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Early GM Dash Bezel Restoration

Refurbishing the 1964-'68 GTO instrument cluster

The early GTO dash bezels were painted-over chrome-plated plastic. The entire bezel was plated and then painted to match the interior color scheme. Certain areas were left chrome as decorative accents, but original factory plastic plating turns black with age. The early GTO's had a removable plastic instrument bezel, which also contained the heater/defroster controls. Normally, the surround areas of these were painted with a flattening agent added to the lacquer to provide a non-reflective surface. Replacement woodgrain inserts, and in some cases new gauge lenses, are available from most aftermarket suppliers and the instruments can be cleaned at home. Here is an overview of removing the original bezel with blackened plastic chrome and the installation of a new re-chromed and re-painted bezel shown above.

Glovebox Drop

In order to remove the padded dash cover (if you have that option) and access the heater control cables, it is necessary to drop the glove box liner down from under the dash. Normally several flathead Phillips screws secure the liner and it can be removed in a few minutes. Two control cables, secured with 3/8-inch screws, and the plug for the heater blower motor can be easily reached with the liner removed. The third is accessed from the driver's side of the heater box. Have masking tape and a pen handy to label each item that is unplugged or disconnected while removing the bezel. No special tools are required to accomplish this remove-and-replace.

Heater Cables

Here you can see one of the heater control cables attached to a flapper door control lever. There are two cables within a few inches of each other that can be disconnected easily. We chose to leave the control panel and cables attached to the bezel during removal. The mounting points of these cables at the dash control are made of plastic, which is usually brittle after four decades of use, so be careful not to put undo pressure on the cables themselves during disconnection. You might consider taping any other wires or cables out of the way during the bezel removal process.

Bezel Pull

Normally the bezel is held in position by Phillips head screws above the gauges and under the lower lip. Place a towel on the steering column so you don't damage the paint, then reach under the driver's side and unscrew the speedo cable and remove the screws. The bezel can now be pulled forward enough to disconnect the various dash lights, tach connection and other plug-in connections. Label each with masking tape to make the reinstallation a lot easier. While you have access to this normally hard to reach area, a good cleaning and/or vacuuming will do wonders.

Detailed Clean

All the gauges were taken apart and cleaned before being reinstalled into the freshly restored bezel. Scratched plastic lenses can be brought back to life with a fine polish and the speedometer can be lubricated with graphite. All the dash faces were wiped down with a damp, soft cloth and all the plug-in connection points cleaned with a wire brush. This is not a job that you will be doing often while you own the vehicle, so you might as well take your time and do it correctly. The early GM A-bodies had the ignition in the dash panel, so the car will run and can even be driven with the dash panel removed. Just make sure you have enough gas in the tank.

Lubricate

Here are the heater, defroster and temperature controls removed from the bezel. As mentioned, the connections at the controls are plastic and are normally brittle with age. Use an aerosol lithium grease lubricant on the contacting parts and work the controls back and forth until the grease is working properly. This is normally a difficult area to get at with the controls back in the car, so don't be afraid to lubricate. You might also squirt a liquid lubricant down inside the cable covers to facilitate the wire movement within. Better to be safe than sorry, replacement cables are expensive and not easy to find. Once everything is reassembled, install the restored bezel in the reverse order that you removed the original. Now you'll be happy you labeled all the connections.