Challenger dash emblem

[anlauto]

Interesting Terry that yours had rectangular push nuts....I'll have to look and see if I have any Challenger ones....mine pictured above was a Barracuda 

[70/6chall]

On my original 70 Challenger OE pad, the dash emblem was just black plastic, no chrome no silver paint. This is on a car that was a very early built LA car. Pic shows the way my emblem came from factory, not my pad.
Thanks,   Al

[anlauto]

Likely the chrome color is just worn off 

[HEMICUDA]

Likely the chrome color is just worn off 

Never chrome, it's vacuum metalized which is a totally different process and a poor mans way to put a chrome like finish on a plastic part.  It doesn't take to many years of wiping it or the sun shining on it to knock it right off.  Vacuum metalizing is nothing more that a very thin layer of powdered vapored aluminum applied to the part.  MOPAR never used this process on any exterior plastic parts, one of the few parts MOPAR did actual hard chroming on plastic was the headlight rings on a 71 Cuda.

"Vacuum metalizing is the process of evaporating metals, most commonly aluminum, inside a vacuum chamber and bonding them to the desired substrate"

Vacuum metalizing has been around for many years, the only issue with it, it doesn't wear very well like when being cleaned.  Typically, all MOPAR interior plastic parts, back in the day, were vacuum metalized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUvT5F7e9ZM

I found this one, it's pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLehYoPzdW8

[screamindriver]

Hi Mike, cool videos...  I was told the vacuum metalizing was  sprayed with a clear lacquer top coat back in the day..Imagine how fast a harsh cleaner would wipe out that nice finish...Today shops like G-Car use a high quality urethane as the top coat that adds more durability to the process..

[6Pack70]

Hmmm,  can it be clear powdercoated to protect it?

[Mr Lee]

Hmmm,  can it be clear powdercoated to protect it?

Maybe the metal ones can?  I dunno, but ya can't powdercoat plastic cuz it would melt in the oven. 

[HEMICUDA]

Hi Mike, cool videos...  I was told the vacuum metalizing was  sprayed with a clear lacquer top coat back in the day..Imagine how fast a harsh cleaner would wipe out that nice finish...Today shops like G-Car use a high quality urethane as the top coat that adds more durability to the process..

You are absolutely correct Collin, like the ebody dash emblem, all the abody and bbody dash bezels were also vacuum metalized and sprayed with a lacquer finish to try to protect the thin layer of aluminum.