Veneering a dashboard

[Alpine 1789]

The recent discussion on refinishing a wood dash leads me to something that I have long been interested in trying: Has anyone ever veneered a plastic dash? In theory, it would seem pretty simple to do. Remove the vinyl, sand the plastic to give the glue something to bite into, glue the veneer down, cut the holes, varnish and you are done. Of course, nothing is ever as easy as it sounds, so what am I missing?

 

[Ed109]

My advice, Jim - Go for it.

I couldn't find any info on re-veneering the bakelite dash - just some articles about the solid wood ones so thought, wtf and had a go.

I hadn't tackled anything like it before but am very happy with where I've got to. Have a look at my last post on the "Orchid Green Monster Project" in the Modded section for some pics.

Just buy some epoxy with a curing time of over 5 minutes (!) and don't be shy with it around the holes (makes it a damn sight easier to cut out after).

Good luck.

 

[Jeff Scoville]

Jim, I had done this 4 years or so ago and couldn't for the life of me figure why people would pay so much for a "real" wood dash when it was so easy!
Mind you, a quality veneer is actually kinda pricey but if you hunt around and ask your "supplier" to drop your name to sheet buyers, you can find a deal.
I was at one point going to offer these up on ebay or whatever but to be honest it takes a bit of time overall what with getting the materials and glueing and clearing that it just wasn't worth my time to do it for someone else and charge a price that would still sell.
For the record, I used laminate counter-top cement and automotive urethane clear myself.
The laminate is thin enough to not effect the gauge and switch mounting and all your recesses are still there rather than having to router all the stuff in the back if one were building a wood dash from scratch.
For us "Alpiners" that want that expensive wood dash look on the cheap, there aint a better way to go.

 

[Alpine 1789]

Thanks, guys. I picked up a used dash with bad vinyl a few years ago with plans to do this for the V6, but haven't gotten around to it yet. One of the reasons I am waiting is that I want to select and purchase the guages first. I know some of the aftermarket speedos and tachs are slightly smaller than stock, so I'd want to 'shim' the openings before attaching the veneer. I'll take plenty of pictures when I finally do it and hopefully have a tech tip to share.

 

[V6 JOSE]

Hi Jim,

I would suggest talking to Dwain Cooke, because he had a new process done to his plastic dash, that you would swear was real walnut. It is a film of some kind of material that is floated on a fluid medium after the dash has been placed into it, then the dash is raised and the film sticks to the plastic, leaving it looking like a wood dash. I don't remember the exact procedure, but I think it is close enough to the truth.

Jose

 

[Alpine 1789]

Interesting. I will try to track him down before I tackle the project. Thanks.

 

[tfctpa]

I have used http://www.constantines.com as a supplier in the past for veneering supplies, and have always been very pleased. They offer a great selection of woods and supplies, and expert advice if you call. You can ask for special sizes also.

 

[todd reid]

Jim,
I did my Series V dash last winter. I bought self adhesive veneer from Constantines (I used oak because I like it better than walnut). Its a straight forward process, but takes time due to drying, etc. It's a perfect winter project - it's a great time to clean up your guages, etc while they are out. I experimented with several different stains and topcoats on small pieces of veneer to get the look I wanted. The most important thing is to use a UV resistant topcoat. I used Spaar Clear Urethane (available in gloss and satin). Total project cost was under $100. Mine came out really nice, but knowing what I know now, my next one will knock your socks off!
I say go for it! If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.