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#1
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Headlight... Buckets? Eyebrows? Extensions? Are they Plastic or Metal? 1966
OK, so I'm looking at my '66 Bonneville. The little thing that bolts to the front fender, that is around the headlights. Not sure what that's called. Not talking about the chrome piece, but the body colored piece that the chrome piece attaches on top of.
Anyway, mine was broken at the top and I was thinking that fortunately I had parted a '66 Catalina years ago and had those pieces. So I dug those out and they looked to be in pretty great shape. Cool... I took the broken one off my car...but.. wow, was it light in comparison. Wait a minute!.... The one I took off was plastic. My "spare" from the Catalina was metal. I bought my car from the 2nd owner and as far as I know, it's still wearing the original paint job, faded as it may be. So that surprised me that there would be both plastic and metal versions. But I figured that the metal one was an "upgrade", right? Except the fit was pretty crappy in comparison. Its like it was shifted to the center of the car. The outside had a gap at the fender. Anyone have any idea what's going on? Were there both metal and plastic originals? Was the Catalina and Bonneville that different? Why would the fit be so bad. The metal one isn't bent/deformed at all. (It's pot metal, so I don't think it would actually bend without breaking.) Below I have the two pieces, and then pictures of the two fenders to show how the metal one fits like crap and the original (?) plastic one thats still on the car and how great it fits.
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Thad 1958 Chieftain Safari (370,4 spd, 9 passenger) Daily Driver 1966 Bonneville Wagon (Factory 421,3x2,4spd, 9 passenger) On the road!! |
#2
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That's interesting. I have never seen plastic ones. Just the pot metal parts. We will see what others have run into.
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#3
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1st design were plastic.
2nd design replacements were potmetal. |
#4
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Any idea when the change occurred? (My car was invoiced 11/65). And why do the metal ones fit my car so poorly? Can I do anything about that?
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Thad 1958 Chieftain Safari (370,4 spd, 9 passenger) Daily Driver 1966 Bonneville Wagon (Factory 421,3x2,4spd, 9 passenger) On the road!! |
#5
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Thanks for that cool information. I have personally owned 5 66 full size Pontiacs of different trims. 2-Catalinas, 2 2+2's, and a 9 passenger wagon, all with pot metal parts. It would be interesting to know when the change was made and if it was at all plants. Seems like a poor part to be made of the plastic they had to work with back in the day. Easily damaged, complex part. Those "end caps", front and rear were required because the complex shapes couldn't be stamped from sheet matal without tearing as part of the fender stampings. Think how smooth and nice the car would look without those seams!
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#6
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I personally never seen plastic ones until this thread. I knew they were on cars but all the ones I seen, as well as all the NOS ones, were all potmetal.
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#7
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My car was invoiced Nov. 1965. I'd think that is pretty "early" for a '66 model. It was built in the Arlington TX plant. (R)
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Thad 1958 Chieftain Safari (370,4 spd, 9 passenger) Daily Driver 1966 Bonneville Wagon (Factory 421,3x2,4spd, 9 passenger) On the road!! |
#8
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I had a guy from northern MN try to tell me the ones he had were plastic and broken. I kept telling him they were not. Guess i was wrong about that, oh well. Thanks for the photos, hard to believe they used any plastic on the outside of these cars in 66.
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Brad Hansen 65 Cat Ventura, 66 Cat Vert, 63 GP |
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