I bought one of the 70 4-speed consoles from an eBay seller a few weeks ago but ended up returning it. Here are my impressions:
The good:
I thought that the manufacturing quality of the console was very good. I sat it right next to an original console and was very impressed with how closely it matched the original in terms of the construction, grain texture and shape. If I remember correctly, the box said that it was manufactured in China but IMO they really did an excellent job duplicating the original design.
The bad:
Although I didn't buy it from Tony's Parts, the box said Tony's Parts on it, so I believe that it was probably drop shipped from there. Anyhow, the packaging was terrible, as there was almost no protective cushioning at all. As a result, the one I received showed significant scratches and a few small chips from the shipping process. They only put a few pieces of newspaper inside the box as packing material and none on the top side where it was really needed. The worst thing about the console however was the fact that the 4-speed cutout looked like a 5yr old had done it. They obviously took an automatic console and modified it to be a 4-speed version. In other words, I don’t believe that they manufacture both an automatic version and a separate 4-speed version. They just hack the automatic up and call it a 4-speed. In all seriousness, I could have done a much, much better job myself on the 4 speed cutout using a sawzall, it was that bad.
My recommendation is that if you are considering buying one of these, wait until you can see them at a show and can pick out one that isn’t scratched or chipped because if Tony’s packages all of them the same, the probability is very high that it will get damaged if you have one shipped. Secondly, if you need a 4 speed version, buy the automatic and then get a 4-speed template and cut it yourself. Whoever they have modifying these things from an automatic to a 4-speed is a frickin hack and you’ll end up paying an extra $20 just to have them ruin the console if you buy the 4-speed. Hope this helps.
