1974 TVR 2500M: wood dash (left-hand drive)

[Renaldo]

I've decided to replace my black-vinyl dash (left-hand drive) with a wooden one. I think some early Ms came with them from the factory. Anyone out there have one? Steve Reid perhaps?

I prefer not to ship my original somewhere to be used as a template and I'm no carpenter. But I guess I could take a stab at making one.

Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts about the best way to go?

[Slow M]

Renaldo said:

I've decided to replace my black-vinyl dash (left-hand drive) with a wooden one. I think some early Ms came with them from the factory. Anyone out there have one? Steve Reid perhaps?

I prefer not to ship my original somewhere to be used as a template and I'm no carpenter. But I guess I could take a stab at making one.

Anyone have any suggestions or thoughts about the best way to go?

Welcome Renaldo,

• Lay your dismantled dash, (vinyl removed if possible,) onto a piece of corrugated card board.
• Trace it with pen.
• Cut a template approximately 1/8" too large.
• Flip the template to check for symmetry.
• Trim to proper dimensions.
• Check fit it in the car to ensure it works.
• Transfer to a piece of furniture grade plywood of the appropriate dimensions.
• Cut the perimeter and holes.
• Use a router to taper the edge!!! (this will save you lots of time)
• SEAL THE PLYWOOD WITH MULTIPLE COATS OF URETHANE!
• Procure the veneer (MLs had English walnut), and then glue (urethane or epoxy) the veneer to the plywood, with as many clamps as you can find.
• Trim the veneer.
• Finish as desired. Use clear, high gloss for originality.

Best,
B.

Note: take your time with cutting, and filing the holes. As is so often the case, snug is better.

[Renaldo]

Thank you, B, for the wonderfully concise and clear instructions.

I'll have a go!

[Slow M]

R, you're most welcome. Let me know when you have the veneer in the ply. I'll let you know details on how to finish it. Most importantly, always sand wood WITH the grain.

Best of luck,
B.

[thegamekeeper]

Ron, all the above advice is good. I would leave the veneer clamped as long as possible, my dashboard veneerer, ex Rolls Royce, uses a 40 ton press for 12+ hours. For really good finish try getting a French Polisher to apply the finish or second best get it finished in spray 2 pack varnish. Considersbly better than a brush finish. Sorry I cant help without you shipping me your old dash. sTeVeR

[Renaldo]

Steve, thanks for adding your advice. I'm feeling much more confident about getting my feet wet.

By the way, do you have an e-mail address I can reach you at? I had tried the one on your Website, but all e-mails were bounced back to me.

From time to time, I need the a TVR expert's advice and parts, both of which seem to be in short supply near me.

[Renaldo]

B, before applying poly finish to the plywood, I imagine a full round of sanding is required?

And none required after?

[Slow M]

The last few projects I did in wood, we painted with automotive urethane clear in the paint booth. They turned out every bit as well as my hopes were for them were high.

PREP

• Sand until your arms fall off, ONLY parallel with the grain.
• Start with 100 grit and a very light touch, and work your way as near to 1000 grit as you feel like. *
• Blow off with compressed air.
• Wipe with a lint free rag dampened (not wet, damp) with lacquer thinner (wear gloves -tough on skin and kidneys **).
• Blow off again.
• Lightly drag/wipe a tack rag along the grain.
• Allow to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.

PAINT

• Option "A" -squirt multiple layers automotive grade clear coat from a gun, in a booth.

• Option "B" -paint urethane spar varnish with a brush in the room in your house with the least air movement and get really stoned.

In each of the above cases, observe the manufacturers' instructions on how to apply each coat, and pay attention to how temperature and humidity affect the drying time between coats.

* The more you clean the sand paper, the longer you can use it. Changing it wastes time. I "slap" it with a paint stir stick.

** Xylene based solvents will F U C K_Y O U_U P !

Looking forward to seeing your results. What wood species are you going with?

Best,
B.

[Renaldo]

B, wow, I'm absorbing all you've written. Thanks for all the info.

I've just begun lining up some materials. I'm going to start by experimenting with a small piece before I actually work with the dash itself. I'm hoping I can make most of my mistakes now, rather than with the final product.

Here's what I've bought so far:
-3/8" plywood sheet (unsure if it's furniture grade)
-Carpathian Elm Wood (burl) veneer, 36" x 56"
-Min-Wax Gloss Polyurathane seal (small can)

I guess I'm starting with sanding the plywood (by hand is best or is a palm-sander ok?).

One thing I'm curious about: doesn't applying poly finish to the plywood put the veneer adhesion at risk?

Also, any tips about sanding and finishing the veneer?(very careful sanding, I imagine, since it's so thin)

[Slow M]

Start with a finer grit of sandpaper. The burls have a much tighter grain, and usually start smoother. I'd begin with 180 or 220.

More later.

[Adrian@]

It is worth noting that the screw that mounts the voltage stabilizer to the rear of wooden dashes needs to be packed with a washer to stop the OE screw from popping through the dash and damaging your nice new veneer...I have seen that done by too many people not to mention it.
Adrian@

[Slow M]

Slow M said:

... More later.

Here's what I still wanted to mention yo you:
The grain "direction" on the burls, as you've probably noticed, runs every which way. As a consequence, you have to chose a grain direction to sand in. I'd simply go from one end of the dash to the other, as in right to left as it is mounted in the car.

If you were to drag the garnet/sand paper at any angle across that pattern, the resulting scratches will be easily discernible until the end of time. They'll drive you crazy for about that long as well.

Sanding that cross hatch out completely takes a lot of effort.

Best,
B.

[Renaldo]

B, thanks for adding the tip about sanding the burl veneer.

By the way, some of my research seems to indicate that Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) might be the best choice for a substrate, rather than plywood.

Very stable apparently (less inclined to warp).

Any thoughts?

[Astacus]

Renaldo said:

B, thanks for adding the tip about sanding the burl veneer.

By the way, some of my research seems to indicate that Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) might be the best choice for a substrate, rather than plywood.

Very stable apparently (less inclined to warp).

Any thoughts?

My immediate thought is dont use MDF. Its a useful material for some things but it absorbs water from damp atmospheres and goes soft over time. Its not reccomended for outdoor use. Also, it is less able to hold screws than ply and less stable.
Ply wont distort when damp for example and is more resilient.

I would go for a good quality ply.