It is possible, depending on conditions and plastic(s) used, that an Original (or aftermarket for that matter) spear could/will shrink. I have seen curling of original '68 spears which is a form of shrinkage.
Anoher possible wrench in the works is replacement dashes from back in the day could have variations from what was originally installed at the factory. OR there could have been a running partial/mid year change due to suppliers or engineering change do to various reasons (like a problem found be it manufacturing, materials or defects that showed up under warranty before the model year was over). But I don't know, these are just possibilities that could have happened.
The dash with spear that is now on my Torino (and the one I posted side profile pics of the spear snowing partial delamination) was given to me and had been in storage in a local garage here in WNY since eiher sometime in the 70s or early 80s because the owner had to part out his car. So it wasn't exposed to all the car environment issues it's whole life. That said I did have to glue down the dash edges in spots due to the pad lifting away from the steel sheet metal core.
Added to this I remember years ago at one of the All Ford Carlisle show/swap meets there was a person selling "New" '68/'69 Dashes for $100 (I have kicked myself ever since for not buying one). I can't remember IF they had a spear in them or not (I almost think they did, and I think it was the black '68 spear). I don't know where he got them from, IF they were leftover production stock (either at Ford OR at the Manufacturer, that is if Ford didn't make them), Didn't meet/pass QC, NOS Ford replacement parts or Reproductions. I do remember they looked good. I didn't get one because I had limited cash and had other things I was on the hunt for/needed. Later that day when I went back to buy one, he was gone.
David from WNY
On Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 09:50:38 AM EDT, Linc <linc@...> wrote:
I have also never heard this. ?Can you, or anyone, take a side by side series of photos of a reproduction
spear and an original 68 spear? ? I don't have any 69 spears to compare, but it would also be diagnostically
relevant to compare to factory spears of the two years to see if there is a difference.?
--
============================================================ I am Linc..... What more could you possibly need to know?============================================================
On Sat, 2023-06-24 at 12:54 +0000, Marty Burke via groups.io wrote:
Matthew
I found your email interesting. Hundreds of these spears have been sold and place on 68¡¯s without any issue. Most are on driver cars who understand that the 68 black piece is not available. My initial thought Is?the fitment?issue is due to your dash possibly shrinking due to heat or age.
I would like to see photos of what you are talking about as we are currently overseeing a concourse restoration of a 68.5 car and will be restoring a 68 piece from one of my parts cars (68)
In my years of playing with these cars this is the first time I have heard of what you claim.
In an unrelated note I did talk with Daniel Carpenter (who owns a 68 and his company makes the spear) and asked if he could make a run of black spears for me. Sadly he didn¡¯t want to do it.
Marty
On Saturday, June 24, 2023, 1:42 AM, Matthew Keating <Captainmatt7@...> wrote:
Hi guys
I have been lurking in the background as a member but haven¡¯t contributed before. So hello everyone.
About ten years ago I bought a dash spear from Marty to use for my 68 car, it didn¡¯t work, and these were my observations at the time:
The unfortunate news is the repro part does not fit a 68 dash. These are the differences:- Most of the pins on the 69 repro part aren't in exactly the same position as the 68 original, and you therefore have to consider redrilling the dash, enlarging holes, or cutting some pins clean off to make it work. Whatever end you start with, the pins are slightly out in most cases, and the problem is progressive, i.e. the pins get further out of alignment as you go along. The second pin from the right end is most obviously out of alignment, and an anomaly.
- Aligning the spear centrally is problematic, since the pins are not correctly located for the holes in the dash at both ends.
- If you attempt to align the pins at both ends, the spear bows in the middle.
- The spear is not exactly the same size - the 69 repro part extends about 1/3" longer than the original 68 and is in fact slightly too long for the dash recess.
In addition:- The chrome rib is noticeably wider and has a higher profile than the original 68 spear
- The colour bars are much wider and thicker on the repro 69 part
- The background colour is silver, where the original is black
- The spear tips have a different, more pointed profile on the repro part than the 68 original.
Hopefully this gives you some insight into the situation, and how much compromise you are willing to accept.
Cheers
Matthew
Marty Burke
Linc