Front dash gauge surround resto..

[dave v. in nc]

I thought that the left and right door and back wood trim was fun to redo, but now I've graduated to the dash. Question is this; I'm trying to remove the black crackle-finish bezels and remove the back-side metal panel from the instrument surround. Bezels appear to be soldered to the back panel? And if I break the soldered "joint", will the bezels just slide out the front side, or are they otherwise attached to the plywood panel ? And upon re-assembly, do I just re-solder to back metal plate? There is also what looks like a (tired) gasket on the back metal panel to seal with the instruments. Available, or suggestions of material to fab new ones? The more I learn, the more I realize why these cars were so expensive when new. Can't wait to start on the left and right dash pieces,and the tray itself. Much thanks, Dave V. in NC

 

[vraned]

The bezels are not otherwise attached to the dash wood. The solder joints break easily. You will want to remove the old solder before refitting. This allows the correct degree of slip fit. I used metal epoxy to refit the bezels. I did consider using body solder, but this would mean applying the crinkle finish in place, which is risky. This is because the crinkle must be applied to bare metal, and development of the crinkle effect is particularly sensitive to temperature and film thickness. Of the four bezels, three came out fine on the first try. For some reason (OE), I had to restrip and shoot the fourth bezel three times before it came out to my satisfaction. If you can't salvage the original paper gaskets, you can get nitrile replacements from McMaster-Carr. Check out the images at http://www.vranedom.com/vraneman/bmw/Wood/

 

[dave v. in nc]

Thanks, Vraned

Just what I need to know. Much thanks, Dave