427390HP

I'm putting my dash insert and grab bar in. I finally got enough foam trimmed away to get the insert to seat fairly well. I was test fitting the grab bar and I know you have to slide the end caps over the bar before fastening it.

I have original end caps and a repro grab bar. The end caps wouldn't even begin to slide on so I peeled the vinyl back and sanded the foam core. I got each end cap on just past the first screw hole but the going is getting tougher. As far as I can figure, the end caps need to be in about 3" or so from each end in order to set the bar on the brackets, put in the screws, and slide the end caps back to the outside.

If that's the case, I'll have to sand half the bar down. Am I going about it the wrong way or how does everyone else slide the end caps on?

I'd really appreciate any help because I'm just about ready to sell this car. It's gotten to the point that every single part has become a fight to get on properly.

Thanks, Terry

firstgear

When I did mine I lubed it up with dish soap. It wasn't easy, but those end pieces have to slide well towards the middle if you are going to get it in place..

wilbur

One word to decribe the light foam repo bar... Junk. I Had the same problem, started with the sanding, then moved up to the grinder, well didn't take long to mess that up. So I took the cover off and slipped it on my original rubber bar. I guess I should have just bought the cover.
Looks and feels great with no issues on the install.

firstgear

Just make sure that you push those end pieces on far enough to clear the aluminum dash insert. If it isn't in far enough you will end up marring or putting a dent/crease in that brand new insert...ask me how I know!

Frankie the Fink

3" inward is about right and you don't have to sand anything.

I have a repro grab bar and it takes lots of patience and silicone spray...you have to keep the vinyl soaked with silicone and then force one side of the end cap up (maybe 1/4"-1/2") on the vinyl then the other side and then pull hard on the that end of the vinyl to keep it from being bunched up. Repeat - then repeat some more. The vinyl is tougher than you think so you have to be pretty aggresive.

It DOES work and I've done it several times. If you let the sharp inner tip of the end cap touch the insert OR tighten the end cap down to much so it digs into the insert then you've thrown away a lot of hard work. Don't get perturbed if the end caps don't sit down precisely against the insert and sides of the dash pad. I've looked at dozens of these installations and they are all compromises between good looks and damaging something.

427390HP

OK, I got them slid inward far enough to install the bar. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I put my old insert in and assembled everything to make sure it would go together. Kind of a final dress rehearsal. That's how I've been going things and it takes a little longer but then I know everything will fit on "final" assembly. Now I will take it all back out, put my new insert in, and reassemble the whole thing. But there shouldn't be any surprises on final.

FWIW, for others that may do this in the future. I took one of my small, fine files and cleaned up the inside edge of each end cap. They looked smooth at first glance, but I could tell a big difference after I filed the edges. I wouldn't say the cap just slid on, but it was ten times easier than before. So you might want to try that to ease getting the cap on. BTW, you can't tell from the outside that anything was done - it's just on the inside edges.

Thanks for the help and tips guys! I thought I was doing it the right way, but I wanted to make sure.

Frank, I have begrudgingly accepted the fact that the fit and finish on these cars is probably fair at best IMO. I have spent a lot of hours tweaking and fitting pieces to get them the best they can be, but some still don't fit all that well. The right side of my grab bar cap doesn't fit quite flush with the insert, so I took your advice and accepted a fair fit without any damage and called it good!

Thanks again,

Terry

BillbUrruss

I knew a guy who did Top Flight work in his home garage back in the mid 80's. I was complaining about the fit and uneven gaps on my 62. He told me the C1's were at best "rough" when they came off the assembly line. We're all spoiled today and have forgotten how cars were back in the day

Frankie the Fink

That's a 3-1/2 year old thread but yes, many here go completely **** on restoring their cars within ten thousands of an inch, with micrometer and laser measurements. I get a kick out of it...

SRC60

Frankie the Fink, I saw your reply to this discussion and I am having the same problem as the first guy. I tried everything and could not get the end caps to fit over my new grab bar. The cover fits very loosely on the grab bar. You can easily slide the cover back and forth. No matter how much I tried I couldn't get the end caps on. Actually, I pretty much ruined the new cover in the process. I took my old cover and slid a small section of it on the new grab bar and it fit very well and the end caps slid on with little trouble. At this point I don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be really appreciated.
Thanks, Steve

Dreaming60’s

Bill F. said it well a few weeks ago. C1's are "Rude", "Crude" and "Beautiful". Once you accept their inherent limitations, they're a wonderful car/toy. If you can't accept these limitations, you need to look for something else to play with.

BH

SRC60

BH, I have owned my 1960 Corvette since 1971. It has been modified, restored, etc several times. I have no intention of getting rid of it. This is my second grab bar repair and my first one had a cover that fit well. My new one has a cover that fits very loose.
Steve

Frankie the Fink

Its a wrestling match no matter how much you "lube" things up I'm afraid... IIRC the second time I did it I had to scooch the brackets inwards on the bar which made waves in the vinyl cover in front of it; then I would grab the vinyl on the OPPOSITE end of the bracket and pull (hard as hell) to get those waves out then scooch the bracket a little farther and repeat the process.
w
Also do NOT tighten the brackets down at each end when doing the final installation ... you can screw it down so much that the pointy ends of the brackets dent the aluminum insert - it doesn't take much to ding it up.

SRC60

Frankie, thanks for the response. When I tried to slide the caps over the bar, they completely damaged the bar cover. No matter how hard I tried, the caps where cutting into the cover when I tried to slide them over the cover, Do you remember if your cover fit loosely over the bar? My original cover fits tight but the new cover fits very loose. It will actually fit over the original cover. At this point I have to order a new cover and try again.
Thanks, Steve

Frankie the Fink

I've replaced about 3 of those covers and not a single one could be described as loose....it took an effort to get the cover on the bar in each case.

MOXIE62

It takes a bit of sanding on the rubber to get it to slide. Also as mention get your dremel drill and sand the inside of the bezel. In addition I put vinyl take on the cover where the bezel slides on. It makes a slick surface on the vinyl and keeps damage from happening.

Dreaming60’s

Steve, this was a generalized comment about C1's and was not meant to reflect your car or your current situation. I just liked the way it sounded when I heard it and I believe it to be true. These C1's are just beasts sometimes. You obviously have embraced their shortcomings, as have most of us on this forum.

BH