Outer dashboard speaker grilles not fitting

[Ornamental]

I bought a refurbished three speaker dashpad from a well reputed seller I have only good previous experience with, and then I bought a used couple of outer grilles from another well reputed seller which I also have a good history with.

But the speaker grilles didn't fit, and appeared to be warped. These were marked with B/L and B/R.
I contacted the seller and ended up with another set of speaker grilles, J/L and J/R.
These didn't fit very well either.

So I wonder if you could please take a look at the photos, and tell me what you think is wrong, is it the dash or the speaker grilles?

This is B/L


This is B/R



This is J/L



This is J/R





Looking at this, I get the impression that of these pairs the B/L and B/R are the pair that fits best for a 1970 Challenger dash, but the ones I got are a bit warped.
Would you agree?

[RUNCHARGER]

I believe JL and JR are Challenger left and right. BL and BR and Barracuda left and right.

[1 Wild R/T]

I believe JL and JR are Challenger left and right. BL and BR and Barracuda left and right.

That is correct, the problem is the dash pad, they aren't made in a mold like the originals were... The foam is applied then it is sculpted to shape.... When they sculpt the foam under the pad they just shoot for a shape thats close enough for most people but the grills rarely fit well...  And there are plenty of other areas that aren't correct but it's much nicer than an old cracked pad....

[JH27N0B]

I agree with Sheldon that B would be Barracuda and J Challenger.
Here is a picture of my grille on my Challenger dash pad.  My original pad was restored by Just Dashes.
One of several reasons I decided to spend the extra $$ on Just Dashes, is that they restore using your original core and frame.  I'd heard that Ultimate Rides/Carolina Dash Pads/whatever else names that they use, cut holes in cores for 3 speaker and AC dashes they make and those components might not fit as well as you would like on their pads.  My car is a 3 speaker AC car so I didn't want to take any chances!
I have an Ultimate Ride on my T/A and the Just Dashes on my convertible.  Both are nice but neither are perfect.

[anlauto]

They may pull down a bit when you screw them on. When dealing with reproduction parts, this is what you get.

[RUNCHARGER]

Norway? Oh no, that makes it double hard. Do you have the little framework pieces that mount underneath?

[1 Wild R/T]

Norway? Oh no, that makes it double hard. Do you have the little framework pieces that mount underneath?

These...

[anlauto]

Norway? Oh no, that makes it double hard. Do you have the little framework pieces that mount underneath?

These...

Yes those metal frame work pieces are a must, available through member @JEJJ

[7212Mopar]

I have the same problem, not as bad. It is the curvature of the new dash pad. It fit perfect on the original dash pad.

[Ornamental]

Thank you all for the replies!
Yes, I have the litttle framework pieces that mount underneath.

Looks like I'm screwed here.
Must admit I'm a little bit annoyed with the quality control of the dashboard, the seller usually have higher quality parts.
Had I known I couldn't expect a better fit for the speaker grilles I wouldn't have purchased it in the first place.

I were going to have my original restored at RD Autoline in Sweden, but they had a long waiting time and the seller had a dash ready...
Didn't expect a concourse restoration dashboard, but I did expect a somewhat better fit for the speaker grilles than this.
So yeah, looks like I'm back to my original plan, after having wasted time and money on the other dashboard.
At least it looks like RD Autoline does a significantly better job, check out their photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/rdautoline/photos/?ref=page_internal

What's more expensive than quality?
Buying crap first, then spending money on quality...

[Dakota]

I had the same issue with the side grilles on my 3 speaker dash.  I had to have some additional repairs on my new dash pad (long and painful story). The guy that did the pad repairs heated and reshaped the grilles to fit the contours of the pad. I don't know the details of temperature or time on the heating, but it definitely worked as the gaps (1/4 inch n some places) are gone.

[Ornamental]

I had the same issue with the side grilles on my 3 speaker dash.  I had to have some additional repairs on my new dash pad (long and painful story). The guy that did the pad repairs heated and reshaped the grilles to fit the contours of the pad. I don't know the details of temperature or time on the heating, but it definitely worked as the gaps (1/4 inch n some places) are gone.

That's a possibillity, thank you for mentioning it.

[JEJJ]

The B/L and B/R speaker grills were 1970-4 Cuda,the J/R and J/L speaker grills are 1970 Challenger only, from 1971-74, both Cuda and Challenger used the B/R and B/L. The dash pads from 1971-4 only differed by the nameplate "BARRACUDA" or "CHALLENGER" no other contour or physical differences.

It looks as though the curvature of the reproduction dashpad differ slightly from that of the original. Not to say the speaker grills could not have warped, but the center circle on the speaker grills have a circular reinforcement/spacer structure which would make warping in the center almost impossible.

As mentioned by Alan, I do have the speaker grill retaining brackets which were the same for both makes 1970-74....those never changed.

Hope this info Helped.

[Ornamental]

Thank you for the info JEJJ!

Is there supposed to be a bit more curvature on the B/L than the B/R?
Or, do these look warped to you?

B/L  -  B/R


B/L

B/R

[JEJJ]

Wow, B/L does look a little warped compared to B/R......maybe if you are careful with a LITTLE heat, you can bend/move it back. Be careful though, it is just cast metal.