The plastic panel that holds the gauges, and the panel behind the passenger side dash are not currently being reproduced. Probably you already knew that. It used to be possible to find a pretty good one, then it was possible to find a decent one that needed to be rechromed. Now you are lucky to find one that is all there and can be maybe glued back together. Not to mention that rechrome is pretty expensive.
In general it has held true that if a reproduction part can be offered for less than rechrome costs that it would justify the reproduction. If you have recently priced rechroming can you share what it cost and how long it took?
These will be fairly expensive, in part because the tooling and every production process will be based on current prices. Plus crazy freight charges and tariffs.
What I am working on now is a way to make sure that the different versions used in just two years can all be accommodated with a single version for XR-7 and single version for Standard. Note: this is just the plastic part. You will need to reuse everything else.
Just got a rechromed / repainted 1968 XR-7 left and right bezel back from Vacuum Orna Metal two days ago. Total cost was about $700 including freight. No repairs were needed, the two center lens buttons were included.
It will be interesting to see what this ends up at. Before insanity took over I’d say $350. I am hopeful that $400 is possible.
I am setting it up to use screws to attach the long steel mount and also providing capability to use the early individual mounts also attached with screws
I hate those plastic tubes with the giant speed nuts. I am specifying 1/4 20 studs. It’ll be a lot easier to install
For the XR7 there are a few choices to make. The chrome edge around the lower edge of the panel had a square shape. In 68 it was rounded. I think the square looks better but Mercury didn’t change this for nothing. Maybe the tool was wearing and rounding it off would extend the life. Or maybe it made the part easier to eject from the tool. Or maybe they thought it was safer in a crash Remember they rounded off everything even the radio knobs
Another choice is the chrome area between the speedometer and the tach. It doesn’t extend as far down in 68. I think it was cosmetic to match the look of the passenger side when the short lived knee bolster was installed. I like the look of the 67. What do you think?
This would be a good one to pull off a repro on. These parts are not getting any easier to find let alone without some level of damage. Then if it needs rechrome you have that additional expense plus hope it does not get more damaged in shipping. Worse still is you have to treat it like glass during R&I so it doesnt break or crack.
Once could easily be in over 1k to find a good used panel then have it chromed so a repro at even $500 sounds like a good deal. Everyone here would probably snap on up pretty quick. I think more and more cougars are being pulled from the weeds recently too so lots more potential in the future.
I agree 68 seems like a more common year and potential to sell more of them vs 67. I would think it would be better to be correct for one year rather a hybrid of sorts to try and accommodate both
I’d be in for a set at that price point. Eventually even the good originals are going to start shedding chrome so there should be a continuing market for reproductions.
This is what I was describing about the studs and screws. I have added the additional screw holes for the various ways that the brackets were attached. The metal parts would be reused from your original dash.
The tooling for this is going to be very expensive so I want to get this right.
Really cool to see you considering these panels, I remember having discussions about it years ago at WCCC. It would sure be nice to have durable modern plastic, better mounting, and fresh “chrome” all for less than current “rechrome” prices. Back when I had my set done several years ago it was in the $500 range.
