Hey help I just got my OER dash pad for 1969 No AC. All the studs and screw holes line up great but it is like an inch short on each side. Does not even come close to the pillar pads. What the heck is going on? I can't stretch it and I can't space out the pillar pads that much! Has anyone else had this problem. It leaves a huge gap you can see right into the instument panel.

That sucks ive heard of this befor... Can you send it back.

Yup. That is the way the repro dash pads are. They do pretty much blow. But sometimes you just have to deal with the limitations of them until you find a nice original that doesn't cost a King's ransom.

It is pretty ridiculous how much the dang things are off. I mean it's a flipping dash pad for crying out loud. The dashes are ALL one length. It's not exactly rocket science here.

Yup. That is the way the repro dash pads are. They do pretty much blow. But sometimes you just have to deal with the limitations of them until you find a nice original that doesn't cost a King's ransom.

It is pretty ridiculous how much the dang things are off. I mean it's a flipping dash pad for crying out loud. The dashes are ALL one length. It's not exactly rocket science here.

Exactly. How hard is it to make one that fits? It applies with their second gen dash pads too. My uncle bought one for his 78 Z28 and the fit is poor at best. The A pillar moldings are about an inch from the pad.

That is how the originals fit.

The origionals DID NOT fit like that. I threw out mine. I wish I has it back! I called Ricks and they confirmed "they are about 1/2" short on one side". Well I measured and it is 3/4 inch on the passenger side a 1/4 inch on the drivers side and the drivers side shape is not right at the edge. How hard is it to make one right or even better. Hey repro stuff is never that good but it is off an inch! It is worse than corvex wheel house molding. I did not spend all these years to have the car look like that. It goes back tomorrow. Does not anyone but OER make them? I heard there may be new ones out, anyone know the details or when. I wish I kept my old ratty one. I could have cleaned it up to look better than that POS. Ricks was very good about the return but I don't see how they can sell that. Some may think it better than nothing, I am going with nothing for now, I will hope something better comes along.

Any original part you take off the car should be kept at least until the replacement part is installed. Terrible to say this now, but I have been in the same boat and now just keep everything even if I don't use it.

Any original part you take off the car should be kept at least until the replacement part is installed. Terrible to say this now, but I have been in the same boat and now just keep everything even if I don't use it.

Great advice...i learned this lesson the hard way too many years ago...I keep everything now and even buy/trade stuff I may need in the future....the other day I went to check out a certain part (which i really did not need) and the Guy had sitting right there (not advertised w/ the part i was looking for) a mint black original 69 steering wheel w/ RS trim.....I was happier than a pig in you know what.

Evan the OER pillars moldings fit and look like crap...

Pictures?

The originals didnt fit tight to the A-pillars. I wouldn't doubt that the OER pad (and trust me, I'm not a big fan of OER products) isn't exactly the same, but I haven't noticed a considerable difference in the gap.

GM:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69dash3.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69dash2.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69dash1.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69dash1rh.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69dashinst.jpg

Same cars, OER pads:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69OERdash3.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69OERdash1.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/RestoReference/69OERdash2.jpg

Hey Skip - You know Pardini as well as anyone, he sold me some repro windshield trim but was up front that he was hearing it didn't fit very well. I told him I planned to use it until I got my original trim straightened and polished and would take it forwarned. Well I had the help of a professional glass guy when I installed the trim and told him what I had heard... Funny when it was all done it fit as well as the original. It's been years and I still haven't worked on the original trim... The moral of my story is experience has a lot to do with how parts fit, my friend the glass guy has been installing glass and trim for 30 years. I've done the trim a couple times and couldn't have done it as well without the help. I know there are repro parts beyond hope but I also know there are NOS beyond hope and there are dashes that get replaced or repaired and are not to factory spec's and a whole host of other variables too! And then as I said in another thread we restore these cars expecting much tighter tolerances and fit than the factory workers ever did.

The bottom line is we deal with it and by all means don't settle unless it's your last resort or the manufactures won't ever get the message...

Hey Skip - You know Pardini as well as anyone, he sold me some repro windshield trim but was up front that he was hearing it didn't fit very well. I told him I planned to use it until I got my original trim straightened and polished and would take it forwarned. Well I had the help of a professional glass guy when I installed the trim and told him what I had heard... Funny when it was all done it fit as well as the original. It's been years and I still haven't worked on the original trim... The moral of my story is experience has a lot to do with how parts fit, my friend the glass guy has been installing glass and trim for 30 years. I've done the trim a couple times and couldn't have done it as well without the help. I know there are repro parts beyond hope but I also know there are NOS beyond hope and there are dashes that get replaced or repaired and are not to factory spec's and a whole host of other variables too! And then as I said in another thread we restore these cars expecting much tighter tolerances and fit than the factory workers ever did.

The bottom line is we deal with it and by all means don't settle unless it's your last resort or the manufactures won't ever get the message... Hey Dennis how have you been. Ive been taking it day by day and hanging in there, hope the same for you and Sharon :thumbsup:.

I got pretty lucky with my stainless steel window trim (McGee father restored them) also my dash seems to fit fine but my pillars are like rubber, i still have the originals. All and all it doesn't luck that bad, but some day i would like a nice set of pillars.

We are hanging in there Skip, hey I'm helping with parking show cars Sunday at the Palo Alto Concourse... If you are at the show look for me.

Skip's car is a perfect example, if they rolled off the assembly line like his car the sticker price would have doubled and the Camaro would have been marketed under the Cadillac brand instead of Chevrolet... ;)

We are hanging in there Skip, hey I'm helping with parking show cars Sunday at the Palo Alto Concourse... If you are at the show look for me.

Skip's car is a perfect example, if they rolled off the assembly line like his car the sticker price would have doubled and the Camaro would have been marketed under the Cadillac brand instead of Chevrolet... ;)

Hey guys....

I will be at the Palo Alto Concourse D'Elegance this sunday!

Right ON!! I will have some freinds there!

SWEEEET!!!!

BTW....send the pillars to Just Dashes.......maybe they can restore them???

Dennis, I called you a week or so ago.......did you get the mess?

We are hanging in there Skip, hey I'm helping with parking show cars Sunday at the Palo Alto Concourse... If you are at the show look for me.

Skip's car is a perfect example, if they rolled off the assembly line like his car the sticker price would have doubled and the Camaro would have been marketed under the Cadillac brand instead of Chevrolet... ;) Ahh thanks Dennis :thumbsup:,
Ill try to make it with or without my car. I have a few buddy's that already have there cars in. I will come by to hang out for a few, thats if im not headed down to Palm Springs to pick up a Ford Panel Truck for a friend.

Hey guys....

I will be at the Palo Alto Concourse D'Elegance this sunday!

Right ON!! I will have some freinds there!

SWEEEET!!!!

BTW....send the pillars to Just Dashes.......maybe they can restore them???

Dennis, I called you a week or so ago.......did you get the mess?


I never got a phone message, I did just reply to your PM from a few days ago...

Hey guys just one question. Is OER the only one that makes a Repro? I know I should not have tossed the origional but it was like 5 years ago. For anyone that is interested the pilar to pilar dimension is 54 inches. The OER dash pad measures 53 inches. If you are looking for one at a flea market take a tape. It is pretty easy to measure.

Dan just for reference if I measure across my dash pad from pillar to piller, it's maybe a scosh over 53" and right at the mount screw pillar post to pillar post is 53", dash and pillar post trim are installed in place. How close am I to measuring in the same area you are?

Dennis

I may have been misleading on how it was measured to come up with 54 inches. I measured the dash pad before I sent it back. It is 53 inches long measured with a tape across where the pad should be next to the pillar post pad. This is easy to do with a tape measure. With the dash pad in place I measured the gap using a 6" machinist scale. The gap was 3/4" on the passenger side and 1/4" on the drivers side. This added to the dash pad dimension comes to 54 inches. I tried to measure the pillar to pillar dimension on the car and it is very difficult with a tape measure. Due to having to curl the tape at the end it looks like a bit over 53 but this is misleading. You could probably get a good measurement if the windshield was not in place but measuring the gap with the dash pad installed and then the dash pad out of the car gives you the correct dimension to look for. Now I am sure there is some variation car to car but the pillar posts are origional so, at least on my car, I am confident of the 54 inch dimension. I doubt there is an inch variation car to car.

My original/unmolested pad gaps about 1/4"-3/8" to the vertical surface on the bottom feet on the "A"-pillar moldings.

:beers: