Well, somehow the stars aligned and I was able to land Upper Door Panel Pads for the 69. I have wanted these for quite some time, but always had issues getting them "in stock."
Way back in the day, I think I was still in high school, I posted on Moparts about the need for 68-70 Charger Upper Door Panel Pads...this was in a thread from Mike at B/E&A had started and I was glad to see others second my suggestion and more importantly...Mike decide to pull the trigger on them.
Well, several years later now I am finally getting a set. Mine is a 69 with a black interior, so there was no issue with coloring etc.
The big issue though revolves around two aspects:
1-Which Pads to Get
2-The Medallion
Let's take a look at the potential issues.
To the best of my knowledge there are only 2 offerings on the market...
The first from B/E & A: Part # 1810-69FB seen here:
http://www.beaparts.com/list_items.aspx ... &subcat=35-Classic Industries Link:
http://www.classicindustries.com/mopar/ ... 05100.htmlThe second from Legendary Auto Interiors:
http://www.legendaryautointeriors.com/7 ... etail.html-Classic Industries Link:
http://www.classicindustries.com/mopar/ ... 82650.htmlThat said, I got mine from Classic Industries. I can't imagine them making a stand alone piece, and given that the medallions are included (as with B/E&A), I am inclined to believe Classic's pads are sourced from B/E&A.
Classic has a better price than B/E&A from the get-go, but coupled with the Cyber Monday sale, I got a really good price on them.
I had tried for quite some time to source these pads and Classic NEVER had them in stock. Needless to say, I was shocked when they were IN STOCK during a SALE. I had checked Black Friday and they were Out of Stock. I had actually leaned towards Legendary's since my Door Panels from circa 1999 came from there. The price is a big difference though..and Legendary does not include the medallion. Perhaps more importantly to the bargain hunting enthusiast, Legendary's Door Panel Pads seem to be discount exempt.
Given the quandry, I went to DodgeCharger.com (
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index ... 868.0.html) hoping to get that rare, first-hand insight from a guy that had bought, installed, or seen both side-by-side. That of course, didn't happen, but I certainly got some valuable information.
It seems the consensus is that Legendary's pads are a bit more "puffy" or "padded" as I would call it. Contrastingly (that should be a word imo), the B/E&A Upper Door Panel Pads have crisp lines. Neither, it seems, has the correct grain for purists.
So, armed with that my decision was made to buy direct from B/E&A. However, I missed them Friday night and didn't see a sale. Same thing happened on Monday (real people work on Cyber Monday fyi) and I found myself getting home and online just after they had called it a day. I saw a promo for 70% off at Legendary, but upon going to their site and even adding the Upper Door Panel Pads to the cart, the price remained the same. At this point I was ready to call it a lost cause once again and just out of chance checked Classic. You know the rest...In Stock (literally for the first time in forever) and 25% Off with the current sale!
Here are my final thoughts at this point:
I am excited to get these in and have a look at them. I am hoping these really are the B/E&A pads. At this price, if I hate them, I can spring for Legendary's and do a side-by-side comparison to benefit everyone in the hobby. I would do it right now if the price wasn't so high...I think both pieces will be fine quality wise and a marked improvement over 45 year old originals, but it is still nice to have that side-by-side, unbiased showcase to allow everyone to make their own conclusions. If you are in the area and have a set of Legendary pads, I will gladly do the comparison and return them.
The last issue is a bit unknown...What will the medallions be on these pads? There were several options throughout the 2nd Gen run. My originals have the orange (although most call it red) filled in perimeter. The Classic website is far from great, and really struggles here...They use the same, default pic for all the pads...doesn't help much when the medallions are different. I am looking forward to opening these up and investigating things...this should tip us off as to whether or not they are in fact B/E&A's pieces due to B/E&A using the correct medallions on their 69 Upper Door Panel Pads.
Stay tuned for updates!
TexasStroker
