True Connections

So you get your new interior kit, start installing things, and you realize your kick panels are really ugly. Call up the wrong place and you might end up getting some kick panels that are not quite up to the quality of originals. Or go for the gusto and get the really cool kick panels with the speakers in them, only to find out that the speaker sticks out so far that you can’t use your parking brake anymore. My recommendation is to restore the ones you’ve got. We contacted Joel over at JH Restorations to see what the best way is to make your old kicks look new again. Joel recommends going to a local paint shop to locate a product produced by SEM. The SEM Plastic Prep will remove contaminants on the surface of the plastic, the Color Coat will change or renew the color, and the Clear Coat will protect the product for many cruise nights to come. Just be sure to follow the directions on the packages. If your kick panels are past the point of repair, your best bet is to find some decent originals to work with. The 1964-1966 Chevelle and El Camino kick panels are basically the same except the 1965-1966 panels have a post with a screw hole at the top that sticks up about 7 inches and covers the body seam between the door jamb and the dash, while the 1964 panels stopped short at the bottom of the dash. The non A/C cars had kick panels with vent grills on both sides while the cars with A/C had a vent grill only on the drivers side, and the passenger side had the air box going into the body so the kick panel had a bulge and cut out in it to partially cover the air box. The kick panels on 1967 Chevelles and El Caminos are similar to the 1965-1966 panels except that the vent door and pull knob on the 67s are part of the panel, the vent grill is removable, and the screw tab on the top of the post was removed. The 1968 kick panel has the same type of vent assembly as the 1967 panels except that the 68-72s have a longer post that sticks up and it has a curve to it in order to fit the body. In 1969 the kick panels on A/C cars do not have a vent in either side and they use a slider knob that opens the door leading to the ball vent in the dash for ventilation. The non air kick panels for 1969-1972 have a vent assembly on each side with two push pull knobs, one for the kick panel vent, another for the vent in the dash. Fortunately some really good reproductions just came out for the 1969-1972 non air kick panels but they are only available in black so you’ll have to use the SEM products if you need a specific color. Next month we’re going to go over an article we wrote several years ago about door hinges and rebuild kits.