C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

[Jack bogosian]

I have a deluxe interior in my 70 coupe there we not many i guess since its hard to get information on it..Does anyone know where to get the real walnut wood grain that goes on the door and on the shifter console I got some fake wood inserts from Dr Rebuild I am not happy with .. Also my car came with wood on the doors but not on the shifter console?

[Harmon C.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

Jack They sell thin wood at some lumber yards and you could cut to fit for the doors. I know a member who also cut and stained one for the shifter console. Lyle

[Joe L.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

Jack-----

Unless, you can find some NOS or some good, used inserts for the console, I think you'll be out-of-luck here, as far as original pieces go. The console insert for 1970 with deluxe interior was GM #3964123 for non C-60 cars and GM #3964126 for C-60-equipped cars. These pieces were discontinued in November, 1988.

As far as the door panel pieces go, I'm not 100% sure that these were originally made of real wood, although they may have been. However, whatever they were made of, they were never available as a seperate part from GM---only as part of the complete door panel. The GM door panels are long gone. I doubt that the reproductions, if they're available, use real wood for the insert material.

[Tony H.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

Jack,

I also have a 1970 deluxe interior. My door panel strips are real wood. The strips are walnut veneer that were glued to a ~40-mil thick metal substrate. That subassembly was glued as an inset to the chromed trim piece beneath the door pull handle of the deluxe door panel.

The shifter console walnut veneer inset did not include a metal substrate. It was glued directly to the shifter plate as an inset. Several years ago, I believe these were available from Eckler's as the 71-72 insert but I am not sure of their availablity today.

[Warren L.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

At first glance I would have said these parts are walnut however whatever this material is it is not walnut. It is similar to walnut colour. I have rosewood veneer here that is far closer colour and grain wise.

The combined thickness of the veneer or whatever it is is .022 including the thickness of the metal backer. The actual thickness of the wood like material is .008.

I measured the job I am doing now and the cherry veneer is .0215, same with a piece of birdseye I picked up.

This is thinner than veneer although the Japanese I believe invented a way to slice veneer extremely thin, I dont know that it would have been back in 70, maybe though. Glad I never had to lay that stuff up or sand it.

The metal plate is stuck onto the door with a glue simliar to contact cement, on one side of my door the panel was falling off and contact usually fails with heat. The glue is coming loose from most of the metal.

The thing that seems strange is that there is also a grain pattern on the back side of the metal under the glue. I can see the image of a pin knot and it is the same pin knot or simulated pin knot that is on the face side of the panel, not sure what or why.

The veneer or wood like material on this panel is cracked suggesting it was trying to move.

I sanded some of what appears to be a finish off and into the coloured portion. There is no smell I can recognize and I am not sure it is wood, walnut is recognizable, not sure what this is.

I have another panel upstairs and when I get a chance will put some glasses on and take a closer look.

Is there anyone who was around the factory at the time that knows what these are?

Warren

[Tony H.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

Warren,
I trust your numbers are correct. It's been 13 years or so since I measured my panels and I think I may have had another dimension in mind (maybe the heat shield thickness of the engine mounts). "Walnut" is what I always recall the wood to be advertised.

[Zachary K.]

Re: C-3 1970 coupe deluxe interior

Nice time for this post to appear. And I do recall seeing previous archive post's about this before. I just got back from the National in Utah and still am a little steamed about the way mine were judged. I had purchased my 70 back in 74, and it was badly kept by the previous owners. I purchased many original interior parts from my local GM dealer back then with the intentions of replacing someday the complete interior. Little did I know that when that day came it would be a total restoration. Anyway, at restoration time I pulled out the parts including the mentioned woodgrain console insert and a pair of door panels which I was lucky to come across that the dealer had ordered for a flood job that someone had ordered and never came back for. The door panels have the correct fiberboard backing. This car has been judged before and many (master)judges have commented on the nice original inserts along with the door panels. At Utah I have another Master judge (never seen before) and he claims they are reproductions and deducts for that. It's ashame that it seems to me that these guys see so many reproduction pieces that they are confused when the right thing comes along. Good luck with whatever you come up with hopefully they will like it more than the originals. Sorry, but I left out that I'm not sure what type of wood mine is but it's dark like walnut furniture that I have seen before and the thickness is approx the same as you spoke about .020 this I know as when I got home, from the heat out there, one panel has started to release from the glued surface.