Doug - I think my car is the norm. The black-painted plywood tire cover,
with a metal edge/lip on the forward side sits about 1 " above the main
deck. A carpet, held in place by snaps, covers the whole works. Do you
have the black trunk liner panels (available from the usual suspects) that
tidy up the sides of the trunk space? A trunk light is incorporated into
the panel that covers the gas tank. Speaking of gas tanks - give it a good
inspection and refurbish if necessary while it is convenient. The outlet
area, where water can accumulate, can rust. Mine did - and the leaked gas
ruined the paint in the spare tire recess. BTW, gasoline wreaks havoc on
the asphalt-based sound-deadening material found on the shelf behind the
seats!!! For those of you who are particularly alert, you will ask "How
did a leak at the bottom of the tank affect the shelf behind the seats?"
Answer: the Principle of Capillary Flow of Fluids (or somehting like
that). In my case, the carpet underlay on the shelf drooped over into the
trunk. Where it was in contact with the gas at the bottom of the tank, it
acted as a "wick", drawing gas up and onto the shelf. What a freekin'
mess!! (Not to mention an extreme safety hazard).
Rich C.
|