Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

[Don L.]

I finally found a very nice pair of original (molded fiberglass/composite) interior 1/4 trim panels for my '72 convertible after almost 5 years of searching! I want to restore them and install over the winter, replacing the thermo - formed plastic reproduction parts that are currently on the car.

My question is - does the backside (B surface) of the panel get painted as well as the grained A surface? Looking at the 2 pieces I have, there looks to be a cursory coat of black paint applied to mainly the perimeter of the part's back side. The paint basically wraps around the edge and that's it. The rest of the B surface shows the dark gray fibers and resin. Do I want the entire B side to be black, just the perimeter, or no paint at all? Advice from all - particularly untouched original cars - will be most appreciated...

[Alan S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Hi Don,
The original trim pieces from my 71 coupe are not painted on the rear of the piece.
The car has the standard black interior and there was no paint used on those pieces at all. What I see on the rear is the appearance you describe and some remains of the glue, used to secure the vinyl to the back of the molding, that extends an inch or so beyond the vinyl itself.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Alan

[Don L.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Wow. This just got even more interesting for me. Knowing Alan's car is a one owner, original beauty, I now have more questions.

Alan, are your panels fiberglass/molded composite or are they therm-o-formed (TDB censors don't like "ther****rmed") material? Do they have the cutout for the shoulder belt in them? I am becoming confused now. I was under the impression that earlier cars ('68-'69?) were a molded substrate with vinyl covering glued to the A surface, and around 1970, the vinyl covering was replaced with a 100% molded part. This part had the graining in the mold and the interior color was sprayed onto the part to suit the car. This might be a case where a picture is worth more than words.

Any info/advice is much appreciated...

[Alan S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Hi Don,
Here are some pictures. Remember they're from a mid-January 71 coupe and reflect what was on it.
The pictures are of the piece of trim that runs below the rear window. (It's the easiest to get off for pictures.) The construction and vnyl is typical for that piece, the 2 larger pieces of quarter trim, and the 2 pieces that trim the interior of the halo on coupes.
The piece of coupe trim that runs from rear to front between the roof panels is vinyl wrapped but made of pressboard similar to the interior door panels.
The covers for the shoulder belt reels that attach to the large quarter trim pieces are molded plastic with the grain imprint. On my black interior they are unpainted since the plastic used to make them is black. This looks to be similar to the MATERIAL used for the emergency brake cover and the front kick panels but in my case those 3 pieces are a very pale cream color plastic and were painted black.
I think this covers all the trim pieces. Sorry it got so involved.
Remember again... 1 standard interior, in black, from mid Jan. 71 coupe.
Having BIG fun!
Regards,
Alan

[Dave S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Hi Don,
Here are some pictures. Remember they're from a mid-January 71 coupe and reflect what was on it.
The pictures are of the piece of trim that runs below the rear window. (It's the easiest to get off for pictures.) The construction and vnyl is typical for that piece, the 2 larger pieces of quarter trim, and the 2 pieces that trim the interior of the halo on coupes.
The piece of coupe trim that runs from rear to front between the roof panels is vinyl wrapped but made of pressboard similar to the interior door panels.
The covers for the shoulder belt reels that attach to the large quarter trim pieces are molded plastic with the grain imprint. On my black interior they are unpainted since the plastic used to make them is black. This looks to be similar to the MATERIAL used for the emergency brake cover and the front kick panels but in my case those 3 pieces are a very pale cream color plastic and were painted black.
I think this covers all the trim pieces. Sorry it got so involved.
Remember again... 1 standard interior, in black, from mid Jan. 71 coupe.
Having BIG fun!
Regards,
Alan

Don/Alan,
There has been an ongoing debate on this subject and we need to learn more about what is/may be original. I have a 70 coupe #14803 that has saddle vinyl covered 1/4 trim, a 71 Convertable #16798 that has black painted 1/4 trim and a 71 coupe #21467 that has black vinyl covered 1/4 trim. More than 99% sure these are original pieces. It would be helpful to hear from owners of original cars. The convertables and coupes most likely have different ranges of paint vs. vinyl covered.

[Don L.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Don/Alan,
There has been an ongoing debate on this subject and we need to learn more about what is/may be original. I have a 70 coupe #14803 that has saddle vinyl covered 1/4 trim, a 71 Convertable #16798 that has black painted 1/4 trim and a 71 coupe #21467 that has black vinyl covered 1/4 trim. More than 99% sure these are original pieces. It would be helpful to hear from owners of original cars. The convertables and coupes most likely have different ranges of paint vs. vinyl covered.

Forensics. MY FAVORITE!

I will try and take a couple photos of the molded/painted 1/4 trim I bought this spring at a swap meet and attach them in a subsequent post. They look much like the E brake console construction Alan mentioned, with fibers showing on the back side. They also have a window/opening for the shoulder belt. As we know, shoulder belts were an option on the convertibles. I do not have this option but have never seen a 1/4 trim panel with out the opening. The '70-'72 JG says that early '70 cars were "crudely cut", however on later cars, the opening was "evenly cut". It does not mention whether or not blank panels have ever been observed. I did a fair bit of research before I bought these and found several/numerous original owner cars that had the molded panels. This was true for both convertibles and coupes. This is where I got my impression that '68 and '69 cars had the vinyl covered trim and later cars showed molded trim. Perhaps it was actually more random and the variation was longer lasting inconsistency than I thought.

BTW, my A pillar trim and header trim is the vinyl covered fiberboard that Alan shows in his pics...

[Alan S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Hi Don,
What I show in my first 4 pictures ISN'T the fiberboard I mentioned. It's the material I believed you described in your first post... more of a fibrous plastic/resin material.
To confuse things even more... at the end of your last post you just mentioned the a-pillar and header trim being fiberboard based... on my car those 3 pieces have a metal base with a layer of foam and then the vinyl molded around it. Here are a couple of pictures. I'm thinking the foam was required for 'head' protection.These are 3 pictures of the driver's side a-pillar trim piece's top.
Here's a puzzle... if you look carefully at the last picture it looks like the border of the vinyl doesn't have any 'grain pattern' in it.... did the vinyl have a plain border or was it pulled and stretched so tightly the grain disappeared?
Even BIGGER Fun!
Regards,
Alan

[Dennis D.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Have had a set of originals for some time now. No vinyl covering, brownish molded fiberous material. Part number might suggest service piece. Had this discussion years ago and I believe Reba weighed in on it as to the vinyl- non vinyl thing

[Ralph S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

My 1970 conv. has green hard plastic with the grain VIN 6242

[Don L.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Here are the photos I promised to attach in an earlier post. Like those that Dennis posted, the ones I have are molded, rigid in construction with a grained A surface and a fiberous, unfinished B surface. I have seen these panels on numerous '70 and '71 convertibles. I just don't run into enough '72 convertibles to say more.

Does anyone have a known original 1972 convertible with these? If so, are they painted:

• At all?
• A surface only?
• Overspray around the perimeter only on the B surface?
• Entire B surface?

Thanks to all for the help!

[Don L.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

HELP PLEASE!

Are there ANY '71, '72 convertibles out there that have original 1/4 trim panels?

I am looking for some info as to whether or not the B (back) surface was/was not painted as the A surface was. I want to make sure that when I freshen my parts up this winter, I'm doing it right.

Thanks all

[Patrick H.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

I've not seen one with the back side painted, but then as Terry says I've not yet seen them all.

[Ralph S.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

I have some panels from a 72 conv. saddle int. with overspray on the back side.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

I have some panels from a 72 conv. saddle int. with overspray on the back side.

Overspray is different than "intentionally painted."
I don't recall ever seeing one "intentionally painted" on the back.

[Edward J.]

Re: Early C3 Interior 1/4 Trim - Finish?

Don/Alan,
There has been an ongoing debate on this subject and we need to learn more about what is/may be original. I have a 70 coupe #14803 that has saddle vinyl covered 1/4 trim, a 71 Convertable #16798 that has black painted 1/4 trim and a 71 coupe #21467 that has black vinyl covered 1/4 trim. More than 99% sure these are original pieces. It would be helpful to hear from owners of original cars. The convertables and coupes most likely have different ranges of paint vs. vinyl covered.

Dave, My 72 coupe #19388 has the are painted molded grained fiberglass.