'62 owners! Need your input
 

If you own a non-Safari '62, you know that the stainless trim on the trunk lid is vulnerable and finding a one in excellent shape is TOUGH.

Well, I am considering reproducing this part. Ten years ago I paid $175 for really nice used example.

Coupla of questions for you:

1) Even if the deck lid trim is nice on your car now, would you buy a mint spare, 'just in case'?

2) What would you be willing to spend on one, knowing that it is restoration-worthy and not needing hours of polishing (like all the used ones out there)?

I'll appreciate your feedback very much!!

Pictures
 

Us that don't know what you are up against would like to see pictures so we could give you input of our opinions as Pontiac owners up against our own trim problems

Must be this oval shaped piece shown here.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...54fc3abd57.jpg

Actually, just the TOP of the oval, attached to the deck lid.

Thanks for posting the pic, Stuart!!

more imagery
 

Check 'em out...

There seems to be allot of delicate, hard to find trim in the rear area. taillight trim, the rear extensions, the rest of the trim that forms the oval, arrow head and the letters. Seems if there was an accident it would all be torn up. Is there a reason that one piece of trim gets torn-up or is harder to find than the rest? Or is it all very hard to find? Just asking because I don't have any spare body parts for my car but would have a hard time investing several hundred dollars in just one of 6 or 8 pieces back there. Don't want to discourage your efforts. Just trying to learn more about the 62's. This is my first one.

Candid feedback is ALWAYS welcome.

The rear-panel detail pieces on these are very vulnerable to even a minor bump, unfortunately.

I'm just gauging DarkSider opinion on this...I have several part reproduction ideas, this one being one of them.

SO, I'll throw this out there:

Would you (speaking to the entire group reading this now) pay $225 for a NOS-quality decklid trim strip, no polishing required?

Trim
 

If it's the last piece of the puzzle to finish it up then I'd say yes. But still a hard call.

The thing is, it would probably cost that much or more to properly straighten and polish a damaged part, if you were to pay a reputable shop to do the work.

Here is my honest answer. As nice as my car is, IF I NEEDED IT, absolutely no problem with the price. To buy one and have it sit in the attic and possibly never use, I would not be a buyer. The reason goes back to my first post. If I was in some sort of accident, I would almost certainly need a bunch of those rear pieces. With the kind of luck I have, I would need ALL of them EXCEPT the new one I had bought and put in the attic. It's a real tough call.

...and there's the rub (no pun intended)...

more feedback on this topic is always welcome

I really appreciate your candor ... food for thought.

Noted - thanks!

Engine-Ear, your price is pretty close to what I was thinking I'd be willing to do for a new piece. I've missed out on a few over the years; always seem to be just a tad late when they pop up. It's the one piece on the rear of my car that needs to be replaced, so I'd be interested. My eye goes straight to the dinged up area every time I look back there. Interesting that that piece is on your list of reproduction ideas. It's one I could use. I don't mind the clean up and polishing (it's therapeutic) of trim pieces, but if a new one was available, I'd go for it.

Alan

Thanks, Alan.

Next time you (or anyone) see a '62 at a car show, look at this piece...it's ALWAYS got a buzz-kill ding in it.

My 62 has not a bent up one, but a twisted one but will have to be straightened. Sure I would buy one. But figure on something else. Those fasteners are impossible to find as well. If you sell the molding you'll have to sell the fasteners that go with it.
BTW if you think this piece is unique to getting hit try the 59 Pontiac trim piece on the trunk edge, and when a 59 is damaged it REALLY shows

Good suggestion... and to complicate things further, there are TWO versions of the clips that hold the '62 deck lid trim.

Yes, and the body side molding for the quarter panel and doors also have two types of fasteners. The trim molding for the upper portion quarter panel also have two types of fasteners.

Are the clips specific to the trim design? Or will either style clip work with a given piece of trim. I have no idea how my car was put together.

Yes, in most cases