Pandora's pillar

[Edward M.]

Pillar moldings on the C3 1968 cars have a relief on the driver's side for the serial #. I purchased repros and the openings were different. Did they change from 1968 and up? Mine measures 2 1/4 x 5/8. What's yours? Thanks

[Patrick H.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

No, the repros just have the opening in the wrong place. $10 says your originally came from Corvette America, too.

Patrick

[Joe L.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

Ed-----

If the car is a 1968 convertible, the answer is yes. Early 1968 convertibles used different pillar post trim moldings than later 1968 through 1975. If yours use two exposed screws about at the mid-point of the molding, then I think that this is the early design. I'm not positive about this feature differentiating early and late 1968 designs, though.

I'm not sure if the early design 1968 moldings are available in reproduction, or not. I didn't think that there was a difference in the location on the pillar post of the VIN tag, but there might have been.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

Joe,

I KNOW the location for the VIN tag is incorrect on some reproductions. In the Corvette world, the odds of that applying in this case are (unfortunately) MUCH higher than the odds of the VIN tag having two locations, or the odds of two different 1968 pillar post moldings being reproduced. The odds of ONE variation of 1968 pillar being reproduced are small, much less two. Current catalogs actually list the same one from 1968 through 1976.

Patrick

[Joe L.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

Patrick-----

The difference only applies to earlier 1968 convertibles. Plus, it's possible that the later design part will SERVICE both early and late 1968 convertibles. The part number changed to a "6 digit" part number over 20 years ago.

I don't doubt your information that the Corvette America reproduction is incorrect. I must say, though, that it amazes me that they couldn't get something as simple as the location for the VIN tag cutout right. This is not a subtle feature and should be quite easy to "get right" as to location.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

Nothing about poor quality reproduction parts amazes me anymore, other than the fact that they continue to produce them.

I knew what you were getting at, though.

Patrick

[Edward M.]

Re: Pandora's pillar

Thanks for the info. I have sent mine to Al Knoch and they have agreed to reskin my originals and get the location as close as possible. It's simply a matter of getting the folds in the correct place. My car is a November build and there are no external screws. What is interesting is the way they concealed the installation of a third screw that enters vertically and mounts the top bracket that holds the top of the pillar post molding in place - still scratching my head on that one. Only way I can see is that they installed the top of the pillar first and then installed the dash pad.

[Dave Suesz]

It depends...

On where the part was made. I have had some exprience getting repro parts made, and if they are made in the Far East, the maker cannot try them out because the import of "used cars" is ILLEGAL in most of these countries. Best example I saw of the "copy" reverse engineering, was when one Taiwan company reproduced a pair of steel doors. The left door was standard, and other than some dimensional problems, was OK. The original right door supplied for the project was from a Deluxe Interior car, and had the openings for the courtesy light and wiring connector, so they obligingly made an entire shipping container of DELUXE ONLY right doors. I know a USA manufacturer who makes a frame section from his pride and joy, an NOS section from the factory. 100% of his repro parts are wrong, because his NOS section was actually discarded by the factory as defective, since it has about a 20 degree twist. Guy dosen't want to hear it, keeps making them wrong.

[Dave Suesz]

To those who may ask...

The supplier in question makes parts for the Ford Mustang, the part in question is the rear torque box, which attaches the eye bolt of the rear spring. To the best of my knowledge they do not make any parts for Corvettes (Thank God!). I only mention it to show not all incompetent parts suppliers are in Taiwan. There are also a few of the "Eastern" manufacturers who are quite competent. The moral of the story is judge the part, not the country of origin.

[Joe L.]

Re: To those who may ask...

Dave------

No disagreement there. I've seen some EXCELLENT pieces from the Far East. Some of their reproduction big block valve covers are nicer pieces than GM EVER offered----both the quality of the stamping and the quality of the chrome. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL pieces; almost too nice to put on an engine.

Japanese bearings are the best there is; motor mounts from India about the worst there is.

[Patrick H.]

Remember,

It's not the source, it's the specs.

Unless the vendor on this end SPECIFIES a good product, he won't GET a good product. Think of it like computers: garbage in=garbage out.

My Dad makes his living as an importer and spec'ing many items for various industries. By far, it's the people on this end making the mistakes when they order. The ones in the Far East are just following the directions they're given. In addition, not having cars in Asia to "test fit" is a poor excuse. My Dad gets items by 2 day FedEx weekly if not daily to examine and critique. The same thing could easily be done with Corvette parts (and should be!).

Plenty of Corvette reproduction parts made in the USA are junk, too. The interior supplier named above is in PA but that doesn't mean they get it right.

Patrick

[Geoff C.]

I'm multinational ...

The South Korean and Israeli motor mounts are much nicer than the Ohio ones and I have not heard any complaints about breakage. Mexican heater cores generally are turds evrn when in Dhellceaeux boxes, however parts from the Peoples Republic of Bridgeport are always exceptional.

Geoffrey

[Dave Suesz]

No doubt! For example...

A couple years ago we needed a rare slip yoke for a conversion, naturally it was discontinued. Couldn't find one new or used, and I have contacts out the wazoo! Took a u-joint end the right size, and a spline from another, tack welded them together, sawed off to the right length, put a note inside "splines should come all the way to the end" (they didn't) and sent it to Taiwan via the importer in CA. Result: An excellent part! We get a number of parts from this manufacturer, and most are equal of, maybe a little better than OE. In fact, the last of the OE shift levers were crap compared to the repros. The repro levers are better then the originals from the 60's.