Sill Plates from Santa

Santa did it again, but this Christmas he was driving a UPS truck instead of a sleigh!

The sill plates I ordered a couple of months ago were sitting by the front door when I got home this afternoon. Naturally I put aside the household chores I had planned so I could check out the new parts.

First impression was that they were packaged to be safe from that one uncaring gorilla that seems to work for every delivery service. They were individually wrapped and sealed in heavy poly-plastic, then inserted into a close fit plastic tube, and finally placed inside a snug fitting cardboard box.

After assuring that they were undamaged, I dug out an old plate so I could take pictures of the two together and report on the fitment and quality.

First, the concourse restorer would have some issues, but I have none at all. The most apparent difference is that the originals were stamped and these are machined, so the Plymouth name is milled slightly below the surface, while the original is slightly raised. The same is true of a couple of other areas around the engraved lines, and also the welt notches.

The mounting-hole locations are a perfect match, as are all the engraved lines. The external dimensions are also exactly the same. The only dimensional differences are the inner corners that are cut at 90*on the new parts, while my originals are rounded.

The short ends are also bent down on the OEM part, while the new ones are not. It would take a stamping process to make that bend without the corner looking a mess, so that is understandable.

The finish is beautifully smooth, without any scuff marks or nicks. I don’t know if either the OEM or the new parts are/were anodized.

Overall, I’m very happy with the parts, especially since the price was right. I originally ordered one set, but called back a few days later and asked if they could add another set to my order. They did, and even discounted the second set.

Once my car is on the road, I might put that second set up for sale, along with all the leftover parts from the Fury.