Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Any one restore these dashes?

Lost in the 60s · President

What's wrong with that one ??
Looks great in the pic...

Derek69SS · Founding Member

I assume you're just talking about the piece of trim along the top of the dash? That's the only part that looks to show its age from your picture.
I don't know the quality of the repops, but I suspect it would be way more cost effective to buy a new one than to try getting the original plastic repaired.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Yes it’s the top piece. And I’ve talked top couple of shops that do this kind of restoration. I was thinking of attempting it my self. Way too expensive and not a good candidate. Maybe 3 cans of paint and a lot of masking.

Lost in the 60s · President

That one already has a ton of paint on it. Ask Karl if he has an extra, now that he has chosen the one for his Elco. He may have a few to chose from. All you want to do with paint is a light dusting of Sem interior black so it doesn't fill the texture, like the one you have. Silver pen's are available to color the raised edge. I need to get one too and forgot when I was at Camaro Central a couple weeks ago...

more ambition than brains · 1K+ Club

OK, I will jump in.

Yours dash strip already been touched up, a lot.

I do have several used ones some even have all the mounting pins intact.

I toyed with the idea of just blacking one of mine out and coming back and doing the letters in silver. (I was favoring an all-black look).

Plan B was using a 300 Deluxe dash, had a couple pristine ones already cleaned and primed.

I even ordered a new Custom style one from OPGI, it is back ordered. No arrival date projected.

Ron had secured a Custom style from OPGI for the White Elky and augured out the center hole for A/C duct, nice piece, worked out well.

That process drove the result of using the Plan B 300 deluxe dash as I had everything in stock.

If the replacement wasn't on back order, Blue Elky may have ended up with the standard Custom dash.

For my purposes, I am glad we went the route we did.

If the one I have on order from OPGI ever arrives, it will go into inventory, never have enough parts.

Or I may just cancel it.

Good luck!

Karl

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Thanks Karl. I didn’t even know there was a custom dash, I thought they were all the same except the AC. Yes my upper strip has been repainted. I just canceled my order of the Restoparts dash because of delays, supposedly it was for a Malibu. from Jegs. Shipping from OPGI was $85.

more ambition than brains · 1K+ Club

The 300 and 300 Deluxe had the dash with the narrow chrome strip (aluminum) below switches, also the had raised letters, painted black designating switch.

All others were Malibus' and SS models that had the wider "strip" made of plastic, with chrome edges gauge names were raised too and detailed in black.

There may have also been a configuration that had a woodgrain decal using an aluminum base, polished edge.

I think my Blue Elky actually had the metal style or I saw one once on a car, maybe a 1967 wagon.

I had a large order shipping was manageable, not sure now.

Karl