Always ensure the vehicle you are working under is supported securely with jack stands, wear appropriate clothing and safety goggles.  Be weary of your clothing and the proximity to moving parts.  If you are uncomfortable about attempting an installation, DON'T......Seek a qualified service person or facility to help with your installation.  This articles contained in this site are in addition to and enhancement of existing OEM specified procedures and practices.  With regard to specifications and procedures, the OEM manual, procedure or practice shall dictate and govern.

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Pure Mustang Performance Vertical Door Installation

This is a supplemental article only to the instruction manual supplied by PMP Vertical Doors.  Their instructions must be followed 100%.   You do not need to add any steps, the kit is 100% bolt on.

NO WELDING AND NO ADDING ANY EXTRA STEPS TO THE INSTALLATION OF THESE KITS. 

Each piece sent with this kit must be used.  If you have any question or are missing any pieces, call PMP at 727-561-9285 or 727-561-9849 (F)727-530-5958.  email at sales@puremustangperformance.com

During the installation process that you are about to view, we made  a couple of support inquiries to PMP via email.   They provided excellent response time and good, positive solutions.  If at any time you require assistance or have a question, don't hesitate to contact PMP directly.  We would like to thank PMP for allowing us this opportunity to work with them.  Let's get started.

The car must be sitting on level ground, sitting on the 4 wheels of the car and NOT be supported by jacks or on a lift.  This will create a false alignment when complete.  The installation of the Pure Mustang Performance Vertical Door hinges requires the removal of the following major component of the car before dealing with the hinges. First you will need to be working with the hood up for most of this procedure so go ahead and secure the hood with the prop rod.   We are going to be removing the headlights, the front bumper, some side skirting and the two front side fenders.

Headlights
First let's get the headlights out and safety out of the way. There are two black tabs that are situated at the back of the headlight assembly with a hole in them.  These have a short segment, then are bent at 90 degrees and disappear down behind the headlight assembly.  These are locking slides.   Grab
the tab with a pair of pliers and lift straight up from the headlight assembly. 

The slide is about 6" long and mates with a slot in the back of the headlights.  When these are in place, the trap the headlight in position, when removed the headlight can be moved straight forward. There is a small pin near the fender on the headlight assembly that will be held in place with a little friction.  A little pressure will release the pin from it's hole and the headlight assembly will be free to move forward. Remove the two wiring harness plugs, one from the headlight and one from the side marker or signal light. Be careful not to break the locking tabs, slow relieve the pressure of the locking tabs on the plugs and they will start to unplug with a little back and forth movement towards the back of the car.

 With these two plugs removed from the headlight assembly, you can now safely remove the assembly and store well away from your work area. Repeat this same procedure for the other side of the car and we will be prepared to start on the grill and then the front bumper.

Grill
The grill in our subject car is an aftermarket Billet grill and it will be easier that if you have a stock grill in place. If you have a stock grill, read our Grill Install Article. This will take you through what is required to remove the stock grill.  The aftermarket grill is held in place by two bolt. Remove these two bolts and the grill can be lifted out of the two alignment holes near the base of the grill.

Front Bumper
The bumper will require a little bit more work and some jockeying around under the car. There are several attachment methods that combine to hold the bumper securely in place. There are flared screw/nuts combos, body panel retainer pins, Philips machine screws and 4 bolt/nuts that mount the bumper.  First thing to do is to unplug the driving lights if you car is equipped with them. Similar to the headlight wiring plugs, work the plugs loose and leave hanging down from the car, they will be out of the way and not in any danger.  

We will go through the steps to free one side completely and you can mirror those steps for the other side.  There is a machine screw that points forward near the base of the fender. Turn the wheel slightly so that you have access for a Philips screw driver. Remove this screw, it goes through the sheet metal of the fender and into the plastic fender well covering. Get a container for all the hardware, we don't want to loose anything. 

Looking underneath the car, there is a black wind deflector that is mounted directly below the radiator. At each of this deflector is a push pin tab that goes through the urethane bumper into the frame of the car. Remove this by pulling the center pin out, but not completely.  This will relieve the outward force of the locking tabs that restrain the pushpin assembly. With the pin in the outward position, use a body panel removal tool to remove the pushpin retainer. 

What we are left with is two nuts on each side that are up where the bumper meet the fender, right near the wheel opening.  These are a little difficult to get at and if you remove one of the push pin retainers from the plastic fender liner, it will be more flexible to move around and out of the way. You will need a 7/16" socket and small ratchet, reaching up between the bumper and the fender well liner. There are 2 nuts that are securing two studs that are mounted to the bumper. 

Once these are removed, you can flex the bumper out, away from the fender and free the studs from their respective mating holes at the base of the fender. The only screw left on the one side is at the top of the grill and headlight opening.  This is a plastic screw/flare nut retainer.  Remove the screw then remove the flare nut itself. 

The one side is now free, repeat your steps on the opposite side and we will be ready to remove the bumper.  The bumper is urethane and is extremely flexible when all of the fasteners are removed. Be very careful when holding it to provide enough support
so as not to damage the bumper when moving it around.  Remove it to a separate location well away from the work area.

Fender Removal
Head lights and bumpers are removed, now on to the fenders. Lets start with the driver's side of the car first, then move to the passenger side.  The fenders are lightweight material, they will require some flexing to be removed from the car. This is your prized possession, take your time, be methodical but  you must do this with great caution so as not to damage the fender. 

The fender is held on by several bolts and another Philips screw.  There are three bolts that follow the hood line, in the engine compartment.  There are two bolts behind the headlight location, a Philip screw at the base of the wheel opening, on the backside of the wheel and there are 4 bolts that restrain the fender near the door. Open the door and look forward at the hinges.   There will be two bolt head that you can see holding the fender to two tabs coming off the body of the car.  Remove these two bolts and put in a container.

 Near the base of the fender, we will be removing the short side skirt.  Remove the fender skirt first by removing the Philips screw at the base of the wheel opening, then the two plastic pushpin retainers that are right on the bottom, in towards the center of the car about 4 inches.  With these pins removed, you can snap loose the friction fit retainers, there are two of them.  The skirt has a tongue that mates with the skirt that follows the base of the door. Wiggle the short piece back and forth while applying pressure towards the front of the car.  The tongue will release and you can remove it completely to a safe place out of danger of being stepped on or scratched.

 

With the skirt removed, this will expose the two lowest bolt that secure the fender as it wraps under the car. Flex the black fender liner down and you will see these two bolts. Remove them completely and set aside in a container to be reused later. We will now remove the remaining bolts that secure the fender. Start by removing the two bolts that are directly behind the headlight assembly. Then loosen and remove the three bolts that are on top, inside the engine compartment. The fender
now be loose and free to move around. There is a retainer pin on the backside of the headlight assembly mount that is permanent. The fender must be rotated out and up to clear the door, and then it needs to move back towards the door to release this pin. The fender will be floppy now and you must be very careful not to scratch the door when removing and also not to kink or scratch the fender. Take your time when removing the fender, it is a critical step in maintaining the beauty of your car.

If you have to, put a blanket between the bottom of the door and the fender, or have your partner holding the bottom so that is doesn't touch the door. Repeat the same for the passenger side. The only difference on the passenger side is that when the fender is loose, have your partner remove the reach up inside the fender and pull the antenna connector plug apart. The fenders should be removed from the work area to a safe place until required for reassembly.

Door Wiring Passenger Side
Before we get started on the doors, we want to free up the wiring that will be required to let the door open vertical. Remove the plastic sill cover but prying straight up.

There are several friction tabs that restrain this to the body seam. The kick panel on either side has one plastic retainer pin that you can remove. The kick panels can be removed by pulling the back towards the trunk. There is a friction fit connector holding it right at the front of the door. Remove the panel and the sill plate to a safe place. 

To gain access to the wiring, we are going to open the glove box completely. To do this, make sure it is empty or it will be soon. There are two plastic tabs on sides of the box that can be flexed in and the box will be free to complete hang down from it's hinge. 

Feel in the fender are behind the glove box for the door wiring harness as it enters the car.  Follow this until you find the plug connections.  Unplug them, free the wire up and let hang down. This will allow enough wire to let the door open vertically.

Door Hinge
Before we start to remove the stock hinges, you must take careful note of the position of the door. We used paint stir sticks to maintain the clearances around the door as we worked with them.  Each hinge are held on to the car by 3 bolts and two bolts to the door.

The first bolt to remove are the two closest to the door, on the body part of the hinge. These are a stud, with a nut on the inside of the fender.  Position yourself down in the foot well of the passenger compartment with a socket and ratchet, you will see them.  Remove the nut and save for later.  There will be a stud left that we can remove on once the door is completely loose. Now close the door. You will not be opening the door again until the PMP hinge is installed. Space the door properly with shims and note the vertical position of the body line of the car. Now remove the remaining bolts from the body and from the door. The hinges will not fall away because of the stud that is still through the pillar of the car.  Have your partner flex the front of the door opening slightly, this will allow the remaining stud to clear and you can remove the hinge. Before replacing with the PMP hinge, you need to bend the fender tabs slightly.  The bottom one must move back and the top one forward. This will aid in clearance for the gas shock that aids in the raising of the door. 

The hinge comes bolted together with a cap screw.  Replace the PMP hinge into the stock mounting locations and loosely tighten the cap screws. Your partner will need to be on the inside for the 3rd bolt on the body side of the hinge.  The cap screws on the door should have the supplied washer in place. Once you have the hinge adjusted, tighten the cap screws down and adjust the Allen screw with locking jamb nut to the roller.  This helps adjust the door for closure. Have your partner open the door to it's limit, then lift it vertically.  Screw the gas shock to the socket that is attached to the hinge and snap it to the mating socket on the car side once the door has reached that limit. Insert the locking pin to retain the shock to the ball joint. Try the door slowly, lower it and then close it, you may have to adjust the Allen screw slightly to align for closure.   Once you have the door closing perfectly, replace the cap screw closes to the tapered steel pin at the upper end of the hinge.  Replace with the longer cap screw passing through the offset machined part.  Turn it until it just clears the hinge in the door's closed position.  Tighten, this helps to maintain the closure aligment

Once you have made the necessary adjustments to make the door close and fit just right, we need to reconnect the wires for the door. Cut the existing protective boot right in the middle being very careful not to cut any wires inside. Leave one grommet in the door and the other half in the car pillar. 

Slide the necessary amount of wire through the hole to allow for opening the door vertically and cover the exposed wire with the supplied lumen.  Reconnect the wiring harness in the foot well area. Test the door again and ensure that the wires are free to open. Replace the passenger fender being careful not to scratch anything and don't forget to insert the antenna plug.
Allow for proper clearance for opening the door. 

Some bending of the mounting tabs and the flanges on the inside of the fender may be required to clear the shock.

This is normal and will no affect the fender.  Align the fender will all the fasteners tightened slightly. Move the fender as required to maintain the clearances required.  Remove the fender and adjust the hinge as required to get the correct alignment and clearance for opening and vertical travel. Do this as many times as required to get the proper fit.  Once complete, replace the kick panel and door sill and close the glove box while holding the retaining tabs in. This procedure will be repeated in the
same manner for the driver side door. 

The wiring harness for the drivers door will have to be extended from material in the door as opposed to within the car as on the passenger side. Remove the door panel by first removing the tweeter. The cover pops off and there is a screw that hold the tweeter in place. Once removed, the tweeter can be lifted up and unplugged and moved to a safe location. 

The handle that you hold to close the door with the window and lock switches will pop out as well, it is only held in place by friction clips.  With the handle assembly being held by your partner, there are two screws that hold the door near the base of the handle opening. 

With these screws removed, and the push pin retainer at the front of the door panel also out, the panel can be removed. Sliding the panel up will release all the alignment tabs on the door. Open the panel from the door and you will expose the driver's side door wiring harnesses. Remove any of the plastic retainer clips mounted to the wiring harness to release enough of the harness to allow for the vertical movement of the door. 

Replace the door panel, screws and retainer pin, then replace the tweeter. Cut the rubber protective
boot as we did on the passenger side and cover the wires with the protective lumen. There are more wires to the drivers side so you may need to tape the lumen in place with electrician's tape. Test and align the drivers door as necessary and replace the fender. Adjust as needed to maintain proper clearances for closure and vertical position.

The cap screws that are supplied for this installation are high grade, quality cap screws.  Unfortunately they don't make a high strength cap screw that is rust resistant.  A light sanding of the cap screw heads with some fine sand paper, followed by some hand painted clear coat or clear hobby model paint will aid in maintaining their appearance.

With the door hinges in place and the fenders aligned, ensure that all the bolts and fasteners are tight. Replace the two short fender skirts at the rear base of the wheel opening. Replace the bumper and grill making sure the driving light plugs are attached and then replace the headlights. Clean up all the tools from under the hood area and close the hood. Admire your alignment and then open the doors. Admire the new show car look of your PMP Vertical Door installation.