In the original setup, the carpet was cut to allow the bracket to bolt directly to the floorpan. Never encountered any other car of any time that I've dealt with putting the bolt through the carpet. It's also just a slit that needs to really be cut to slide the track under.
Having had a 71 and 85,I personally would choose a stout 87. The 70-72 are huge boats and handle poorly. Fan shroud is 2/3 of a 55 gallon drum to give you an idea of the length of the front end alone. Without serious suspension & steering upgrade, that poor weight distribution makes it wallow...
Yeah, those breaker bar attempts were worthless without possibly adding heat (which I did NOT see done), Would have taken 10 Refrigerator Perrys and a 40' bar.
Not mine, just found it local. The hood is mine pending pickup :)
https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/pts/d/safety-harbor-chevy-camaro-gm-parts/7475021447.html