Source for 69 center gauge bezel?
06-21-2018, 09:08 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Source for 69 center gauge bezel?
Hi,
Does Corvette America supply all the vendors with the reproduction bezels? I ask because I want to replace mine to install a 69 radio. Though my original is in very good shape (not broke and good finish), it was cut out to fit an 8-Track at some point. Anyway, I have a repop I picked up a while back, but I don't like the lettering for the volume and tuning. It's much thinner than the OE and the paint was sloppy. Another vendor (not CA) had what looked like the thicker font I see on my original. So, I bought it. It arrived today and it has the same thin font with paint that's bled over etc. To me, it looks bad. It literally is exactly the same...same die marks etc.
Am I stuck with what CA produces or is there another vendor that makes one with the thicker font?? I thought about cutting out filler to fix my OE but I'd have to repaint and I'm quite sure I'd end up with sloppy letter paint. Not sure how they did that so well.
Thanks in advance!
Does Corvette America supply all the vendors with the reproduction bezels? I ask because I want to replace mine to install a 69 radio. Though my original is in very good shape (not broke and good finish), it was cut out to fit an 8-Track at some point. Anyway, I have a repop I picked up a while back, but I don't like the lettering for the volume and tuning. It's much thinner than the OE and the paint was sloppy. Another vendor (not CA) had what looked like the thicker font I see on my original. So, I bought it. It arrived today and it has the same thin font with paint that's bled over etc. To me, it looks bad. It literally is exactly the same...same die marks etc.
Am I stuck with what CA produces or is there another vendor that makes one with the thicker font?? I thought about cutting out filler to fix my OE but I'd have to repaint and I'm quite sure I'd end up with sloppy letter paint. Not sure how they did that so well.
Thanks in advance!
06-21-2018, 09:49 PM
#2
Safety Car
I recently bought a new bezel (made in USA) for my '69 from Zip Corvette. Don't know if it's the same as Corvette America (?), but I'm satisfied with it. Haven't gotten around to installing it yet, though. This one....https://www.zip-corvette.com/69-71-c...uge-bezel.html
06-21-2018, 10:06 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by C3 Stroker
I recently bought a new bezel (made in USA) for my '69 from Zip Corvette. Don't know if it's the same as Corvette America (?), but I'm satisfied with it. Haven't gotten around to installing it yet, though. This one....https://www.zip-corvette.com/69-71-c...uge-bezel.html
06-21-2018, 11:12 PM
#4
Race Director
I have a repop I picked up a while back, but I don't like the lettering for the volume and tuning. It's much thinner than the OE and the paint was sloppy. Another vendor (not CA) had what looked like the thicker font I see on my original. So, I bought it. It arrived today and it has the same thin font with paint that's bled over etc. To me, it looks bad. It literally is exactly the same...same die marks etc.
There use to be two sources for center gauge bezels. One was US made, and was being cast using the original GM molds. The second was a repro being made using new tooling, by a company that only wholesales repro Corvette parts. Though I can't say for sure, I think the repro was being cast overseas.
The two different bezels were easily identified by looking at the back of them. The one made using GM's tooling, was a licensed GM Restoration Part, and had the GM part numbers molded into the back of it. The repro is not licensed, and has no markings on the back of it. The unlicensed repro can also be identified by the sloppy silver paint you mentioned, on the words "volume" and "tuning". To my knowledge, the licensed one is no longer available. They were being distributed by two different companies, but neither seem to have them anymore.
Am I stuck with what CA produces or is there another vendor that makes one with the thicker font??
06-22-2018, 08:22 AM
#5
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
To start with, Corvette America does not make the 69-71 gauge bezels.
There use to be two sources for center gauge bezels. One was US made, and was being cast using the original GM molds. The second was a repro being made using new tooling, by a company that only wholesales repro Corvette parts. Though I can't say for sure, I think the repro was being cast overseas.
The two different bezels were easily identified by looking at the back of them. The one made using GM's tooling, was a licensed GM Restoration Part, and had the GM part numbers molded into the back of it. The repro is not licensed, and has no markings on the back of it. The unlicensed repro can also be identified by the sloppy silver paint you mentioned, on the words "volume" and "tuning". To my knowledge, the licensed one is no longer available. They were being distributed by two different companies, but neither seem to have them anymore.
Just because someone's website or catalog, shows a bezel with different lettering on it, doesn't mean that's what they are now selling. Photos don't always get changed or updated, when the source for a part changes. The only way to know for sure where a part comes from, is to ask.
There use to be two sources for center gauge bezels. One was US made, and was being cast using the original GM molds. The second was a repro being made using new tooling, by a company that only wholesales repro Corvette parts. Though I can't say for sure, I think the repro was being cast overseas.
The two different bezels were easily identified by looking at the back of them. The one made using GM's tooling, was a licensed GM Restoration Part, and had the GM part numbers molded into the back of it. The repro is not licensed, and has no markings on the back of it. The unlicensed repro can also be identified by the sloppy silver paint you mentioned, on the words "volume" and "tuning". To my knowledge, the licensed one is no longer available. They were being distributed by two different companies, but neither seem to have them anymore.
Just because someone's website or catalog, shows a bezel with different lettering on it, doesn't mean that's what they are now selling. Photos don't always get changed or updated, when the source for a part changes. The only way to know for sure where a part comes from, is to ask.
06-22-2018, 08:57 AM
#6
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