Emptied my trunk tonight and checked, no holes in my tire well. Also now recall conversations about building the radio board. The consensus was if you want to be sure it lasts, use plywood instead of particleboard so that's what I did.

That was smart. A board is a board lol
I just remember partical boards so I went with that.
The trim piece on your tray is a nice touch also Mike.

I'm wondering if someone mounted some aftermarket stereo system or something ? Oh well.

I have PM'ed Rich CHP8336 if you look at his Fotki album : restoration #2 picture #2,6 and 7 there is some type of bracket below the radio board. Not sure if it was for the board or what...Hopefully, this will shed some light on what they are for.... Thanks for all the input....

Jack, here is the picture in Rich's Fotki album (mid-installation it appears) -

http://images56.fotki.com/v168/photo...C097071-vi.jpg


Hopefully Rich will chime in. I will check the trunks on both of my 85s when I get home...

John, I fashioned that trim piece after one that is on the board of a '90 that was transferred complete (whole radio system included, just stripped the decals) to a tribal police department in far Northern Cal. The owner was an NHP outfitter out of Reno and he told me that the radio board appeared to be untouched. I liked the looks so I copied it for my car.

http://images43.fotki.com/v1329/phot.../90SSP7-vi.jpg

Someone ask Rich what his board is made out of, it's painted and hard to tell from the photos.

I noticed that. I don't recall painted boards either lol

Lots of variations I guess.
I can ask an auto tech I know in one of the CHP area offices. He worked on these things in the desert for years. He had a fleet of 7 or 10 of them he told me he worked on all of the time in one office.

Again, he has told me several times, " it has been so long ago I have forotten a lot of stuff " Maybe he'll remember something.

I also think that each area office, and the auto tech in each office would alter or modify things on their fleet vehicles that worked for them in their environment or issues they were having with vehicles in their area.

Area offices in mountain passes or areas with snow would carry different items in their cars than West LA area office would for example, or Banning area etc.
Sometimes an officer that had a specific vehicle assigned to him would modify HIS vehicle to his liking also. That happened a lot.

It was always fun to take their assigned car on their days off tee heee
Specifically the mustangs. But I was the one that always washed and cleaned it and stocked it when using it.
They didn't mind me using their car.

Don't know what to say. Hope some of that helps.
I am working on locating a guy that has retired from the Torrance Fleet services office that had a lot to do with these mustangs down there. Specifically mine, once I find him, I'll get what info I can from him.

Hopefully he'll allow us to contact him with questions now and then.

I wouldn't be surprised if those particleboard radio trays were failing in the field in areas that maybe had rougher roads or the cars were used on rural dirt roads, etc. more often than say metro units that saw mainly freeway use. The holes for Rich's third support don't match those in Jacks car which makes me believe those might all have been field modifications. Like you said, that happens all the time.

This is the Radio board bracket you are talking about.
http://images108.fotki.com/v191/phot...bracket-vi.jpg

Both of my 85s have similar (but not exactly the same) holes in the spare tire well.

Thanks Ken....figured it was not a coincidence those holes were in several cars.
This is a great web site, you guys have been big motivation to get me working on 2920....