67-68 hardtop/ fastop sail panels 3 screw holes vs 1

HWYCRZR

Old Man with a Hat
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When I started my tear down 10 years ago I needed new sail panels as the ones in my 68 Polara were very brittle. After a few years of searching on eBay I found some. When I received them. They were more of a fiberglass vs brittle plastic which was a plus. However I noticed the new ones (black in the pic) had three screw holes for retention vs mine (red ones) only had 1 screw hole. What gives? Is the 3 hole a late year switch? Or did the Plymouths and or Chryslers use 3 holes vs one? Any ideas? Ultimately I would like to find some with just one screw hole, but may have to live with the 3 hole.
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This is a snap of the 68 Polara in the battery disconnect thread. It only has one screw hole. IMHO I think the one screw looks cleaner.
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The story I heard was the 1967 three hole sail panel was a bugger to line up with the three holes on the body. Time Study Engineers on the production floor looked into the problem and then ordered Design Engineering to change it to one hole on the 1968 panel. Another example of cost cutting.
 
4 screws and screw clips per car @ 4 cents each times 5,000 cars ( I am making up the volume) = $800 per year, pus a cost reduction from the panel supplier only needing to mold in 1 hole per panel, negotiating out 20 cents per panel (40 cents per car)= $2,000 so $2,800 per year savings just removing 2 screws. Oh plus your savings from your assembly time efficiency

I have no idea if that was the case either. But I do like the one screw look better.
 
Back to the question at hand. So is it the belief that the 67's had 3 holes and the 68's had 1 screw hole for the sail panels? Was this across Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler? Or were they different between brands?
 
Yeah, but truth is stranger than fiction.
That was actually the point of my satire. Gawd only knows what drove the Engineers to make any particular decision.
The glove box door that never was and never will be aligned may be because a draftsman had a fight with his wife that morning.
 
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My 67 has 3 screws. Almost positive that my 68 did too but can't find a photo.
 
This all hits home as I am not an engineer but I work with them on customer requirements and projects, and I am also involved when sourcing says " Hey I have this great cost savings idea" "The customer may only notice a little difference, but probably won't care"
"we could take this plug out to save money, nobody will really notice the gaping hole"
My job is to bring some reality back into the discussion.
 
So was the balance of retention in the single screw panel made up by clips? I wonder if that effected the life span of the panel itself through movement.
 
Looking back, my 67 Newport was a 3-holer.

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Evidence is stacking up that 67=3 holes and 68 =1 hole.
 
I'm inclined to say "yup". Not my 68 but A 1968 Monaco, single screw:
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If I recall correctly there were clips on the one hole plus the rear trim,package tray and roof rail secured it pretty well. The material difference is evident. The 3 hole is more of a fiberglass and more flexible whereas the one hole is purely plastic. It held up perfectly over the years I drove it, but setting in the dry hot Colorado sun for 20 years in the enclosed interior I am sure it saw some tremendous heat. The whole interior baked and dried out. The stiff plastic parts were the worst.
 
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