Unbreakable Temp/Vent/Choke Lever Bezels at Last!!!!

Coming soon from Unobtainium Supply Co.

As you know, I've been supplying reproduction lever bezels in chrome plated or black plastic since '03. See:

Unobtainium: Ask & Ye Shall Receive
http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/discus/messages/256120/202534.html

However, I've always wanted to be able to offer a truly unbreakable lever bezel. Also, it's a continuing challenge to find places that will chrome plastic parts for a reasonable price.

I've been working with a local machine shop to make them out of aluminum & just received the first prototype made from the CNC milling tape. Thought you'd like to see it also. See pictures attached.


Please note that this is the 1st prototype. We didn't have the right taper end mill for the inside edge of the bezel, & used a handmade cutter for the outside. Also, some of the dimensions need fine tuning, and this one isn't polished & chromed, (Or powdercoated mirror black for the 'GT4 & other cars.).

However, we're getting really close to production parts. I'm really excited & wanted to share it with you!
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Beautiful!

 

verell hats off to you, i know the issues with tooling!


p.s.
i'lll pm you tomorrow with an update

 

kick a$$

 

Great so have you figured out the price and when they will be available.

 

As always, Verell, beautifully done! It's comforting to know that someone meticulous, skilled and caring is around to help us maintain our cars. And I'm one of those you have helped. Thank you, again, for your careful restoration of my gas cap. You've seen to it that the second US 308 GTB made has stayed original.

Barry

 

Price looks like it's going to be just under $100 each. To get down to that price I'm going to have to order in batches of 15 to 25 bezels. The shop would really like an initial order for 25 bezels.

Other than the machining itself, A big hitter is the chrome plating shop's setup/minimum charge. I'm going to call around to see if I can find a shop with a lower minimum charge. I may have to trade off delivery time to get a lower charge tho.

I haven't scheduled the initial build with the machine shop, but I expect lead time to be something like 6 weeks from when I order the 1st ones until I receive them back plated & ready to ship.

BTW, When we started measuring the NOS ones I've been using for mold masters, we discovered that the oldest ones were slightly different from the newest ones. Looks like maybe 3 slightly different mold designs were used. The differences aren't noticable until you put them side by side & take a really close look.

Differences are little things like the width of the flat top on the bezel, the curvature & slope of the side from the top down to the lable mounting surface, number of square holes on the back, and the width between the mounting screw holes. Mostly just a few thou, or a few degrees here or there. Some of it may even be just due to thicker or thinner chrome plating. The oldest ones seem to have much thicker plating then the newest ones.

Biggest difference was the mounting holes. Their center to center spacing varied by ~1.5mm!

We're shooting for a common denominator that should match up pretty well with all of them, and are using a stud or cap screw that's enough smaller than the big sheet metal screw so that the mounting hole spacing won't be a problem for any of the varients.

However, if you want your bezels to all to perfectly match, you may want to consider buying a set of 4. Think of it as a permenant fix for broken bezels.

However, if you don't lube your cables, you'll find that the next thing to give will be either the knobs will break, or the levers will bend!

Next project will be a mold for those pesky disc shaped lever & switch knobs. They're going to be the first part I make using my injection molding machine.

That rectangular hole inside them just doesn't work with my current RTV mold based molding process. The plug that creates the hole gets torn out of the mold after 4 or 5 pieces, & the mold is scrap.

 

really beautifully done

 

That's excellent! It's great to know that there are people out there who still think about these older cars and what their neurotic owners actually WANT, as opposed to making the lightest, shiniest, loudest exhuast for a 360 or 430 that money can buy...

My hat's off to you, sir!

Aaron

 

Verell, you have to make GT4 lever buttons as well! These are NLA from F of UK and other suppliers and I had a hard time finding one used... I eventually got from John Moretti's ex-GT4.

I only needed one, but I bought the whole vent-switch panel which had all three levers. You may have one of those buttons to make the prototype.
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I wonder how long it would take to polish the aluminum they are made out of; polished aluminum looks identical to chrome.

helmut

 

They have to be polished to a mirror finish before chrome plating. Polished Al does indeed look nice, needs occasional repolishing tho. Will consider it.

My machinist just stopped by with 2 more units from the final milling tape & tooling. They do indeed look very nice. I'll post pix later this weekend.

I also finalized pricing with him.

Price is $90/each +6.85 USPS Priority Mail shipping, tracking & Insurance. If you buy 4, I'll eat the shipping cost.

The first build should ship in early May, assuming I place the order next week.

To order send eMAIL:

SUBJ: Unbreakable Lever Bezels, Qty: n
TO: [email protected]

Indicate if you want Chrome or black.

Is there enough interest to get a group buy going?

If I can order at least 25 pieces, I'll drop the group buy price/piece by $10.

GREAT!!!
I've been looking for one for a while!

I've got a backlog of orders & products I've promised people I'd tool up for right now, so I probably wouldn't be able to get to making the knobs until next fall tho.

 

Hi Verell,

I am remodeling a 78 308 GTS, if the levers you are building will fit my car then I would like to order 4 of them once you have them all finished.
Do they come with the actual lever with the plastic knob and the printed insert plate ?

Thanks,
Helmut

 

I make a aluminum product that I used to sell in mirror polish finish and I am amazed how long the chrome like look stays on the aluminum. I thought that due to finger prints etc. the polish look would fade much quicker but it actually doesn't, I have had thiese parts laying around fopr years now and still look perfectly gloss. I used to use the polishing bricks which I suppose put some sort of protective wax on it.

Do you by any chance have a vacuum forming machine? I am trying to recreate the Dash Vent outlets for the 308 which I am sure are all completely brittle and most likely cracked on 90% or all 308's out there. I am not able to find the parts anywhere, whats your opinion on those?

Thanks,
Helmut

 

It's just the bezel, you re-use your old lever, knobs, lables, etc.

The labels come off the old bezels pretty easily, the adhesive is some kind of a rubbery cement, maybe contact cement. You just soak them for a day or so in mineral spirits, then gently pry the lable off.

Lables are on my list, but probably not soon.

Sorry, I don't have a vacuum forming machine. Your best bet would be to make the outlets out of fiberglass.

 

What do you lubricate the cables with? Lithium spray on and how do you get to them?

My passenger side vent lever sticks full forward. It moves forward just fine, then gets stuck and will not move back. I can close it back up by going under the hood and using a small screw driver to pry the actuator. It's as if the little ball/indent friction device gets stuck together and will not move.

 

Get a spray can of motorcycle cable lube & a cable luber. There's usually a kit of 1 each on eBAY, or search the web. The luber goes on one end of the cable & seals around the control wire. The red tube on the spray can goes into the luber, & the can's pressure forces the lube the entire length of the cable. Quick, easy, & thorough.

BTW, the lubers with 2 thumb screws seal much better than the ones with just one.

Alternatively, replace the cable jackets with teflon lined bicycle cable jackets & never lube again. See:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1511

 

No problem, I'll set one aside in a little bag with your name on it...

 

My trick for stuck vent cables (which they're really not cables, but stiff, steel wire) is to replace the outer housings with bicycle cable housings (specifically brake housings). These are lined with teflon and provide an ultra-smooth path for the wire to ride in. No lubrication required after that.

 

Well if I disconnect the cable from the control lever arm under the front bonnet it actuates very easily. The sliding is not the problem. The control arm mechanism that moves the air flapper gets stuck closed.

 

I got prototypes from the final tapes & cutters Sunday.
The finish was pretty good as machined, but a couple of minuites with the DA sander using 1500, then 2000 grit, & some metal polish & they had a mirror finish.

Certainly couldn't tell the polished Al from chrome. Will post pix as soon as I get a chance.

However, If anyone used metal polish on them once they were mounted, they'd be a tad ticked about the black stains on their console leather. They're going to be finished somehow so that can't happen.

Now need to take them to some chrome plating shops & see what kind of a deal I can get.

Am also considering trying a clear powdercoat, or a clearcoat on one to see how that looks. I think you won't be able to see it if it's done right. Unlike polished wheels, inside the car they're not going to be subject to salt,etc, so a clear coating should protect them indefinitely.

What do you think about the clearcoating option?

BTW, already have orders for a couple of sets, anyone else want in at the $90 + shipping initial price? If so, see the ordering info earlier in this thread.

 

Thats true, I didn't think of that.

This may be a silly question but do you by any chance have a price of the units without any finish or polish on them?

Just curious,
Helmut

 

The bicycle crowd has great lubricants.
I use TRIFLOW on my cables and the action is so smooth that you will swear the heater lever is not connected to a cable.

 

Verell,

Clear powdercoating or clear polyurethane sound like a cost effective and durable alternative to getting them chromed. I can live with a minor finish difference between the originals and the bullet proof replacements.

How close do you think the clear coat appearance will be to the chromed plastic??

Thanks for doing this, the passenger side, (the most vocal one) is broken

best,
chris

 

It's got to be indestinguishable or I won't use it.