ALUMINUM 62 DASH PANEL / COMPARISON

Phalen409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
I'll shot an overall pic so you can see where it is. Not sure its consistent. Not sure you can see it installed. I would start on the bottom to see if it has the squared off area on both ends vs. the scalloped on the pot metal pieces.
 

oldskydog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Here's the deal.
Casting number 3777830 must be Part number 3780391 from the beginning of 1961 production per the PA 39 dated Oct 1960 and was listed in the P&A 30 dated Feb 1, 1961. It was superceded by casting and part number 3813819 on 2-62 per the 62 P&A Catalog Supercession History.
So, it looks like the aluminum housing may have been a 61 through early 62 application. Need 61 and early 62 owners to verify which they have.
 
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Phalen409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 6
It could very well be that the aluminum proved to be too problematic to use. Maybe a small inventory was used until the supply was exhausted.

Now look what this discussion created!!!................A bunch of old men contorting themselves to get under the steering wheel between the front seat and dash trying to look at their dash..... Look for complaints of bad backs and necks in a few days!!!:laugh2
 

Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
A quicker way to determine if your dash is aluminum or pot metal.
Look at the slots for the heater controls. Just below them you will notice the bottom of the dash on the aluminum is straight across with 2 bolt holes, while the pot metal dash has the holes in 2 protruding tabs.

You can easily set in the drivers seat, take your wife’s makeup mirror:teeheeand look under the dash in this area.

This way you will not be caught on your back, contorted, twisted, stuck between the shifter, and the bottom of the dash yelling for help:roll:laugh
0941EB28-45DB-4121-BE1C-FCF3F0FB028D.jpeg48BC62CB-61B2-4BAC-ABD4-87BF57D405DE.jpeg
 

oldskydog

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Anybody look in the 61 AIM to see which number it shows? It will probably be the later one since the AIM will reflect the latest version in use at the end of the MY run.
I can't find my AIM or I would check it myself.
Entirely possible the aluminum version was an early pilot part and was changed early in production and paperwork changes not made until later.
 

Blk61409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 9
Cecil, I would be interested in what you discover.
I have only ever seen 2 aluminum dash’s, there are more obviously.

There are so many mysteries intertwined with Chevrolet and what they were experimenting with. Interesting the casting number is a production number and not an “0” or “L”.
 

1964SuperStocker

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Carl reminded me about this post last night while discussing trim tags. I figure I better get additional information up here to help the greater good on these aluminum dashes. As most of you know I'm hunting for Z11 parts/history for my Vincent Fiala Z11 tribute build. While hunting for these 63' parts I have come across two 62' Aluminum dashes. One I spotted in a scrap pile left over from a build and the second came straight from Ebay. The scrap pile build dash did come from a 409, 4spd, bubble top car. The Ebay dash car I have no idea what it was other than it must have come from an Impala. Now we know of a handful according to the number of us who have shared. I called and confirmed with Pat on the first one since I didn't have anything to physically compare it to. I have searched a couple hundred dashes now and even emailed two other people just yesterday to determine whether their parts from another country are aluminum or not. I will get photos of my two aluminum dashes up shortly. Just realized I don't have a photo of them together so I'll get that done and post it on here.
 

1964SuperStocker

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
I have been pondering more and more whether the aluminum dashes are special made for racing or not. I'm leaning that they are very very special based upon the known facts we have about them. #1. Not many found. Out of 1,523,319 of the 1962 full size Chevy's we actually know of 5 aluminum dashes, maybe a few others have them and haven't spoken up yet. Pretend like we know of 20 of them or even 50 of them. These numbers are less than a drop in the bucket IF these aluminum dashes aren't special. If 1 in 5 were aluminum then I would say they aren't special but no one is going to find 300,000 of these dashes or even 30,000 of them. #2. We know Chevrolet was experimenting with making aluminum go fast parts for the 1962-63 cars specifically. Not like we are talking about finding other years of cars or even 1961 Chevy's and to anyone's knowledge there are no aluminum go fast parts ever made for 1961 Chevy's from GM. #3. The process of casting a pot metal dash vs casting an aluminum dash is not the same. Though the process is similar you are talking about training people to do it, equipping them to do it specifically means using molds and equipment that hasn't already been used to create pot metal castings. There can be no contamination between the two or the casting will not come out correct. Even the temperature to which you cast aluminum and cast pot metal isn't the same. Its about 500 degrees different. #4. Casting number is the same for all aluminum dashes. Pat and I determined we have the same casting numbers and Dennis's photo above matches both of ours. I might have some part of my arguments above a little off but my educated guess is these were all made at one place at one time for the very specific purpose of creating special light weight race parts. I'm sure there are more facts for or against I have not written here but I'm sure others can help. It would be cool if one factory only kicked out aluminum dashes (even if due to a shortage of pot metal supply issue) but there would be at least several TEN's of Thousands of them made or more and found on every kind of car imaginable. GM would not switch to aluminum unless they were doing a short special run or were going to kick out thousands. Not like these were made by some rogue employees on a late Friday night shift.
Ok, now chew it apart! :winner
Not sure it matters but one of my dashes came from Canada (where they do not drag race or have circle tracks. :hide)
 
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