1600 Plastic Chrome Dash Pieces - in Green ?

[73tiiDavidPA]

Hello,

 

I told the shop owner I'd try to help solve a mystery for him.  I'm trying to be a nice guy so he'll convince the owner of the partially assembled '66 1600 to sell it to me as a project at a good price.  

 

So... he's convinced that the car ('66 1600) came with Green plastic dash pieces.  I think it's just mold / some sort of bad aging going on.  He's also having problems finding the curved pieces.  He also says there was matching green trim on the steering wheel that is now disappeared.  

 

Has anyone ever seen a Green interior trimmed (dash accents - not seats) early car?  The original color of the car is Bristol.  

[Cruzr]

Definitely not on the green. The pieces you are showing have the typical oxidation/deterioration you see when exposed to a humid environment.

 

I'm sure those pieces have been NLA for a long time, being that they were only present for a few years prior to 1970. Perhaps there is someone out there that might be able to reproduce them.

[Tsingtao_1903]

To my eyes, these pieces look like they were electroless plated plastics.  The green hue could possibly come from the nickel/copper base layer.  The chrome finish had long disappeared.  Do you have a volt meter to check if the surface is conductive?

 

Just a guess.

[EuroTech]

I’m not positive with an answer to your question, But I will say my ‘75 2002 has the same type of coloring to the center ashtray handle when I got it(it was left in a field for many years,if you take your finger to those “green” parts you have and gently rub an area lightly with water does it come off? Mine looked the same way as your pics do and when I rubbed with my finger lightly the green color came off and the shinny aluminum shows through... my guess as someone said oxidation


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[73tiiDavidPA]

38 minutes ago, Tsingtao_1903 said:

Do you have a volt meter to check if the surface is conductive?

 

Yes.... but I'm not sure I have the proper CIS outfit to wear while I tested it (though it is close to Halloween).  

[Mark92131]

The steering wheel is correct for that early 1600, there may have been an additional "chrome" trim ring around the perimeter of the wheel that oxidized green before disappearing.

 

Mark92131

 

 

[Henning]

Some call it oxidation.

Some call it patina.

 

hen

 

[yeewiz]

27 minutes ago, Mark92131 said:

The steering wheel is correct for that early 1600, there may have been an additional "chrome" trim ring around the perimeter of the wheel that oxidized green before disappearing.

 

 

I had a 67, #1528890, with that steering wheel.  on my steering wheel there was no additional chrome ring around the perimeter

[Driv3r]

I have the glove box and ashtray chrome pieces in my spare stash and I can assure you they're not plastic. They're either anodised aluminium or chromed metal.

[CoastalCrush]

3 hours ago, Driv3r said:

I have the glove box and ashtray chrome pieces in my spare stash and I can assure you they're not plastic. They're either anodised aluminium or chromed metal.

 

I think only the glove box chrome trim and ash tray are metal, the rest is plastic and the plastic pieces are still available. The chrome glove box trim and ash tray might be NLA

Edited October 26, 2017 by Coastalcrush408

[Dudeland]

Correct me if I am wrong, but chroming plastic involves an initial nickel coat, then copper then chrome.  The green is likely the copper oxidizing. 

[Conserv]

4 minutes ago, Coastalcrush408 said:

 

I think only the glove box chrome trim and ash tray are metal, the rest is plastic and the plastic pieces are still available. The chrome glove box trim and ash tray might be NLA

 

+1

 

The chrome-trimmed dashboard remained the only dashboard outside the U.S. until April 1971.  Besides those pieces still available new, used pieces do show up regularly in the European market.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Mike Self]

If you check a copy of Hemmings Motor News in the "services offered" section, you'll find several places that will re-plate plastic with chrome.   Lots of American cars of the 60s and 70s have chrome plated plastic so there's a market for replating 'em.

 

mike

[whs.de]

In fact ashtray and glovebox is metal, the rest is plastic. I have had a lot of pre 3/71 cars, this is normal standard, we do not have that special US cockpit for the early cars. The plastic pieces are still available at BMW. How long?

[Driv3r]

Hi Wolfgang,

 

I have both ashtray and glove box metal chrome trim in good conditions, are these no longer available from BMW in Germany?

 

 

 

I was planing to have the glove box chrome remade if there were enough interest.