I know that the Monte Carlo used the same basic instrument panel with the round gauge pods as SS Chevelles and Chevelles with factory gauges. How do Monte dashes differ? Do they have woodgrain? If so, has anyone removed the stuff and adopted the dash for their Chevelle?

------------------
Rainer - Team Chevelle #50 - Gold Member
'68 SS396
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
& the newest - '70 Malibu convertible!
rseitz@chevelles.com

The monte dashes have a hideous woodgrain applied to a metal panel that goes over the dash. the plastic parts are identical. I plan on putting a mint condition monte dash i have into my SS. I may sand blast the metal, woodgrained panel and paint it body color, or i may just leave it off. also, the monte's used the same disgusting woodgrain on the console where the chevelle is brushed aluminum.

------------------
Ian McDermott
1970 Chevelle SS 396
Columbia University
New York, NY.
E-mail: havoc@graffiti.net
Web page: drive.to/chevelle (http://drive.to/chevelle)
ICQ UIN: 3923441

Don't sugar coat it Ian, tell us how you REALLY feel. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

sorry, I'm only 19, and I never lived during the era when woodgrain was considered attractive. and at least the cutlass i had had decent looking woodgrain in it (although i still painted over it). the monte woodgrain looks like someone had an "accident" inside the car. i don't mean to offend anyone, i just really hate woodgrain. in fact, i would drive a VW with a "Neuspeed" sticker on it before I drove a car with woodgrain in it!

Do you paint the wood in your house to look like metal? Then why the hell should the metal in your car look like wood?

Of course, this is all someone who had his hair primary colors for 2 solid years, so what do I know?
http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

Rainer,
The fake wood grain-metal panel is easly removed from the Monte dash but some year(s) (not sure which) there are several 1/2" dia. holes in the plastic under it (one right through the middle of the word - "wipers") which makes the dash almost just a good canidate for the trash can. On other years, when the wood grain panel is removed the holes are so small , the dash will look exactly like a Chevelle dash. The 72 has a "fasten seat belt" light that 70-71 does not have.

I had a friend who painted the panel flat black on his 71 convertible - SS clone and it looked pretty good.


------------------
Dean Call
A.C.E.S. # 00235
N.C.O.A. # 4350

macc.chevelles.net (http://macc.chevelles.net)



[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 06-06-99).]

I think the holes were on the 70-1 Monte dashes and the 72 was clean-the one with the "fasten seat belt' light. That probably explains why you see so many more 72 "SS dashes" than the 70-1 models.

The monte dashes from 70-72 do have the same shape and look the same when the wood grain panel is removed. However, the texture of the plastic on a monte dash will be slightly different. Most likely no one will ever know, I couldnt tell until someone told me about it, and its still hard to tell sometimes.

I put a 70 Monte tach dash in my 70 Chevelle soon-to-be "SS" wagon. Fortunately, the Monte dash I used did not have the big, ugly holes in it to hold down the wood panel.

Instead, it had very narrow slots around the perimeter of the black portion of the dash. The wood panel had tabs that slipped in to the slots.

Removing the panel was too easy, and the slots are almost virtually invisible once the dash is in place.

I'm not sure if all 70 Monte dashes came with the slots and not the holes, though.

------------------
Robert

www.classiccarlot.com (http://www.classiccarlot.com) (15% discount for my fellow Chevelle owners!)

Dean is right. I have a dash from a 72 Monte in my car now. It seems that this is the one that is useable, as mine has the fasten seatbelt light. Luckily my car is a 72. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif