[DeTomaso] Questions about fiberglass consoles on Ebay

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/28/10 13 21 30, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:


> I've been watching an auction on Ebay for a fiberglass center console and
> gage stack.  I need to redo my interior and need both of these pieces, but
> there are some questions I'd like to run past you guys to compare to the
> seller's responses.  He says that they are Hall Pantera pieces, which
> unfortunately, makes me leery from the start.
> It appears the center console piece sits higher than the gage stack: my
> stock ones are the same height from the floor, so I'm wondering if the 
> stack
> will be too short or the center console would need trimming
> 
>>>Perhaps.   The stock consoles don't reach all the way to the floor 
anyway.   They just sit on top of the center chassis structure, and the sides are 
left just hanging.   I would certainly trim the pieces so they were the 
same length before upholstering them.


> >What is the odd slot on the right side of the angled face of the center
> console just aft of the gear lever cut-out?  Almost looks as though it 
> would
> be for an e-brake lever, but that would be in the wrong position.
> 
>>>I think somebody has hacked this piece up slightly.   It's of no serious 
consequence since you'll be upholstering it with leather anyway.   It 
should be pretty straightforward to repair it before upholstering it.


> >Do any of you have experience, good or otherwise, with these pieces from
> Hall.  I know Byers sell them in fiberglass, as do a couple of other
> vendors.  
> 
> >>>Byars and Hall sell exactly the same pieces; Wilkinson makes them in 
carbon fiber and I think he uses different molds.

I had one of these center consoles for awhile, but didn't use it as I was 
fortunate enough to find an NOS late-model console in the pre-internet days.  
 I paid a bunch for it, but it was perfect, in the original Ford box even.

The quality of the fiberglass Hall pieces was only so-so.   They felt a bit 
thin and flimsy to me, compared to the factory Pre-L pieces.

I've never paid close attention to the later GT5-S factory pieces so I 
can't compare Hall's to those.   But it's possible that the Hall pieces are of 
roughly equal quality?

In any event, they can't be used 'naked'; they have to be covered in 
leather.

Mike