Armrest Pads

[seanrobison65]

Hey Guys,

When I was reading through the dash pad restoration thread a while back, I noticed a few folks asking about whether the company would restore armrest pads. I myself have been looking for a repro pad that actually fits for about 30 years or so (everybody lists pads for '65 coupes/verts, but they aren't right for either of my cars).

I ran across pn IN2314S on The Parts Place's website ( https://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/part/all-year/&part_no=IN2314S ) and, after a bunch of emails, finally talked them into measuring the distance between the screw holes for me. The measurements were actually correct, so I ordered a pair.

The pads arrived and they look pretty good. The screw holes weren't prepped, so I needed to get an X-Acto knife and a little screwdriver and dig the foam out of them. It also looks like I'll have to shave some material from the mounting point to get them to lay flat on the armrest base. I'm ok with that, considering Just Dashes wants $150 each (!) to recondition stock pads, and these were $89 for the pair. They only come in black, which was perfect for my coupe, but I'm considering getting another set for my convertible and trying to dye them white.

Just wanted to share, since this has been a quest for me for a while.  These might be manufactured by somebody else and only sold through TPP, so if someone knows where to get them cheaper, I'd love to know!

[elagache]

Thanks Sean for sharing your positive experiences with The Parts Place armrest pads!    I'm sure that good news for a bunch of fellows on this forum!

Cheers, Edouard 

[seanrobison65]

You?re welcome, Edouard! I hope that info can save somebody some $.

[Jimbo]

Are those the 14" pads?

[seanrobison65]

They are.

[option B9]

  Hi Sean, Eduardo, Jimbo.. Thanks Sean for the info. Three or Four years ago I ordered a set of armrest pads for my post coupe restoration project. Don't remember what company but I do remember that the color did not match, so I called them and they said "that's our red" I was not really happy with the color so I took the bases over to my auto body paint supplier and they said "not a problem" They showed me a color chart For SEM Color Coat, Color Coat is not a dye. It's a fade resistant flexible permanent coating. I purchased a 16oz aerosol can followed his directions and the armrest's came out super.. I now have a SEM chart in my shop/garage, If you choose SEM the color you need is called Super White part # 15103 or see your local SEM product dealer..

                           Tony

[seanrobison65]

Awesome! Thank you, Tony! I?m gonna order a set of pads for the convertible tomorrow I appreciate your help!

[TrunkMonkey]

I also have these repops.

Another issue, is that these were "recreated" using a set of pads that are not "perfect", but likely a mold was created from a set that were "in the wild, survivors", and the "warping" and other "blemishes", are "present" in the reproductions.

So, they will work, and do need a little tweaking to get them to set as well as can be expected, just so folks know before tossing money on a set, that they are not "concourse", but more like a top condition set of "driver" pieces.


But, to be fair, a lot of parts like these, could not be expected to fair near 60 years, and finding anything that is reproduced and of decent quality, is a good thing.

And a lot of undertakings, to reproduce parts is a gamble, expense and costs time, to bring to fruition. Just so my post does not come across as poking in the eye, those who have worked hard to take on these projects.

I appreciate all that is made available.

[seanrobison65]

You?re right, Michael. If someone were looking for concours quality, a Just Dashes restoration would be a better choice.

Did you get your pads from The Parts Place, or from somewhere else?

[TrunkMonkey]

Yes. The Parts Place. :)

[schlepcar]

I bought a set of them and took the back side to the bench grinder until they fit the base. It actually was no big deal and they look fine once you tweak them a bit. I thought they were very reasonable as far as quality and original appearance. I compared them to an original set that I saved and after taking some material off the back, they look fine. The problem we have is the plastic base has to be straight and snug before installing the pad. Most of these bases are warped,broken,or just cracked out of shape. If you use a straight base....the pad installs a little easier. Loren sold me some straight bases and I sent them to chrometech for plating and new reflectors,and I fit the new pads to bases without much issue.

[BuickGS65]

I sent them to chrometech for plating and new reflectors.

Isn’t Chrometech closed now? Where else can we send arm rest bases to get restored?

[schlepcar]

It appears that they are no longer in business

https://www.chrometechusa.com/

Anybody got another good source?

[TrunkMonkey]

I think I was one of Bob's last customers.

I emailed and he called me that evening and discussed several things with me before I sent them in. (to make sure I did not waste either of our time sending something that he could not process to his standards).

They came back in outstanding condition.

Search for Metallizing Plastic and or Physical Vapor Deposition.

Here is a link, (to at least help whose who do not know the process, what it is about).

http://www.vacuumplaters.com

and

 http://www.providencemetallizing.com/industrial/specialty_brushed_stainless.html

(This one does "satin" finishes, and I added because some of the "satin nickel" like on the 1968 Skylark and other models)

I have never had contact with them, so I do not know of there quality and so forth.

Hope that helps.

[seanrobison65]

The base in the picture was done by Mr. G's in Ft. Worth, but they are out of the re-chroming business now, also. I went to see them the other day to ask about getting another set done, and they referred me to a place in Washington state called GCar [https://gcartrim.com/] . I sent a set out to them the first week of February. They told me they have a 6-month backlog, but I'll let you guys know how they turn out when the day comes. I easily have more than 6 months' worth of stuff to do to the car, so the lead time isn't an issue!