1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

[Scott S.]

The 4-speed shifter console that came off the '67 (called the "3897484 Trim Plate ASM Chart" in the Assembly Manual, UPC 1ASM, Sheet E3) has warped in the 'fork' area. The 'forks' are spread apart too far, one side more than the other. The paint was already missing.

The underside looks great, the top side is dirty but the chrome cleans up pretty well. There is just the beginning of tiny "bubbling" under the chrome in a couple places.

The second example (with black paint, not original to this car) does not have the same warping of the 'fork' area, and has more evidence of bubbling under the chrome, but not a lot. Both shifter consoles have casting number 3860149 on the underside. I would like to use the original and have it restored, if it makes sense to do so.

Is this kind of warping common? Can (or should) it be straightened during the restoration process?

Can the minor bubbling under the chrome in two or three spots be fixed prior to re-plating? Restoring the shifter console is a relatively expensive process, so I would like to find out whether the original "core" I'm hoping to use is acceptable.

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Picture 1: the original shifter console laid on top of the second example

Picture 2: the second example laid on top of the original shifter console

Picture 3: fork-end to fork-end, top-side up

Picture 4: fork-end to fork-end, bottom side up

[Gerard F.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Scott,

If the chrome on the top, the ash tray door and shift pattern plate is in good shape, I think I would just try repainting the original. The aluminum insert can be easily replaced if scratched up. Watch out for repro shift pattern plates, some seem to have the wrong font.

I would not be that worried about the warp in the forks. Try a test fit, I'll bet, it fits better than the other one. There is probably a reason for the warp.

Replating the potmetal console is a big expensive job, and you will probably lose originality on the ash tray door and shift pattern plate as they have to come off and be replaced.

Try the test fit, and if the original works, try just repainting it.

Here's my original 67 console:

Mask Job:


Prime job: Use a good primer on the chrome for enamel



I think you can see a little warp in mine but I didn't measure it or have another to compare with.

Here's the finish with Duplicolor Semi-Gloss acrylic enamel:




A better finish paint to use is SEMS Trim Black 39143. Really tough paint like the acrylic enamel. Discovered it, after I did this project.

They have to give me originality on it, but I do take a few points for the pits in the channel at the base of the chrome surrounds (which needs to be cleaned out of paint) as well as scratches in the shift pattern plate and ash tray surround. The aluminum insert is a replacement, as the orginal bubbled up and was scratched.

Have fun,

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Scott,

If the chrome on the top, the ash tray door and shift pattern plate is in good shape, I think I would just try repainting the original. The aluminum insert can be easily replaced if scratched up. Watch out for repro shift pattern plates, some seem to have the wrong font.

I would not be that worried about the warp in the forks. Try a test fit, I'll bet, it fits better than the other one. There is probably a reason for the warp.

Replating the potmetal console is a big expensive job, and you will probably lose originality on the ash tray door and shift pattern plate as they have to come off and be replaced.

Try the test fit, and if the original works, try just repainting it.

Hi Jerry, thanks very much for the information, and the pictures, I will try cleaning it up better this evening. I think the shift pattern plate looks fine the way it is, it will be better after a little cleaning, and I was hoping to re-use it. The ash-tray door seems fine, it's dirty in the picture but works great and should clean up very well. The aluminum insert is dinged up a little with minor dents (no bad scratches), so it may be fixable if the dents can be pounded out from the back.

I will try test-fitting both consoles to see what I can learn, but unless I discover a good reason not to, I'm going to use the one that came off the car and try to follow your example. Keep it original, clean it up, paint it and put it back where it belongs

I have read that chrome polish is too abrasive and may actually remove chrome. I have also read where regular Windex is good for cleaning chrome and then use wax (what kind?) for a sealer, and I have seen something called "Blue Job" that seems well regarded by some (http://www.autogeek.net/bluejob.html). Is there a better way to do it, or am I on the right track?

[Gerard F.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Scott,

Haven't tried that Blue Job stuff, maybe a little overkill for interior chrome, but what works works. I like Simichrome and use it with a microfiber cloth. It puts on a little protective finish. There are a lot of chrome polish products, but I think using them with a microfiber cloth is the secret.

On your paint job, be careful with the masking on the little channel at the base of the chrome surrounds. The judges will look for that chrome channel clear of paint. You can also clean it out (or set your masking) with a toothpick or the point of a Pentel drafting pencil (a la Mike M), probably 5 or 7 mm.

Looking at your photos, you are probably going to replace the aluminum insert. There is no way to get those scratches or dents out in that satin aluminum finish (which is like the Glove Box insert). It is glued in place, and just removing it will destroy it (Ask me how I know).

But whatever you do, have fun doing it. Don't expect absolute perfection, the factory didn't always do it that way.

I always have lots of fun working on my car.

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Scott,

Haven't tried that Blue Job stuff, maybe a little overkill for interior chrome, but what works works. I like Simichrome and use it with a microfiber cloth. It puts on a little protective finish. There are a lot of chrome polish products, but I think using them with a microfiber cloth is the secret.

I will give the microfiber cloth a try, and some Simichrome.

On your paint job, be careful with the masking on the little channel at the base of the chrome surrounds. The judges will look for that chrome channel clear of paint. You can also clean it out (or set your masking) with a toothpick or the point of a Pentel drafting pencil (a la Mike M), probably 5 or 7 mm.

I spent about two hours cleaning the top side of the shifter console last night, it would never have occurred to me to design such detail into it. Those narrow channels hold dirt great, I tried a couple of methods but a sharp toothpick (a lot of sharp toothpicks, they break quickly) seemed safest for getting into the channels to remove 43-years of grime. I will tape it off as well as I can, and remove any overspray if necessary.


I found that the metal has separated along the RH main channel for a distance of about 3.5". I stuck a Post-It note through the seam to photograph it, then found an angle where the blue shop-towel background could be seen through the split. I don't think it would be noticeable once installed, but it should probably be sealed somehow.

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Looking at your photos, you are probably going to replace the aluminum insert. There is no way to get those scratches or dents out in that satin aluminum finish (which is like the Glove Box insert). It is glued in place, and just removing it will destroy it (Ask me how I know).

The aluminum insert started to separate while I was cleaning around the edges with the toothpicks, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to come apart like that or not so I didn't try to remove it. If it's just a thin metal top covering and the only thing holding it on is glue, then I'll try to remove it and replace it.


Another concern is the shifter-boot area. There is considerably more pitting there than anywhere else, and it's rough, which might tear through the soft-rubber shift boot during regular usage. Is there a way to address this, short of stripping the chrome, filling & sanding, and re-plating?

But whatever you do, have fun doing it. Don't expect absolute perfection, the factory didn't always do it that way.

I always have lots of fun working on my car.

I'm trying!

I like learning about the details, and everything about these cars, the hard part (sometimes) is trying to figure things out from the books, manuals and forum archive posts without the benefit of first-hand experience for perspective. I'm learning, thanks to a LOT of help from the members here. It just takes time (and patience, it seems like I'm always short on patience )

[Ronald L.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Hey guys - what repro font is wrong - or which ones are OK?

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Hey guys - what repro font is wrong - or which ones are OK?

Hi Ron,

As I remember from a couple of years ago, in a side-by-side comparison with an original, one of the reproduction shift-pattern plates was wrong in an obvious way. I just checked the examples at CC and LIC and while neither picture was ideal (one enlarged/blurry, the other sort of distant), neither one stood out as being obviously wrong like the one I remembered.

[Neal K.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

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Scott,How did your console repair work out?
I am just now working on mine. I was originally planning on rechroming the console but am now inclined not to do that and just strip it, repaint it and replace the inserts. Have you find a good source for accurate inserts and the ashtray door and knob? I had ordered a kit from LIC and sent it back because it didn't look right to me. I have been told that Volunteer Corvette has an the 4 speed insert plate with accurate font so I may try that next.

[Scott S.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Scott,How did your console repair work out?
I am just now working on mine. I was originally planning on rechroming the console but am now inclined not to do that and just strip it, repaint it and replace the inserts. Have you find a good source for accurate inserts and the ashtray door and knob? I had ordered a kit from LIC and sent it back because it didn't look right to me. I have been told that Volunteer Corvette has an the 4 speed insert plate with accurate font so I may try that next.

Neal,

I have not restored mine yet. At this point, I think I'm not going to re-chrome mine either, just clean and repaint, use a new large aluminum insert, but keep the original 4-spd indicator plate since it's in good shape, and keep the original ashtray door (see explanation below), unless the Volunteer Vette product is better.


I have the LIC shifter console repair kit.

The 4-spd indicator plate is not close, I would not use it.

The large brushed aluminum plate seems to be a good match appearance-wise (both color and brushed aluminum look) to the original, but does not line up exactly right when I lay it over the original. It's close, but there are gaps where the original doesn't have gaps. There is also a clear plastic film over the brushed aluminum surface, the plastic was raised up in two places. If you push it down, it wrinkles and looks like a flaw in the aluminum, so I guess you are supposed to remove the plastic film (no instructions). I think this plate is probably okay, as good as it's going to get anyway, without having seen the example from Volunteer.

The ashtray door is off-color (doesn't match the large brushed aluminum plate), and feels like sandpaper to the touch. The original ashtray door is the same color as the large brushed aluminum plate and smooth to the touch. The chrome knob on my replacement ashtray door has a center locating pin (like original) and is pre-attached with peened-over studs that look similar to original, but the knob is crooked. The chrome knob itself feels fatter than the original, so I measured it with a digital caliper. At the base, the front-to-back width measures:

Original: 33/128" or 0.2615" or 6.64mm

Repro: 37/128" or 0.2860" or 7.26mm

1/32" difference doesn't seem like much, but it looks like more than that when moving the caliper from the base of the fat knob to the base of the original knob, and I wouldn't have bothered to measure it if I hadn't noticed the difference immediately. I think I'll try to clean up my flawed original and use it.


I didn't know that more than one company made the brushed aluminum insert and ashtray door. The Volunteer Vette website shows that their kit does NOT come with the chrome knob already attached to the ashtray door. I can't tell from their picture whether it attaches with screws (no screws shown), or if those are integral studs on either side of the central locator pin that you are supposed to peen over as original. If it uses screws, that's something the judges are supposed to check (66JG, p. 33) (67JG, p. 40).


Has anyone compared the LIC version to the Volunteer Corvette parts, or compared the Volunteer Corvette parts to an original?

[Gerard F.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

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Scott,How did your console repair work out?
I am just now working on mine. I was originally planning on rechroming the console but am now inclined not to do that and just strip it, repaint it and replace the inserts. Have you find a good source for accurate inserts and the ashtray door and knob? I had ordered a kit from LIC and sent it back because it didn't look right to me. I have been told that Volunteer Corvette has an the 4 speed insert plate with accurate font so I may try that next.

Neal,

Your shift pattern insert doesn't look like it is in that bad of shape (maybe a few minor scratches), and I don't think you will find a repro to match. Why not strip, mask and paint it per post number 2 above. Try that SEMS 39143, careful with the toothpick around the rim of the console.

Then address the ashtray door, bring it back to original condition in every detail. The ashtray surround insert also doesn't look that bad, but the repros are closer to original.

Do the least you need to do to make it look original. Sometimes we overdo things, and try to make them better then they came out of the factory.

[Neal K.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Jerry
Thanks for your encouragement. The photos made the console look better than it actually is.
I am still undecided on how much to do on it. I am definately going to strip and repaint it. I had repaintd it in the late 70's and the dark saddle color is off a bit and doesn't have the correct gloss. The narrow channels all have little pits in them and the chrome finish on the main channel around the fork is not too good. I have heard that Space Coast Platting in Fla. does a good job of replatting the consoles. Maybe someone has had some experience with Space Coast or another chrome platting company that has done a consloe for them.
Neal

[Gerard F.]

Re: 1967 Trim Plate ASM (shifter console) 'forks' are warped - still okay to restore?

Neal,

I thought your console was black from the photos. So I guess the SEMS 39143 (black) is not right for you. Maybe someone else here has a suggestion of the paint for the dark saddle interior.

I've heard that replating potmetal and trying to get every pit out is difficult and probably very expensive.

[Thomas S.]