68 console lack of fit

[Rick Erickson]

I am having fits trying to replace the console and guage assembly on a 68 roadster,please hold your laughs, i am trying to accomplish this with corvette america replacement parts,but they seem to be about an inch short of the original mounting bracket on the tunnel,could the dash be sagging that much or are these parts that far off,what a design with all that pressure on the bezel??
any insight would be appreciated.Thanks in advance

[G B.]

Re: 68 console lack of fit

Make sure your original console actually used those brackets. Evidently the assembly line couldn't make the forward tunnel bracket mate with the shift surround console on some of those cars.

I spent 12 hours last week (with help) installing the console parts in an air conditioned '70. Nothing fit, including the original parts that were re-installed. Jerry Murphy said he'd quit if I took in another shark model, and I wouldn't blame him.

Not that I'm defending the fit of reproduction interior stuff. If GM tried to use that stuff on the assembly line, their workers would have quit.

[Patrick H.]

Re: 68 console lack of fit

Rick,

I too had a bear of a time with their replacement console on a 72. I decided I'd rather re-dye an original than try their reproduction again.

I have an EC Products console for my 71, but have yet to install it.

www.ecproducts.com for their general site, or http://www.ecproducts.com/pdf_files/ec176_187.pdf for a picture of the console in their catalog.

Patrick

[Craig S.]

Re: 68 console lack of fit

Sounds good on the surface Patrick...let us know how it goes, I need a console for my 74 also...Craig