Dash Dash Dash

[NGK]

So I've been working on the Dash in my car mainly all the wood, I decided the laminate wasn't going to cut in my dream car so went out to the wood shed and found a beautiful piece of heart pecan and boy is it pretty so after a few mistakes I finally figured out what techniques work and which are not a good idea Ive got all the pieces except the gear shifter piece cut and planed down to spec I combined the gauge cluster and the warning lights pieces so that the dash is 2 pieces one long one and then one for the glovebox lid then the rest is same as the factory I'm sanding it all in away so the gauges are farthest out then right around the warning lights is the next tallest along with some of the glove box then rest just bevels out to the original height I will definitely put pictures when i get some. Quick question, I'm planing to do a Glossy clear coat over it but should I put something else over that to protect it from the weather/ sun or will the gloss be enough also should I wrap the dash with vinyl or just repair it with a resin compound?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I'm looking forward to seeing your results. As for your questions, well on my '69 spider, I used teak for the dash wood, and I just hand rubbed it with the appropriate oil. Still fine after 30 years, although the car has been garaged most of those and doesn't get driven that much. On my other cars where I've redone the dash, I used a polyurethane clear coat, although I prefer a semi-gloss or satin finish. Just personal preference. I'm not really that good with wood, so you may get some better answers than just using polyurethane clear coats.

On the dash itself for my '71 spider, I got tired of looking at the cracks and such, so I sanded them smooth as best I could and went over to Joann's Fabrics and got some black outdoor vinyl "fabric" with a little bit of texture to it. Pretty close to the original actually. I stretched and glued (contact cement) this around the top half of the dash, but stopped right at that crease to the right of the glovebox and to the left of the instrument cluster, right above the bottom "sill" to the dash. I also put some 1/4" foam padding between the old dash and the new vinyl, cut to size. I then cut out holes for the defroster vents and headlight switch and such. It's not perfect, but it looks a heck of a lot better than it did, and it only cost me about $10 and a few hours.

-Bryan

[DieselSpider]

I use the Marine Vinyl from Joann's Fabric and keep on the lookout for their coupons some of which can get you 50% off.

Note that many times you can resuscitate the OEM dash panels with a good scrubbing using a MicroFiber Cloth and Plexus.

Plexus is from the Aviation industry but motorcyclists found it works great on helmet face shields and motorcycle windshields too. I had the rear view monitor and radio panel on my other car marked up by an errant user of a vacuum cleaner and an occasional cleaning with Plexus takes care of that very nicely too.

See: http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

[NGK]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jo9kaS ... sp=sharing Dash Main Panel
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P8wjK8 ... sp=sharing Center Console Under Radio
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1la6dSV ... sp=sharing Glove Box

Here are the photos of the dash the glove box label is straight it just looks crooked.

[architect]

http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic ... hilit=dash

I went with a piano dark stain and modern gauges!

[NGK]

I liked some of the modern dashes I saw but it really wasn't anything super amazing, I really like a more classic look and thought it would look nice in my car.

[btoran]

Here's my custom 2 piece dash and other trim (from Mahogany) done a few years ago. There's a write up on here somewhere about it. I originally took mine to an autobody shop to have them clear coat the wood but it came out terrible and I had to sand it all back to natural and stain / coat it myself. Ultimately, I used an Epiphanes product, which is used in the marine industry. I figured my dash had to see less sun and salt than sailboats. It came out great, but took about a dozen coats with very light wet sanding between each.

[NGK]

I love your dash. Yours is actually the one I got my inspiration from Ha ha

[btoran]

Thanks. I get lots of compliments on it, especially from other Spider owners at shows.

For UV Protection, just make sure you use a product that protects well and put on enough coats. I probably over did mine, but I never wanted to mess with the dash again (and haven't had to).

[RRoller123]

That is really sweet! I did mine in Madrone Burl veneer applied over the existing phenolic dash parts. Finished with spar varnish and wax.

Pete

[btoran]

Love the burl. Nice job.

[RRoller123]

Thanks. There is a fairly long thread with pictures, here somewhere on the process. Sand the existing pieces, Titebond II, easy home made press, sand to fit, blah blah blah... It is a lot easier than it looks. A great project that makes a big difference on these little car's interior.