<50miles
Active Member
Or, perhaps instead of veneer I go with sold wood? That would be interesting!
Dashboard clearcoat/lacquer?
- Thread starter <50miles
- Start date
solid wood might work for the relatively straight pieces (doors / gauge cluster), but making the curved pieces out of solid wood would be some serious cutting ... and then the fun of keeping the wood in the desired shape will be the challenge. wood tends to warp, curl, etc, thats why it is easier to veneer the shapes. not saying its not impossible, just different challenges. the big curves would require big chunks of wood to cut down into the required shapes. the cut wood might have a different look than the veneered work as well.
I look forward to seeing a few wood dashes at the Vintage to compare notes. I appreciate all of the work involved to get from workshop/bench to install. Joseph (south GA) and I will be inspecting as we are working on his set for his GA coupe; I hope you guys don't mind snoopers...
I used AAA Quartersawn Mahogany (Blonde) 18943 veneer from VeneerSupplies.com and used stain that I mixed from 3 different colors. Then I sprayed with a satin poly. The Tung oil sounds interesting.
You might try Ebay.
Amazingly enough there are companies in the Mid West US that make veneer products.
They buy and cut the wood for cabinets and doors etc.
There are pieces that are 16 feet long by 10-12" high. Left overs too small or one of a kind.
I bought Etimoe from there and used one piece to do all my wood. Grain is one continuous piece from l-r.
I saw lots of walnut.
Not expensive. IIRC it was $45-65.
HTH
Gary
Amazingly enough there are companies in the Mid West US that make veneer products.
They buy and cut the wood for cabinets and doors etc.
There are pieces that are 16 feet long by 10-12" high. Left overs too small or one of a kind.
I bought Etimoe from there and used one piece to do all my wood. Grain is one continuous piece from l-r.
I saw lots of walnut.
Not expensive. IIRC it was $45-65.
HTH
Gary
The PO of my car had the dash & trim veneer done in Hawaiian Koa. The car was shipped to me from Maui. I then bought 2 billets of Curly Koa on EBay and had a furniture maker copy my semi-square handbrake handle. It was finished with a 2 part epoxy-type finish. The Koa dash & trim are polished more than a satin look.
Your dash and steering wheel are what you see while you're driving. Take the time and effort to make them to your personal preference.
Your dash and steering wheel are what you see while you're driving. Take the time and effort to make them to your personal preference.
Attachments
Buy the laminate with the 3M adherent backing already on it. No dealing with glue which, if it gets on the wood, closes the pores so it will not accept any stain. I found the backing also made for cleaner cuts against the grain, no saw toothing or ripping. Soaking the veneer with the paper on the back covering the adherent backing was also not an issue so I could get the bends I wanted.
The adhesive backed veneer does a nice job. Time will tell how well the adhesive holds up to the various "weather" conditions in a car. I know that its better than it was twenty years ago. That said, as you saw Bavbob's nice job on pg 1 of this thread, remove the wood first to get a professional look like his. You can't get a decent fit and finish while its in the car. I know some folks in the past have said it can be done, but you'll have a nasty mess, and probably regret it... Drew's comment is spot on, that its what you see while driving, so you'll thank yourself every time you fire that mother up, for doing it right.
Touching up caskets, huh...that's a pretty thankless job. Make it perfect and then plant it six feet under.
Touching up caskets, huh...that's a pretty thankless job. Make it perfect and then plant it six feet under.