Autotrader commercial with duke boys

[tan top]

its on Ebay too

imo this is what the GL should of looked like in the original TV show   

That is what the GL looked like in the original TV show, more or less anyway (aside from the overly fat door numbers with the highly screwed up angle on one of the corners of each "0"); or are you referring to the interior? If so, the second-unit stunt cars on the original TV show had full roll cages similar to that.

I believe he was talking about how the "Hero" cars should have been portrayed.  Make them look more like a stock car instead of making them look like a "stock" car with graphics.

 

I believe he was talking about how the "Hero" cars should have been portrayed.  Make them look more like a stock car instead of making them look like a "stock" car with graphics.

I've always thought all the GLs should have been caged.  I was glad when the new movie did it that way. 

The simple GL rollbar looked like it was just there to give the impression of a full cage.  Easily changed in & out, doesn't clutter up the front where the actors live, etc. 

It got a bit less convincing when the interior was lightened and the rollbar went black in 1982.  The color changes were a nice looking combo but it revealed how simple the cage really was.   




While I'm correcting things the GL also should've had a gutted interior.  And a 4spd.  And steel wheels 8-10" wide.  And cut fenders for them.  And a "01" on the roof facing towards the passenger side.  Etc. 

yeah that's more fitting to what the GL should of looked like 

 

I believe he was talking about how the "Hero" cars should have been portrayed.  Make them look more like a stock car instead of making them look like a "stock" car with graphics.

I've always thought all the GLs should have been caged.  I was glad when the new movie did it that way. 

The simple GL rollbar looked like it was just there to give the impression of a full cage.  Easily changed in & out, doesn't clutter up the front where the actors live, etc. 

It got a bit less convincing when the interior was lightened and the rollbar went black in 1982.  The color changes were a nice looking combo but it revealed how simple the cage really was.   




While I'm correcting things the GL also should've had a gutted interior.  And a 4spd.  And steel wheels 8-10" wide.  And cut fenders for them.  And a "01" on the roof facing towards the passenger side.  Etc. 

   

[MaximRecoil]

I hope whoever buys that car is happy with the instrument cluster and gauges as-is, and that the gauges, speedometer cable, wiring behind the dash, windshield wiper motor and wiper linkage, etc., never screw up, because, have fun getting the cluster out with that bar in the way. Also, how do you turn on the windshield wipers, or washers, or flashers? It looks like the headlight switch is still there, but I don't see any other switches.

That steering column is never coming out, not without some cutting. I guess the idea behind buying a car like this is to have something to look at rather than something to drive?

[Mike DC]

                          
There is no point in paying a lot more money for a car with screen pedigree, and then erasing it all with a resto right away.  

Nice shiny GL replicas are everywhere these days.  Park 10 of those in a row at a show and people will walk past them to see the battle-scarred screen car.  



I suppose it could be argued that the car should be restored eventually.  It's not a TV-series car.  But they oughtta leave it as-is for at least a few years while the Auto Trader ad is still fresh in everyone's mind. 

   

[Ghoste]

Steering column drops so it should come out as normal but you're right, the rest is a pain.  I think it's likely destined to not be driven a great deal.

[Ghoste]

I'd definitely leave it as is.  There is a very real chance that it will be the last GL that Tom and John drive together.

[JB400]

Dash could come out through the windshield. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

                       

Nice shiny GL replicas are everywhere these days.  Park 10 of those in a row at a show and people will walk past them to see the battle-scarred screen car.  

   

I can vouch for battle scarred cars getting attention....lol

[Baldwinvette77]

Dash could come out through the windshield. 

i don't think so, my car doesn't have a windshield and i couldn't fit it through, not with how i have my bars installed anyway 

[Ghoste]

I think he is referring to removing the cluster not the whole dash.

[JB400]

If he's wanting to just remove the cluster, remove the screws, tilt it forward, slide it to the right, missing the down bar, and tilt it forward.

To install the factory cluster, I'd remove the outer bezel, insert the cluster, and then slide the bezel into place.  You'd just have to screw the bezel to the cluster from under the dash.  Where there's a will, there's a way.

[Ghoste]

I'm doing an r&r on my cluster right now so I can assure they don't just pop in or out of there with ease.

[JB400]

Not once did I say it was going to be easy.

[bill440rt]

Steering column drops so it should come out as normal but you're right, the rest is a pain.  I think it's likely destined to not be driven a great deal.

I don't see anything out of the ordinary either pertaining to the steering column, looks like it should come out as normal to me as well.
The rest of the dash is cobbled together. The cluster is not stock & neither is the flat panel the gauges are set into so who knows if it's a pain to take out. A stock cluster? Yes that would be difficult. That one might not be a problem to maneuver over the bar.

[Ghoste]

Very true, there's even a good chance they put it in there after they were done welding the bar in.

[bill440rt]

I also agree that it's likely not destined to be driven a great deal, either. 

[MaximRecoil]

Steering column drops so it should come out as normal but you're right, the rest is a pain.  I think it's likely destined to not be driven a great deal.

The steering column won't drop; it has a loop welded around it to the crossbar above it. You can see it well in this picture:

If he's wanting to just remove the cluster, remove the screws, tilt it forward, slide it to the right, missing the down bar, and tilt it forward.

To install the factory cluster, I'd remove the outer bezel, insert the cluster, and then slide the bezel into place.  You'd just have to screw the bezel to the cluster from under the dash.  Where there's a will, there's a way.

I'd have to see that done. Normally to get the cluster out you loosen the two 7/16" steering column nuts to drop it down (this allows you to pull the cluster forward enough so that the metal frame of the cluster can clear the opening in the dash frame in order to finagle it out the side), and in the case of this car, not only can you not drop the column down (because of that loop), but you have a few inches worth of bar sticking up above it, right square in the way. If that cluster doesn't have the deep metal frame behind it like a stock one does, then maybe it could be removed as you described, but I'd bet a fair amount of money that you couldn't put a factory stock cluster back in its place with that immovable steering column and crossbar in the way.

I don't see anything out of the ordinary either pertaining to the steering column, looks like it should come out as normal to me as well.

See the welded-on loop in the picture above. That steering column is going nowhere without some cutting.

The rest of the dash is cobbled together. The cluster is not stock & neither is the flat panel the gauges are set into so who knows if it's a pain to take out. A stock cluster? Yes that would be difficult. That one might not be a problem to maneuver over the bar.

Indeed.

[Ghoste]

Never saw that photo before, yes if that loop is welded to the bar everything changes.

[JB400]

I will admit that I overlooked the pic with the strap around the column.  In that case, I'd  the strap off, if I needed to remove the column.

But, like I said, I'm pretty certain that if you remove the bezel from the cluster, you can install the cluster.  I'd take the steering wheel off to get more room if I didn't want to remove the strap from around the steering column.

[Ghoste]

That strap is a strange addition, whats its purpose?

[JB400]

Probably to keep the steering wheel from ending up in your lap.

[Ghoste]

I could care less about it in my lap, try to keep it from going through my chest. 

[Dreamcar]

In case some of you haven't seen it, there's a behind the scenes video. I find it almost as cool as the commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlwVpCduEP0

[bill440rt]

Never saw that photo before, yes if that loop is welded to the bar everything changes.

That puts a whole new paint job on things, now doesn't it? 

[Baldwinvette77]

In case some of you haven't seen it, there's a behind the scenes video. I find it almost as cool as the commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlwVpCduEP0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRveAh68og

Just throwing this in for the hell of it.. 

[Mike DC]

  
The strap is because jumping/crashing can tear the columns loose, especially on older cars that aren't secured as well.  It's a common stunt car thing.


The "Fast & Furious" crew has gone to putting bolt-in (strong & rigid) removable bars across the dash.  Seems like a better plan, although even just the ends of the bolt-in section would be enough to cause some trouble getting a whole dash frame out.