[ss396boy]

Well, I have decided to fork out the $300-400 for a new set of bed mouldings for my 69 SS396. Who makes the best mouldings for the money???

I got an aftermarket below the window piece from OPG and it was not good at all. It never fit snugly against the back of the window. Its not going to be a show car, but I want something that will last and looks good. Suggestions please.....

 

[ss396boy]

anybody.........

 

[Joey B]

Sorry to say it, but if you want it to fit "right", theres nothing to use but real GM... get a Hemmings and start looking. The stuff is out there.

 

[ps70elk]

396,
Do you still have your old bed moldings? I had a brochure from a shop that reconditions moldings of all sort including the die-cast (pot metal) bed corners. What impressed me is they don't just polish out the pits, after removing the old plating they fill any pits or scratches then polish & replate. This is supposed to preserve the original dimensions, lines & shape of the part much better than polishing alone. Might be just as expensive as repro parts but at least everything will fit right. Just a thought provided you still have your old moldings. I'd look for the brochure but I think it got file 13'd.
Good luck, Pete

 

[IGOTTA71]

I work for a Camaro resto shop, and I may be able to get them for you. If I can, they would be made by Corvex. They have beautiful parts, and their wheel well moldings aren't the cheesy tin foil like stuff that we're used to seeing in repo's. If they are avalable to me, I'll E-mail you.

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Jason Babal
69 Chevelle SS
3450lbs.
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/igotta711.jpg The launch

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/igotta7110.jpg Me(on the right)

 

[Shawn]

I got a question about that too. I have NOS bed corners installed on my El Camino, but I am still in need of the stainless rails. Is there anyone that reconditions these? Are the repro rails bad?

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1970 Chevy Custom El Camino
Originally was & will be Green Mist & Silver w/Green Vinyl Top (now black)
350ci/300HP 4bbl & Dual Exhaust
TH-350 - 2.73 Posi Rear - Factory PS, PDB, PW, Tilt, A/C & More
My El Camino Home Page
Other Restorations -1969 Snowco Trailer & 1967 Sears Custom 600 Tractor
Team Chevelle Member #995

 

[ps70elk]

I bet any GOOD chrome shop could straighten and polish the bed & tailgate rails if they're not too bad. I worked for a while in a chrome shop after school and was always amazed at what some of these guys (polishers) could do. I've seen beat-up, bent-up stainless and aluminum moldings made to look like new.

 

[68ElCamino]

The rear corners are still available from GM.
The stainless below the rear window is available through GM.
The front corners are tough to find as GM.
The stainless rails can be straightened and polished.
I just put all new stuff on mine. Ended up with 1 extra rear corner, GM, if you are interested. The front corners I removed are just slightly pitted. Reworked my stainless parts.
I will drive and search to no end to get a GM part even if it needs reconditioned before I will buy any reproduction. The horror stories are endless with these reproduction parts. It doesn't seem the manufacturers of these parts regard anything us classic car guys say about their quality. They just keep relying on the catalog companies to find some way to sell this crap. And they usually do.

 

[Joey B]

CORVEX crap is total garbage... all taiwan made, misfitting garbage... if youve ever used it in comparison with a real GM piece, its like night and day... i just bought new grill moldings for my 69 camino and was told they fit like original... yeah right... paper thin, all the studs were mislocated, had to redrill my grill to make them even work, and the header panel molding Still doesnt lay flat or follow the factory contours like it should... Oh, and they didnt give me any speednuts with anything but the grill molding, but all the clips broke and fell out as i tightened them anyhow, so i used the 30 year old original clips... they worked just fine... If its not GM, forget it... plain and simple. I would DEFINITELY stay away from ANYTHING with CORVEX written on it... by the way, anyone want to buy a brand new set of 69 headlight bezels from corvex? they didnt even come CLOSE to fitting, i reused my originals. sorry to vent, but this just [email protected]@ed me off.

 

[IGOTTA71]

I sell Corvex stuff distributed my DII all day. The stuff they make for Camaros is great. I have yet to use it on my Chevelle, but based on my experience, it is good. If you put a 69 Camaro wheel well molding next to one from Corvex, you CAN NOT tell the difference. I'll stand behind the Camaro parts, and apologize for my ignorance concerning the Chevelle stuff.

 

[djw]

Hmmmmm....my CORVEX front wheel well trim fit perfect and look great. Course, that's the only piece of theirs I've got. My rear wheel well trim is GM. They discontinued the front pieces.

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"Wrinkles only go where the smile has been!"
Buffett

My Elky

My Webpage

Danny Wooldridge
Member #1129
69 el_Camino

 

[Joey B]

I also have a 69 Camaro, and i have one rocker panel molding that is NOS GM, and the other side is corvex. The corvex side wanted to bend when installing it because it was so much flimsier than the GM one, and now that they have been on for about a year now, the Corvex one is all scratchy looking, like the anodizing is going bad, while the GM one still sparkles like new... Its not just Corvex though, pretty near any taiwan made piece i've ever bought was lesser quality, and inferior to GM... even the so-called "GM restoration parts" Anyone ever compared a repop steering wheel to an original? THose new rosewood and walnut wheels are totally laughable.. look like those spiral candy sticks you used to get for a nickel... and they are supposedly "exact reproductions of originals" ...not quite.