I have a 1969 GS 400. It looks like there was some tin foil applied on the left side? I can't image that being original. And the heater controls are partly unreadable: The blue plastic starts to come loose on the upper right side. I think that is the base and the light color is what it should be. (aside: I have a Canadian built GS 400, but a km/h speedometer. I think that is added later, because I understood the km/h was only used in Canada from the mid 70's?)
I am pretty sure that is factory - My 68 LeSabre is a silver overlay with a purple tint. I'm no expert. Maybe someone can post a picture of a correct dash. Also, the bad news is no one (that I know of) makes a repro.
This one is "reconditioned". Looks like they painted the control areas: Here's a internet search: I do not know if either are"correct"
According to the tag it is built in Canada. I also have the 12 bolt that comes with Canadian cars. I did found foreign coins, could be Swiss, don't remember.
Looks like it has a thin chrome relief going around the controls??? For me I might do that with a chrome pen after painting.
This is the best photo I have of my 69 dash, that shows the silver part at the bottom. When I had it apart, I did not paint it, just scrubbed the yellowish haze off of it. It looks like it is painted silver from the factory. Ignore the mess on the right. Apparently someone had stuck a medallion or something similar to it between the headlight and wiper switch.
Ok, that's interesting. How can one tell if it's a Swiss car? Because this also seems to indicate it's built in Oshawa:
"The selection of models built in Bienne became markedly less diverse during the 1960s. The factory stopped assembling Oldsmobile, Buick, and Pontiac models to concentrate on Chevrolet, Opel, and Vauxhall. Notably, the Chevy II, the Corvair, the Camaro, and the Chevelle were all built in Switzerland, albeit in small numbers. However, selling relatively big, fuel-thirsty cars in a market dominated by compact, more efficient machines was difficult, and GM decided to stop building Chevrolets in Bienne in 1968." https://www.motor1.com/features/176834/general-motors-switzerland/ According to the article here no Buicks were made in Switzerland in the sixties.
Back to the dash - from the factory in 1968/69, where they painted or did they have an overlay? Curious!
Pretty sure mine is original still, and the silver parts are painted. I replaced the radio bezel with a repro for the 70-72. I had to paint the silver on it, and the pattern of the chrome is a bit different.
The pictures of the Mecum car and the 2 dash bezels are correct. There aren't many people restoring them, I had mine done at Instrument Specialties in North Kingstown, RI. They are not cheap, but neither is their work. With repairs, conv. top switch plate, radio bezel and column cover it was over a grand. It was worth it, the car looks great.
