of removal from the donor vehicle. All nuts / bolts are 13mm. This upgrade will improve the handling of the vehicle while cornering. It induces some level of over-steer so be aware of the slightly different handling characteristics. Addition of this anti-sway bar will not affect ride quality, but it may further transfer vibrations when the vehicle hits a pot-hole or large bump.

	-	Engine Beauty Cover w/ Chrome "V8" In the 2003 production year of the Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town car, a more luxurious version of the engine "beauty cover" was offered which included a polished aluminum "V8" logo on black. Ordering this beauty cover by part number will likely not get you the one with the aluminum V8 logo as the same beauty cover was later offered with this but simply stamped in plastic. It is extremely rare to find one on a Crown Victoria; however, it was very common on the Lincoln Town Car through most years of 2003-2004, and on the Grand Marquis through mid-year 2003. Job 1 of 2003 included this engine cover while Job 2 in 2003 included the standard engine cover (identical) with a stamped V8 in plastic. This cover can be added to any Crown Victoria from 1998-2011. Some trimming may be required depending on intake tube type, oil cap location (98-02 and 03-11) and whether or not the fuel system is returnless.

	-	Trunk Permanent Rubber Tie-Down Strap Included with the 68P, 65W, and 65U police packages, this option provides a permanent rubber toe-down strap for securing the trunk lid when transporting large or irregular items. The strap was offered from 2007 through the 2011 model year, but can be easily added to any Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis or Lincoln Town Car from the years of 1998-2011. The strap permanently mounts to the outer-edges of the latch mounted to the trunk creating a "Y" shape to the extension which clips to the trunk latch at the bottom. When not in use, the tie-down strap is secured to the inside of the trunk lid as shown above.

	-	Trunk Light Upgrade - 00-02 For the model years 2000-2002, the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis was equipped with the same trunk light as the Lincoln Town Car. This was likely done to save money and reduce production costs; however, the trunk light to many seems bulky and out of place in the 00-02 models. Starting in the 2003 model year, the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria received a unique trunk light design that fit directly into the trunk / body panel. Although unconfirmed, it appears this was the original design intent as the bracket opening seems to pre-exist for all 00-11 model years. Incidentally, the connector used from 2000 through 2011 was unchanged. Fortunately, with the basic opening and connectors for all 2000-2011 being identical, the swap is simply plug-and-play. While this won't improve lighting by any stretch of the word, it will give a slightly cleaner appearance in the trunk. Note: There were three trunk light designs from 1992-2011. Referencing the first image below, the 92-99MY light is on the left, the 00-02MY light is on the right (black housing), and the 03-11MY light is the one in the middle. 92-02 used the same bulb but different connectors, and 00-11 used the same connectors. Click the images for a larger view.

	-	Radio Suppression Package / Grounding Straps [53M] In 1998, Ford offered an option for the Crown Victoria/P71 that equipped the vehicle with a series of ground straps that were used to help reduce radio interference caused by antenna arrays. This package, known as the Radio Suppression Package (code 53M), was offered from 1998 through 2011. In total, the package included 10 straps which helped properly ground various major components of the body, frame, exhaust, and engine/transmission to eachother. This significantly reduced or outright eliminated any perceivable noise / radio interference that would be caused by devices with potentially competing frequencies. This is a simple plug-and-play upgrade to any Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis/Lincoln Town Car from any properly equipped CVPI. For more information, please visit the Radio Suppression Tech Page.

	-	Core Support - Noise Cancellation / Silencers At some point in the early years of the "1998-2011" model production of the Lincoln Town Car, the core support was fitted with a pair of these black plastic tubes which were placed directly above the body mount points to the frame. As best as I was able to research, these black plastic tubes were used to help eliminate and cancel out any sound resonance that was caused by the radiator fan assembly which if not properly isolated by the radiator mount, would transfer back into the frame and then into the cabin. I am unsure of what years this was specifically offered on the Lincoln Town Car, but it appears to have only been present during the early years of the whale (1998-2011) production. These tubes simply press into the core support and can be easily removed from the donor vehicle by hand. In the 1998+ Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis, there are two holes in the core support (as shown below) versus the four holes of the Town Car. There are only two per donor car, and these will fit into the existing two holes in the 98+ CV/GMQ core support. The part number for these tubes are: F8VB-8K223-AD

	-	HVAC Blower Fan Noise Suppression Harness One of the options available on the order sheet for the P71 Interceptor was a "Noise Suppression Filter" that went inline from the HVAC fan relay to the fan motor. This harness limited the amount of electrical interference noise that could affect the police communication devices. This filter can simply be pulled from any P71 and installed on a similar generation Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car. The same effect can also be achieved by installing snap-on Ferrite bands. The order sheet states the following: Noise Suppression Filter — The noise suppression filter option will help limit the amount of background noise that is sometimes heard in radios that is caused by the blower motor. This noise suppression filter connects in-line at the blower motor connector which is located on the side of the blower motor. There is a connector on either end of the filter.

	-	Seat Track Interior Trim For most of the later year Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis, the various trim components in the interior are all a plain black plastic. For those who are looking to properly color match their interior, many of the seat trim components can be swapped out with other trim pieces from the older Lincoln and Grand Marquis vehicles. For the trim in the pictures below, these are the same part numbers, regardless of color. These pieces can be simply removed and replaced.

	-	Silicone Heavy-Duty Blue Coolant Hoses Starting in 1995, Ford offered silicone hoses on the P71 as a longer-lasting / heavy duty alternative to the standard black rubber radiator / coolant hoses. These hoses came with special stainless steel hose clamps that were chamfered on the edges to protect the hoses from cutting / damage. The hoses essentially replaced any rubber hose component in the cooling system that carried coolant. These hoses will last the life of the vehicle and are far superior to the rubber hoses. You can replace some or all of the hoses, but to fully convert over to the blue hoses requires the P71 oil cooler as well. The hoses were changed over the years so they must be ordered or purchased in this age group, 1995-1997, 1998-2002, 2003-2011. Shown in the images below are two hoses, one from a 2002 (black) and one from a 2006 (blue). Although there is a four year difference, the blue hose has nearly three times the number of miles on it compared to the black hose. The black hose was also on a vehicle (under 50k miles) that spent its entire life in a semi-climate controlled garage with regular maintenance. As shown, the black hose is swollen and bulging, and is begining to desintigrade inside with the opening deteriorating at the edges. The blue silicone hose on the other hand, looks as if it is brand new despite having three times the amount of service time as the rubber hose. Note: The blue hose in the large image is originally from a 2002 P71 that had over 160 thousand miles on it and still looks new.

	-	Rear Seat Armrest Although all non-P71 Crown Victorias and all Grand Marquis were equipped with a rear fold-down arm-rest, some of the earlier base-models were still lacking. The more sparsely equipped vehicles often came with a plain arm-rest that did not have the dual cup-holders that were offered on the more moderately equipped vehicles. These arm rests are very common; matter of fact, there are more with cup-holders than without. If your Panther is not otherwise equipped, there are two ways you can swap this over. The easiest way, quite honestly, is to replace the entire seatback. Otherwise, the arm-rest can be removed by prying off two "press-on" tabs. For an even more upgraded approach, the Executive Series Lincoln Town Car often came equipped with a special arm rest with HVAC and radio controls. There were two versions of this arm-rest. One is equipped with cup-holders, and the other is equipped with a small Kleenex container. Both have the HVAC/Radio controls, and the passenger side seat adjustment button. This button allowed the passenger in the rear seat to adjust the front passenger seat to provide more leg room. Both Lincoln Town Car arm-rests have a storage compartment, and could be equipped with a change holder and / or a cellular phone dock. To properly swap over to the Lincoln arm rests, it also requires swapping of the harness as well. The harness includes a Y-splitter that pipes the controls into the steering wheel controls. Below includes the four levels of arm-rest, from basic, to standard, to executive 1, and executive 2. Note, non-SAP P71s came with no arm-rests.

	-	Glove Box Bumpers Over the production of the Crown Victoria / Grand Marquis, Ford devised several ways to improve the look, feel and quality of the platform, and subsequently, ways to cut costs. In 1995, Ford used a spring loaded air shock to slow the "drop" of the glove box when opened. Prior to 1995 however, Ford used rubber bushings on the stop pegs to prevent the glove box from "crashing" when opened. These rubber bushings provided a much software resistance to the door when opened. Because the design of the overall glove box hasn't changed much over the years, even with the dashboard design change in 1995, these bushings will fit all years from 1992-2011. You can use both the gas shock and the rubber bushings for the best look/feel/action.

	-	Ford Embossed Door Threshold Trim For the model years of 1995-1997, the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis came with door threshold trim for the front doors which had the name FORD embossed in them. While not any more classy than the 98+ model years, it was nice to have the manufacturer name printed on the trim piece. Apparently, it seemed odd to have FORD printed on the same panel that would come in a Mercury, so rather than produce a separate trim piece for the Crown Victoria and for the Grand Marquis, they simply removed the name from the trim all together. With the exception of the embossed name, this trim is identical in every other way. The trim is also available in all colors that were offered during teh 1995-1997 model years.

	-	Improving Trunk Wiring One of the things that has always bothered me about production line assembly, is the occasional lack of detail. Components are put together in such a way as to expedite assembly, even when the original components were designed to be assembled in a different manner. The trunk is simply one of the more visible areas of the vehicle where this can be found. When a person opens the trunk, one of the first things they notice is the underside of the trunk lid. Since Ford chose not to cover the bottom of the trunk with any kind of trunk liner, the wires are typically exposed. Specifically, the reverse light / license plate illumination / trunk release harness is clearly visible when the trunk is open. This harness was routed this way when in fact the trunk lid was clearly designed to contain this harness through the curve of the trunk. For those with as much a discriminating eye as myself, this harness can be visibly cleaned up. I disconnected the harness from both the trunk release and the reverse / license plate lighting harness, and tucked it through the conduit. I fed the small harness in first (from the trunk release) and then pushed the other harness with it. It easily slid through the opening and I was able to take it out through the hole closet to re-connect everything. The larger harness now stays completely out of sight, and the smaller wire is basically unnoticeable when the trunk is open. I do recommend using wire shield around the trunk release wire simply because the opening is sharp. Although I doubt it'll ever rub through, it's better safe than sorry. I used grey wire shielding to make it even less conspicuous.

	-	Hood / Engine Light Although there doesn't seem to be any real consistency with which vehicles received an underhood light, it's fairly straight-forward enough to add to any vehicle that didn't come equipped with one. To install the underhood light, you will need to pull the bulb, light fixture, and as much of the light wiring as possible. The light fixture uses an internal mercury switch in the housing. When the hood is closed, the connection is broken, but when the hood is opened more than 3/4ths of the way, the light turns on. Because the light switch is basically self-contained, all that is required for it to function is a connection to the constant hot wiring harness. In the factory wiring, the hood light is wired into the main harness where it feeds into the cabin, but an easier approach would be to simply wire it into the engine fuse box. The wire feeds up through the drivers side of the hood, and tucks under the hood heat shield. Panthers that were equipped with a hood light had a cut-out where the light would mount. Use the pictures below for location and position of the cut-out. There is an indentation in the hood where the bulb protrudes into (see picture with bulb removed) and it simply presses into place using the attached "tree" clip.

	-	Bleedable Brake Master Cylinder From 1993-2002, Ford sold the Crown Victoria with a master cylinder that included an additional bleeder screw (circled in red, below). This bleeder screw permitted "bench-bleeding” of the master cylinder without having to physically remove the unit. The bleeder screw works identical to any of the ones found on the brake calipers and allows for a much easier method of replacement of the brake fluid in the master cylinder. This is a more ideal transfer method than having to pull the dirty master cylinder fluid through one of the brake calipers. For the 2003 model year, Ford eliminated this extra bleeder screw and cap to cut back on supplier machining and parts costs. Adding this master cylinder to any 2003+ vehicle is fairly simple, particularly because bench-bleeding the master cylinder will be trivial. The master cylinder is attached with two nuts on the brake booster, as well as the forward and rear brake lines. Replacement should be a simple removal and replace. It is recommended that if using a junkyard core, that it be rebuilt with a parts kit prior to re-installation.

	-	Radiator - Lower Air Dam Upgrade for 1998-2002 In 2003, along with many other improvements to the Panther platform, the lower radiator air dam / foil was upgraded to improve air-flow to the radiator. The original 1998-2002 design seemed to be nothing more than a piece of plastic that hung down vertically from the lower section of the core support under the radiator. Not only did this not add additional cooling to the radiator, but it also didn't re-direct air and rain under the car (rather than in the engine compartment). The design differences between the 98-02 and the 03+ air dam are obvious. The air dam improves air direction to the radiator, and what air isn't caught by the dam is delfected instead to underneath the car rather than haphazardly through the "dog house." The 03+ air dam can be installed in place of the factory piece, but may require drilling of the air dam to properly line up the existing holes in the core support. Installation took about 15 minutes for me. The part number for the 03+ air dam/foil is: 3W1Z-8327-AA

	-	Exhaust Dampers/Resonators Starting in 1992, the Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car all received some form of "Exhaust Damper" on the civilian models. These dampers were used to dramatically reduce vibration and drone that eminated from the exhaust system. Over the years, many of these exhaust dampers are removed during the installation of aftermarket exhaust systems. The dampers were often mounted in two locations, between the H-pipe and the cat-converter pipes, and then aft of the mufflers attached to the clamps. Although not entirely gospel, it was understood that 98-02 vehicles saw a pair of dampers on both sides between the H-pipe and cat-converter pipe, regardless of single or dual exhaust. 03+ vehicles got had the same treatment for single exhaust; however, dual exhaust vehicles saw only a single damper on the drivers side between the cat and H-pipe, and then a single damper aft of the muffler on the passenger side. These dampers are also known as resonators, or "counter-weights." They are not very heavy, and if a truly quiet and smooth ride is desired, 98-02 dampers can be installed on 98-11 vehicles between the H-pipe and cats on both sides, with the 03+ muffler damper installed on 98-11 muffler clamps on both sides. The part numbers for the 03+ resonators are as follows:  - Left Front (between H-Pipe / Cat-Pipe joint): 6W1Z-5F240-AA  - Right Front (between H-Pipe / Cat-Pipe joint): 6W1Z-5F240-AB  - Rear (attaches to Muffler U-Clamp, both sides): 4W1Z-5F240-AA

	-	Trunk Lid Organizer Produced by EliteK9, the trunk lid organizer allows you to mount any pouch that has Molle Straps. The trunk lid organizer can be purchased from Elite K9 for $89.95. Molle pouches with the zipper closures are also available from $9.95 to $29.95. The rack comes black in color and can be easily installed. Dimensions - 45 3/4" long, 16 3/4" wide.

	-	Chrome Fuel Door Release Switch Was your car equipped, or you have you recently upgraded to the locking trunk switch? If so, you'll notice that the locking trunk switch is chrome plated while the fuel door release (if equipped) is not. Nothing else in the interior of the Panther platform was chrome after the model year 2000, unless your vehicle was equipped with the factory sport console. If this looks out of place, there is a chrome fuel door release switch that's available for the Panther platform. This was the standard configuration for all Panther vehicles through the 2000 model year. This switch is a simple plug-and-play swap for the black door switch.