Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

What was the deal on the chrome edging on the Nova dashes from '68 through '70?

My '69 SS non-guage Nova has the custom interior (which includes ZJ3), buckets and console, but only has the chrome on the lower panels, (wiper switch area and radio).

The Yenko's have the standard interior with the ZJ3- special interior group, and have the chrome on lower, <font color="red"> </font> and, <font color="red"> </font> outside panels, (block off panel on the left, and heater control area on the right).

What would come on a car with custom interior, ZJ3, and dash guages?

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Good question Marlin. The 1969 DANA Nova we are working on only shows chrome around the wiper, lights, radio. My factory gauge 69 has that trim ,but also around the speedo and the dash 3/4 surround. Both cars are deluxe interior cars. DANA bench seat, Yenko bucket...BKH

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

I can check my 70 cars and get back. Brian you probably have some photos of Stan's, if not I can send some interior shots.

Tom

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Tom, I was hoping to hear from you on this topic. The Dana dash and the Yenko dash are very different. I am getting ready to rechrome the Dana dash and it only showed lower lettering chrome. It is a 01C car. The Yenko has much more chrome, but it also has factory tach. Marlin thinks that may be the key to the different looks. I also have a parts dash from a 72. It has chrome around the heater controls and the false vent side. Just trying to do the right thing on the Dana car...BKH

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

BKH, just looked at my Stan book of pictures but it is hard to see the detail. i willstop at the shop on the way in tomorrow and check both the cars. More to follow. TW

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

From what I've seen, the standard interior cars did not have the extra chrome edging around the speedometer area and perimeter of the dash bezel.

The custom interior cars, whether bench or bucket seat, got the extra bright trim. In addition to that, I believe they also got the bright trim around the pedals, the accented door panels (parchment in 69-69, woodgrain in 70-72), carpet, and maybe a couple of other little goodies.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

The DANA car has never been apart before and it has Deluxe interior without the extra chrome trim. It has a bench. The housing is original to the car and has the ink stamped dates on the housing that match the build date of the car. Thanks Allen for the imput...BKH

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

No problem. There are always exceptions to the rule. I've been told that you don't see any 69-71 radio delete dashes with the extra trim, but I believe my Nova originally came with one. I still have pics of that dash bezel (that someone trimmed the radio area out) that I shouldn't have sold.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

My 8/70 731 standard int Orange car and the 9/69 Gray car, ZJ1, 375hp, console and no gauges, both have the same dash. no chrome around the speedo and out side edge. Both are original. m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

orange car

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Gray car radio side

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

[ QUOTE ]
My 8/70 731 standard int Orange car and the 9/69 Gray car, ZJ1, 375hp, console and no gauges, both have the same dash. no chrome around the speedo and out side edge. Both are original. m

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark,
I would have thought that your gray '70 with the custom interior (buckets, woodgrain door panels, etc) would have also had the extra trim on the dash bezel. I guess nothing should be surprising with these cars.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Mark,
Your two 70 Novas are consistent with the yenko deuces, which all have the ZJ3 option.

Allen,
Your '70 has the chrome on the speedo surround?

My '69 SS with buckets, custom interior, ZJ3, but no guages, only has the chrome on the bottom sides!

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

I will check my original dash bezel on my 70 L78 with deluxe bench interior,as I have it to have it sent out to be done. Sully

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Allen, it's a little suprising to me also but it's never been out and this car also has the Nova on the door panels. The second owner has pics of the car when it is 5 months old and it has the wood insert on the wheel. Who knows what the line workers at Willow Run were doing the night before they built this car ? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/haha.gif m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

The woodgrain on the steering wheel horn pad isn't seen very often either.... and I can't figure out any rhyme or reason as to when it was used. There is an L78 in NY with a standard green cloth bench seat interior, but it has the woodgrain horn shroud.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Went to the shop this morning to check for chrome. 69 car has chrome left and right of speedo area, lower left and around radio. 70 has the same plus chrome around speedo and around the whole outside. Hope this helps, I'll try to take some digital photos. Wilma

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Tom, does your car with chrome around everything have a tach dash?

Here's a pic of my '69 SS with custom, bucket interior. Only chrome is at the bottom. What a mystery.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Tom, does your car with chrome around everything have a tach dash?

Here's a pic of my '69 SS with custom, bucket interior. Only chrome is at the bottom. What a mystery.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's an interesting thought, Marlin........ my '70 does have a factory tach and did have the "extra" chrome trim on the bezel. Attached is a picture of a '70 L34 that was on Ebay a while ago. Check out its dash.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Here's another one. This is a gray L34 in PA.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Tom, does this one look familiar? '70 L78. See attachment.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

One more. All console with tach cars.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

yes my 70 is console and tach dash. allen that is the 70 fron IN I bought, correct?

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

That is what Brian and I were thinking on the phone the other night, that the tach dashes seem to have the extra chrome. At this point, it appears to be the only common denominater, and it does not appear to be associated with the interior level of trim - quite strange.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

I find this Topic very interesting and appreciate all of you guys sharing your findings with us.I am doing the same with the Chevelle dashes.
Just a few questions:
*Are you seeing the 1971 &amp; up Novas Dashes also being done this way too?
*Is the plating on these dashes actual Chrome,Vacuum metalizied Aluminum,or applied with a Paint pen?
Rick

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

This is a pic of a 9000 mile 1972 ss with tac and guages. It has the chrome around the speedo and outside edge. It's all starting to come together now..... m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

[ QUOTE ]
That is what Brian and I were thinking on the phone the other night, that the tach dashes seem to have the extra chrome. At this point, it appears to be the only common denominater, and it does not appear to be associated with the interior level of trim - quite strange.

[/ QUOTE ]



I did some digging into this. It appears that the bright trim was part of a "special interior" package, which is not the same as the Custom Interior, and doesn't have anything to do with buckets, or tach/gauges, or anything.

According to the dealer ordering price list, the "special interior" was option code ZJ3 and got you:

- Bright pedal trim
- Right side door jamb dome lamp switch
- Bright dome lamp bezel
- Bright trim around instrument bezel (the dash piece we've been discussing)
- Satin finish on back side of rear view mirror
- Glove box light

With that said, I bet we might also find a few examples of bench seat cars and different option mixes having the bright trim. What we are probably seeing is that cars with the option list thrown at it (like the tach and gauges and buckets) were also probably loaded up with little things like that.

My Nova has a bright dome lamp bezel, a non-working glove box lamp, the pedal trim, and everything else. In the car when I bought it was a bright trimmed radio-delete bezel that had been carefully cut out for a radio.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Details, details, details! When I got my first L78 car in 1973 the only chrome I cared about was on the Cragar mags, my how things change. I checked a couple of buildsheets and the factory option book from 70. It appears the ZJ1 custom interior had the ZJ3 special interior group included as part of the ZJ1 package. Options on top of options, those were the days. I'll get some digital shots this weekend if anyone needs any more. Also found ZL3 on the build sheet, wonder if it is a typo of the ZJ3????? Wilma

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

My Gray car has the ZJ1 interior noted on box 12 of the Fisher body sheet, and it also has ZL3 in box 14
Here is some info I got off of Scott Nova resource site.

1970 Interior Convenience Package - RPO Zl3

Interior
o Bright pedal pad trim
o Right front door jam switch for dome lamp operation
o Glove box lamp
o Satin finish inside rear view mirror
o Bright framing on instrument cluster carrier
o Bright dome lamp bezel


1970 Custom Interior Package - RPO ZJ1

Interior
o Front bench seat cushion with 1.75" foam pad
o Rear seat cushion with 1" foam pad
o Bright pedal pad trim
o Right front door jam switch for dome lamp operation
o Glove box lamp
o Satin finish inside rear view mirror
o Bright framing on instrument cluster carrier
o Diecast door sidewall nameplate "Nova"
o Deluxe door sidewall
o Bright dome lamp bezel
o Rear seat arm rests with ash tray
o Passenger compartment carpet floor covering
o Special floor insulation
o Full molded hood insulation
o Rubber and foam backed vinyl trunk mat

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

The Dana car has the pedal trim,dome lamp,etc. But still no evidence of chrome other than headlights/radio. Great information on this topic. It seem that the 70 cars also had the trim around the false vent area and the heater controls...BKH https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/worship.gif

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Wow all the good discussions always happen when I am out of town....

I agree with Mark. There are three documented options -
1. Standard (some Bright on bezel)
2. Special Interior (Extra Bright around the speedo and more)
3. Custom Interior (which included Special Interior and Extra Bright)

The Fisher Body sheet did stack options but they also superseded options depending on what they were.

My Jan 70 Custom Interior with A/C has bright around Speedo, A/C outlet, A/C controls, Head light switch area, Radio Area, and around the perimeter. No Tach. This breaks the tach theory, right?

My July 70 Standard Interior non-A/C has bright trim only around the Headlight and Radio areas. Not sure about vent block off or heater controls. No Tach

mr70;
The bright trim is Vacuum metalizied Aluminum the steering wheel chrome is paint.

YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY;

Looks like there are several anomalies. The Question is was there a change in what got what and when did it happen? I can search my picture files when I get back in town. I will also add this to the research list.

Greg

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Allen;
I agree that the ZJ3 package should include the bright framing on the speedo, but all of the Yenko Deuces have ZJ3 and none have the framing on the speedo - only the block off panel and heater controls.

My 69 SS has both the custom interior option and ZJ3, and it has even less chrome framing than my Yenko!

I think the tach dash had to include the Zl1 option, and maybe that is how the extra chrome trim got added.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

My head is beginning to hurt. Did you mean ZJ1 or Zl1 in you last post. My 375hp car is a ZJ1 and it has no tac and does not have the extra speedo chrome. Maybe Greg can help when he looks at his info. I also had a 70 bench seat, 307, air, ZJ1 {I think or it could have been ZJ3) car that had the speedo chrome. m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

My 70 L78 SS was shipped with both the ZL1 and ZJ3 options. The car has an in-dash tach, center console with gauges, wood insert in steering wheel an NO bright trim around the speedo. The bright trim is every else except there. Who knows what the reasoning was back then.

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

Its looking like the 70 cars had chrome around the heater controls and block off, the 69 cars didn't...BKH

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

This is all very interesting. Here one of my old 70's it had 30,000 miles,non SS 307 custom int, with air. it has the speedo chrome.m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

I think that too was part of our conversation the other night, but we're not sure why some of the '69's and '70's received it around the speedo and outer edge.

Mark's green interior example really puts a hole in the theory! What year is that green car, is it a '71 or '72?

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

The green car is a '70. I wonder if in factory clock may have played a part in what dash you recieved ? Both of my cars that had the extra speedo chrome, had clocks and so did Allen's three examples. How about your car Allen? m

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

The DANA has a clock!..BKH

Re: Chrome on Nova Dashes?
 

My speedo chrome dash does not have a clock.

It looks like I will not be able to start researching my files in depth until Monday. So far I have many 69 cars with standard door panels that have chrome trim on the pedals that only have chrome on the radio/headlight and vent/climate controls. Of course many pictures are hard to see all of the details. I will keep woking it.