1968 GTX - radio installation leads to questions about woodgrain dash inserts??

[moparedtn]

Ok, so I take this high-dollar "restored" AM radio and head out to fill the hole in my dash that's been there since I bought the car 7 years ago.
I bought a pretty (and expensive) faceplate for it also, along with a reproduction antenna - which I wound up not using, but that's another story.

Anyways, my surgically-altered and aged carcass gets under the dash and hooks up the radio wiring (dang, Ma, would a couple inches slack have killed you on cost? Sheesh) and I get the radio held in place, at least by the front for now. I'll have to figure out the rear bracket later, but the radio makes the speaker crackle when I turn it on and the light in the faceplate works when it's supposed to.
I'll fetch one of those "hidden" powered antennas and stuff it up over the glove box later.
Success, as it were....

Now to the question, but first, the pics:

Now, I notice (probably like you just did) that the woodgrain doesn't match between the radio bezel and the panel to the right.
Not at all.
I know the radio bezel is one of those repops that supposedly is for both '68 & '69 model GTX's, but all I knew was the '68's don't have lettering and the '69 does, right?

So I take pics of the rest of the woodgrain pieces to try and figure out what's up:

Really, aside from the lousy photography, the only piece of the set that isn't like the others is the long one over the glove box.
The question then begs....
Was there a difference in the woodgrain between 1968 and 1969 GTX's (or by association, Sport Satellites or even Coronet R/T's)??
If so, which one do I have?

Oh, about the antenna....

Yes, you're seeing that correctly. The fender has no "correct" factory antenna hole where it should be and checking underneath, it never has.
What it does have is a 1/2" hole in the corner there and it's quite apparent it was stamped into it by whoever made the fender.
Beats me....
But I'm not about to drill that pretty fender for the factory type antenna, either. With my luck, I'd ruin it - hence the fetching of the "hidden" powered one I mentioned earlier.

So....any help on the woodgrain questions?

 

[moparnation74]

Yes....68 is usually lighter and all 69 are a darker....2 fixes find an original lighter radio bezel(good luck) or a darker hockey stick(triple good luck)
The small one is much more common and easier to find....

 

[moparedtn]

We've all read stories about people finding artifacts in these cars that actually added to their rarity or spoke to their history, sometimes to the added value of the car, right?
Yeah, well....
I found this stuck to the inside of the dash today:

That's most of a magnet from who knows how many decades ago.
Former owner belonged to Weight Watchers mebbe?

Yeah, "artifacts"....

 

[moparedtn]

Yes....68 is usually lighter and all 69 are a darker....2 fixes find an original lighter radio bezel(good luck) or a darker hockey stick(triple good luck)
The small one is much more common and easier to find....

Great. So my door panels, radio bezel and left side small one are ALL wrong, eh?
That's just lovely...

 

[moparnation74]

Great. So my door panels, radio bezel and left side small one are ALL wrong, eh?
That's just lovely...

nope....just the radio bezel....Dont worry about the small one....it appears lighter in your pic but if not the cluster breaks that up...you notice but non one else will....

Original lighter radio bezels are a tough find.....but far less costly than a dark hockey stick.....

 

[moparedtn]

nope....just the radio bezel....Dont worry about the small one....it appears lighter in your pic but if not the cluster breaks that up...you notice but non one else will....

Original lighter radio bezels are a tough find.....but far less costly than a dark hockey stick.....

Ok, so the lighter radio bezel is also the one without the lettering, right?
Yeah, they're pretty much made of unobtanium. Been looking for one for months.

I guess I'm looking for an either/or here, then, especially since the door panels (from Legendary) are equally darker as well.

 

[moparnation74]

Lets clear a bit up....Chrysler used multiple vendors for interior components.....not all things match, period...

Door panels were made by a different vendor and the grain will more closely match the console...

On my GTX which is done to OE spec...the red interior has 7 different reds.....it is a sea of hues....

Now just focus on the real mismatch which is only your bezels.....I think they all had lettering...I know 69 all had lettering....

 

[moparedtn]

Lets clear a bit up....Chrysler used multiple vendors for interior components.....not all things match, period...

Door panels were made by a different vendor and the grain will more closely match the console...

On my GTX which is done to OE spec...the red interior has 7 different reds.....it is a sea of hues....

Now just focus on the real mismatch which is only your bezels.....I think they all had lettering...I know 69 all had lettering....

You surely would know such things.
I have been following your resto thread for quite a while now - with envy, for the most part.
You do good work, sir. I appreciate your advice here.

 

[moparnation74]

You surely would know such things.
I have been following your resto thread for quite a while now - with envy, for the most part.
You do good work, sir. I appreciate your advice here.

I wish I had a bezel to help you out my friend...

Thank you for the compliments and thanks for following my thread!

 

[SoCal440GTX]

Lets clear a bit up....Chrysler used multiple vendors for interior components.....not all things match, period...

Door panels were made by a different vendor and the grain will more closely match the console...

On my GTX which is done to OE spec...the red interior has 7 different reds.....it is a sea of hues....

Now just focus on the real mismatch which is only your bezels.....I think they all had lettering...I know 69 all had lettering....

No lettering on 68's for sure.
No woodgrain console in 68 to try to match.

 

[moparedtn]

No lettering on 68's for sure.
No woodgrain console in 68 to try to match.

Appreciate it. I thought I'd remembered that from somewhere a while back.
This one is a non-console car anyways.
I guess I'm down to either finding a lighter/non-lettered radio bezel or a darker right side hockey stick.
Until then, at least there's no gaping hole in the dash anymore.

 

[moparedtn]

Instrument Specialties in Rhode Island is who Mark Worman uses, apparently.
I saw them on eBay, at least offering to "analyze" peoples' inserts for pricing restoration services from, but your plastic has to be in good shape, since apparently they don't sell parts outright.

Looks pretty darn nice, though.