Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

[M W.]

Hi all,

I am looking at buying a supposedly NOS set of original 1964 rocker moldings and wanted other peoples opinions if these are indeed original as advertised. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Craig Willetts

[Alan D.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig, that end and the brightness of the anodizing looks very good to me! The major thing I'll heard in the past was relative to length, to short. Both my originals measure 65 5/8" at the major outward rib and the NOS one I have (dated around 1970) is the same. As for the extra black paint at the end, my NOS has some, but not as much - that can always be modified.

Have also notice that the anodizing on repo parts tends to be dull (satin) and not bright as originals were. Good luck

[M W.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?...Follow up

Alan,

Thanks for the prompt reply. Can you please look at the second set of pictures and give me your valued opinion on the second set of available moldings? These are obviously cheaper but overall have the same look. Just want to make sure both sets are original as advertised. I also included a picture of JG's image of how the ends are to look compared to the reproductions.

Thanks a bunch,
Craig

[John D.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Last week I was told that there were three dies that punched out the 63's. Therefore the difference in lengths of them. I imagine the same issue happened in 64.

[Alan D.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig,
Sent you some pictures of the ends. Have not seen any repo ends so did not know that was a problem area. As mentioned I have one NOS which is the same length as the originals, but have never investigated why the different lengths so JD info is just another one of those manufacturing variances. Nothings simple is it?

[Joe R.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig,

Those NOS ones you are looking are NOS. They all looked like that for the last 20 years. Bad ends but that's what we have to live with if you want the real deal. ALL of the originals are the same length.

The rumor mill has started the length stories because of the repos. The repos do not fit well and have problems with being too long and too short.

The originals don't fit well either as you will have to use some washers to space the strip from the body to give enough room for the lip catch on the top.

Again, something you will have to live with if you want NOS originals.

JR

[M W.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

All,

Any comments on the second set of molding pictures I posted? Trying to decide if the difference in price is worth it in the end.

Thanks,
Craig

[Gene M.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig
They may be NOS but they are not as the originals. The originals are a single layer of metal at ends of spears. Coining and formed originals didn't have the small step. They were smooth.

[M W.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

I got the pictures Alan. Thanks a bunch.

Cheers,
Craig

[John D.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig, See the bottom of this post. Jack Humphrey's explanation a few years ago is the story on rocker panel deviations.
I had two sets of NOS ones for my 63. None of the 4 were identical to the originals that came off the car. The ends on the service replacements are very rough. The folding of the ends is crude at best on the SR's.
I never had any originals that came in the long cardboard boxes.I don't know what they were like. The first time I bought new ones from Chevy was in 1979. The 2nd time I got them from ebay. I would suspect the same thing about the 64 rockers. Expect different lengths and rough ends.
Bob Gregory judged the exterior of my 63 in Marlborough and he said I had SR rockers. He is the one that taught me about originals versus crappy SR's. I also had two different length moldings on the car at the time. John

[Larry M.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

I want to reopen the 10 year old thread because I need a little help. In the last post #10 above dated 3/16/2009 John DeGregory suggests we look at Jack Humphrey's prior answer. I looked for it and it is copied in at the bottom of this post so you don't have to hunt it. Based on what he says and my prior understanding all of the pics Craig posted above are either SR or Repro and look much like the ones on my car which are always judged as "non original". The bunched material on those pictured is obvious and looks almost like it is slit and lapped. I have an opportunity to trade mine with a guy who might have originals in amazingly good shape....his car is a driver and he doesn't care about original. His are very smooth on all four ends. I don't think the groves which have black paint wrap around the ends like the ones in Craig's pics but I'm going to look again tomorrow. They are for sure smooth in the upper areas at the end of the "arrows". There is one seam line in one end but it is coined flat as Jack suggests. Does any one have a pic of a known original they can post?

Jack Humphrey (17100)
Extremely Frequent Poster

Join DateApril 1st, 1990Posts9,887

Re: Rocker Panel Moldings

Remember, NOS simply means New Old Stock and that does NOT guarantee you what's in the box is precisely the same part(s) that were used by the factory when your car was originally built. GM service often packaged 'kits' (moldings + fasteners) that differed from the discrete components the factory used on the assy line. Plus, over time, running changes often resulted in a slightly different configuration of a given part that's visually detectable to savvy judges. Plus, tooling did wear and/or underwent repair/improvement that also generated detectable differences.

Specifically, it's pretty well known that rocker panel molding available through service channels well after intitial production differ from factory originals in terms of their 'fold' adjacent to the front/rear 'arrow tips' with the later service replacement moldings having excess 'bunched up' material and factory originals being quite smooth/flat in this area.

On mounting screws packaged with various service replacement rocker panels, it's pretty much a given they were 'generics' intended to fit and function but NOT exactly duplicate the individual fasteners that were binned on the assy line way back when...

[Dick W.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Craig
They may be NOS but they are not as the originals. The originals are a single layer of metal at ends of spears. Coining and formed originals didn't have the small step. They were smooth.

Those shown are what you got from GM since at least the early '80's

[Larry M.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

I just looked at the one I'm trying to trade for. As I thought above they are flat on the entire end; the paint recesses and the ribs between them end on the main surface and do not wrap around the end....the ends are smooth and flat. Does this confirm they are assembly line original?

[Alan D.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Here is an original taken off in 1972 following a ding and then replaced with a NOS.
The NOS one does have the ribs more wrapped around the corner (1972 part) while neither of the
originals (4) show such.
The lines (cracks) you can see are not on the original (un dinged) - the surface is smooth

[Larry M.]

Re: Help with 64 Rocker Moldings..Original or Reproduction?

Alan - thank you so much. For me you have a "benchmark" car. I'm going to trade. On the ones I'll get the four ends are smooth except for one line/seam coined flat. I think they are the real deal.

As an aside, they dinged me at the nationals for my clamp screw on the FI X-over clamp screw being slotted without the triangle but I know that's what you have and I wouldn't change it for anything.