[CRANE'S68]

I'm about ready to replace the entire interior of a 68' Camaro - From the dash pad to the read deck panel and everthing in between. Anyone have recommendations for which companies make the best (qualty and cost) replacement interior components(or which ones to stay away from)?

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[jm69ss]

Crane - I did the same thing and bought just about every nut and bolt. What I did was got catalogues from all the big guys (NPD, Ricks, Firewheel, YearOne, Classic, GroundUp). Then I wrote down everything I needed and figured out the total cost from each. Most of these guys use the same suppliers. Some offer bulk discounts, some offer free shipping, kits, etc. It took alot of time, but when finished I ended up saving a couple hundred bucks. I found overall the best deal was NPD.

It also pays to do your homework and call around and compare suppliers for big items. There is a difference for some stuff (example: seat foam I got from NPD was junk - sent it back and got good quality from Classic).

You might also want to consider who is closer to you. If you can buy in person versus catalogue, you can probably save some headaches and shipping costs.

Hope this helps.

Also, YearOne is kinda pricey but their catalogue is awesome and a great resource.

Be warned - you'll spend hours going through these catalogues and find a whole bunch of sh#@ you didn't even know you needed!!!

[This message has been edited by jm69ss (edited 09-27-2000).]

 

[CarlC]

jm69ss summed up a lot of it.

My 2 cents worth, have the dash reconditioned by Just Dashes. Their work is outstanding and far superior to the repro.

Try to reuse the old windlace. The repros are too thick and don't hold well.

Ask each distributor who makes the part before you buy it then compare it with other makes. Quite often there is only one manufacturer.

Try to refurbish as many original parts as possible. They will fit better than any reproduction.

Carl



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Click here to see see my car and hear 5-speeds. http://www.geocities.com/casanoc

 

[sixtsevnssrs]

Crane are you familiar with microsoft excel? I think I have a spread sheet set up with prices for a 67. Might be as easy as just changing the prices and the part numbers. I compared Ricks, NPD and D&R. Very easy to use but you have to understand excel or it would just be a worthless list for you. I will dig it up and send out a copy to anyone that would like to give it a try.

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Tim
67 ss/rs, MODIFIED
Tim's Homepage
AOL-IM = sixtsevnss

 

[denverRS/SS]

Crane, some suggested to me to make sure to get seat covers made by PUI. They supply nearly all the big Camaro parts houses so it's easy to find. My seats look A+! One thought is if you have a large order, places like Ground-Up who sponsors this site, offer a discount for large orders (theirs is 5% on orders over $500 and 10% on orders over $900) and FREE shipping on orders over $250. This really adds up! The shipping can kill you as we all know. So check prices but read the fine print too and you will save even more.

 

[ragtopman]

From personal experience, if you but the firewall insulation pad, get a REM brand from NPD, its a nice pad. Try to stay away from the Re-Pop pad.

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67 Camaro SS Conv.
70 Challenger R/T Conv.

 

[sixtsevnssrs]

Those plastic holders for those pads are the worst pieces of s#$t I have had to work with. Use The original type rubber ones with a little KY

Wife asked me what the KY was for, I told her it was for the car. I hope she believed me, I was out there with guys sucking down a few beers at the time.
Vasaline works to but will leave a oily residue where the KY is water based and dries up pretty good leaving no mess.

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Tim
67 ss/rs, MODIFIED
Tim's Homepage
AOL-IM = sixtsevnss

 

[Procurement_man]

I would like to have your file in excel format. Thanks. Pls sent to [email protected]

 

[memcgraw]

I've done a fairly extensive refurb of the interior in my 67 ragtop and can pass on the following advice.

Just Dashes seems to be the way to go with the dash pad. I had not heard of them at the time and bought a OER part and actually I'm pretty happy with it.

I bought new deluxe door panels which look great. They are a little thick due to the plastic backing, and they were a little bowed coming out of the box, but once installed look great. With the plastic backing, I don't think you need new water shields but I put them in anyway.

I bought recovering material for the back panels (I have a ragtop), and new panels that cover the window cranks. I ended up taking the panels and the materials to an upholstery shop for installation which was the best $60 I ever spent. The material was hard to install and it was good to have it done by an expert.

Bought AAC molded carpet which went down very easy. Bought new sound deadener pads also.

I had to replace about every switch on the dash as mine had a lot of corrosion.

Agree with Carl that you should try to keep as much original stuff as possible. With the new stuff, some fits, some doesn't, and these cars weren't as exact coming off the line as they are today. I have to concur on the windlace also. Bought the big $$$ replacements and I think Carl is right when he says they are too thick. I could barely get my door shut today.

My seats were in mint shape so I didn;t have to do anything there.

I also bought a big $$$ OER walnut wheel, hub amd center cap. Really nice but the hub was a little overpriced for the quality.

Bought new GM sill plates as these are one of my favorite parts of the car. They are really beautiful.


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Mark M.
Red 67 Convertible
Red Deluxe Interior
383/Tremec 5 Speed
4 Wheel Disk