Topic: 1967 Deluxe Instrument Bezel Discussion - Split from WANTED section

[1967 eight barrel]

Bob,
Here are the pictures of my cluster. This is the OE ford housing with Burton's brushed insert.

[ruppstang]

As for cores, you could even use an NOS ford. The plastic housing is the same, the Mylar will peel off. Then have it re-plated with the new process. It looks so much better than NOS.
                                                                                                      -Keith

That is what I am doing with the NOS panel.
 It stinks to pay the price for a NOS panel and throw the overlay away and pay to have it replated. Oh well it is only money. It is clear that Ford did not care about the quality of these parts latter in production.
Marty

[J_Speegle]

Lot of good sharing but was getting more of an informational and less focused on the member needing one so split the topic and placed it here for continued discussion of restoring and current availability 

[1967 eight barrel]

Jeff,
I'll shoulder the blame for that. I wanted to show the original one who posted how well they come out. Perhaps I should have started another thread elsewhere and linked it.
                                                                                                    -Keith

[J_Speegle]

It happens when everyone has something to share and we get caught up with "one more comment" - we're just active watchers and can correct when a need becomes appaerent.

[1967 eight barrel]

I noted that the pictures weren't ported of my cluster to this thread. This is my original 1967 housing, re-plated and painted by Vacuum Orna-metal in Romulous Michigan. They got it right the first time. ( Took three times to get a satisfactory job from poor work of other vendors.)

The brushed aluminum inserts are Burton Antique Auto. They are high quality and come with the steel back with the tabs like the original Ford bezel.
I do not really recommended the reproduction set for high quality restorations, because the cluster is chrome, but the aluminum is adhered to a textured housing, which also shows black around the edges of the aluminum insert. The aluminum is very high quality and anodized like the original Ford material. It wipes off well. I also bought the door inserts. I can't say good about them, especially considering the poor quality adhesive replacement products that have been on the market for years. In my opinion, you can't go wrong if you're restoring original parts with his insert kit.
As I mentioned, the right side over the glove box is slightly off shape wise, which necessitated a bit of file work to correct this issue. Be VERY careful when you put the inserts in, they will scratch the plating off. The upside is that the process the vendor above uses is much more durable than the vacuum process that Mr G's and two others did, which was so sensitive you couldn't mask the cluster off to paint the black in. I am a master modeler, and even with some of the liquid masking and special low tack tapes I have it still came off.

Retail on the cluster with the black out painting is 188.00, the center portion of the dash was 35.00, lower right was 35.00 and right side is 80.00.
Turn around was about two and a half weeks.

Here are the pictures of my cluster. It isn't back in the Shelby yet, but you can see how beautiful this came out. If anyone needs the vendor phone numbers and information I'll be glad to post it here.

                                                                                                    -Keith