pic of finished dash - finally

[Excitedoldgeezer]

Finally got around to taking a picture of the finished dash board, some series licks of varnish on some old veneer ;-) All the dials actually now work!!!!!Up rated the bulbs a little so its a bit brighter on those dark and dingy winter mornings



Cleaned the car as well ;-)

[Pvapour]

it's not burr veneer is it?

[Excitedoldgeezer]

Got the cherry veneer from wood veneer uk, for about £20, then used some old mahogany stain to darken it to a level that worked with the interior, about 3 coats I think, then over a course of a week about 10 coats of clear varnish. The pic doesn't do it justice the colour is very deep and Im really please with it, now just need to work out what to do with the buttons - not really a chrome guy.

My problem (besides getting the dam top off, then back on again!) was that I didn't lay out the veneer flat when I first brought it, and thus most of it was cracked and unusable when I finally did get around to working it, thankfully it was a large enough roll to get the job done in complete sections, so no joins ;-)

[SILICONEKID340HP]

You have done a lovely job ,it`s a time consuming exercise and a bit worrying ,I just don`t like the wood it looks like a toilet seat

[Excitedoldgeezer]

I think with a different interior then metal works well, but the classic green and cream lends itself better to a wooden finish I think - but each to their own.

My dads view was one of "it aint German, so stop pretending it is by fitting chrome and thinking it will be more reliable than what it is, a classic British brute" thanks dad

[ralphy12345]

Looks pretty good to me!

What bulbs did you upgrade to, may I ask?

R

[Pvapour]

Excitedoldgeezer said:

Got the cherry veneer from wood veneer uk, for about £20, then used some old mahogany stain to darken it to a level that worked with the interior, about 3 coats I think, then over a course of a week about 10 coats of clear varnish.

ah, £20 Cherry veneer is not generally used for dashes (unless a 1970s Triumph)

sorry, but it needs to be a Burr veneer to look right imo, be it oak, walnut, ash, beech etc but definitely not Cherry it's a shame as I know you've put the same effort in as if you'd used a Burr.

You're happy with the result though & you're the one who has to look at it

I did mine a few months back, useda Burr Walnut with a matt lacquer, trouble is I got a couple of bubbles in it that's all I can look at now


_MG_7311 lge by pvapour, on Flickr

[Badmutha]

What adhesive did you guys use?