67 Brake handle cover

[Neal K.]

The brake handle plastic cover for my 67 looks to be in need of some TLC. Round indentations have appeared in the plastic on the outside of the cover in the area where the screw studs are moulded into the plastic on the under side. Not sure whether to:
1. Use As/Is and repaint it; or
2. buy a reproduction or good used original; or
3. Find somone who can restore my original.
Who sells the most accurate reproduction handbrake cover.
Neal

[Joe L.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

The brake handle plastic cover for my 67 looks to be in need of some TLC. Round indentations have appeared in the plastic on the outside of the cover in the area where the screw studs are moulded into the plastic on the under side. Not sure whether to:
1. Use As/Is and repaint it; or
2. buy a reproduction or good used original; or
3. Find somone who can restore my original.
Who sells the most accurate reproduction handbrake cover.
Neal

Neal------


If you are referring to the parking brake console, your best bet is to restore the one you have using fiberglass cloth and resin and do the repair from the INSIDE. Then, repaint using SEM interior paint. You can achieve an as-new console if you have a little skill and patience. I don't know of anyone that restores these professionally but there probably is someone out there.

[Mark D.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Jeff Salz can make it purty.

[Nick C.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Neal,

Back in the good old days while an Interior judge, one of the configuration items searched for to confirm an original vs repro cover was the presence of those specific depressions.

Post a clear photo of the cover so we can see how the balance of the top surface looks...

[Gene M.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Neal,

Back in the good old days while an Interior judge, one of the configuration items searched for to confirm an original vs repro cover was the presence of those specific depressions.

Post a clear photo of the cover so we can see how the balance of the top surface looks...

Those sunken areas in the plastics world as known as sinks. The large mass of plastic to form the boss for the studs causes the sinks during cooling once ejected from the mold when fabricated years ago. Time will also add to the sunken appearance making it even worse.

Modern molding techniques reduce the sunken effect. Nick points out the judges take on this if one knows the difference.

[Neal K.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Nick,
I will post a photo. Maybe tonight.
Are the pressence of the round depressions(called sinks by Gene) a good thing or bad?
Otherwise the cover is in good condition. I have owned the car since 1969 and to my knowledge the cover is original to the car.
Thanks
Neal

[Russ S.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Nick,
I will post a photo. Maybe tonight.
Are the pressence of the round depressions(called sinks by Gene) a good thing or bad?
Otherwise the cover is in good condition. I have owned the car since 1969 and to my knowledge the cover is original to the car.
Thanks
Neal

They were there when the part was new although maybe not quite as pronounced. Good or bad?-I would say good. It means an original part.

[Larry M.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Nick,
I will post a photo. Maybe tonight.
Are the pressence of the round depressions(called sinks by Gene) a good thing or bad?
Otherwise the cover is in good condition. I have owned the car since 1969 and to my knowledge the cover is original to the car.
Thanks
Neal

If the 1967 Team Leader (Nick C) advises that he used to check for these "sinks" to confirm originality, I think I would leave them alone.

Larry

[Neal K.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Here is the picture of my brake console with the "sinks". What do you think?
Neal

[Russ S.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Here is the picture of my brake console with the "sinks". What do you think?
Neal

If it were my car I would leave them alone. A repo won't be without it's issues which means a deduct. I may be wrong on this statement but I doubt if any one can repair them to be unnoticeable.

[Nick C.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Neal,

Looks original from what is visible in your photo.

Could you post a photo of the underside?

[Neal K.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Nick,
I will post a photo later today. There is a part number on the inside. #3897370
Neal

[Scott S.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Here is the picture of my brake console with the "sinks". What do you think?

Neal,

I think those "sinks" are character marks

I just checked my cover (black), it has the 3897370 part number on the underside, and although several of the bosses are cracked on the underside, there are practically no "sinks" visible on the top side. I can detect two very slight depressions corresponding to the bosses underneath when held at the correct angle to a light, but only because I know (now) what to look for.

Anything that identifies a part as being original makes it a keeper to me, I would reinstall it just like it is. No one else will probably ever notice, but if anyone is brave enough to comment about it, then you can tell them the story of the "parking brake cover stud molding boss depressions". Friends and family can't seem to get enough of these kinds of details, at least that's what I like to think...

[Neal K.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Nick, here is a picture of the inside.
Neal

[Nick C.]

Re: 67 Brake handle cover

Neal,

Thanks for the photo.

In this instance, it is obvious that the base plastic is black and the saddle color is painted on the exposed surfaces.

I recall being at someone's shop many years ago.. the discussion of molded color plastic or vinyl came up.

Back then, I held the belief that most, if not all interior plastic components in non STD (not Black) interiors were typically molded of colored material rather than STD black and subsequently painted to match. A parts counterman told me the replacement OTC GM piece was STD black and painted to match by the installer.

This person's shop held some of each and some with a white plastic base painted interior color to match.

So much for holding beliefs...

Any known factory originals out there please comment.

Thanks,

Nick