I have to jump in on this one. The use of plywood dashboards by Triumph was
probably both a cost saving measure and a form of quality control. This does
not mean that a solid wood dash cannot be used.
Back in 1995, I purchased and installed a solid walnut dash from Prestige
(FWIW- $180 including shipping and minor modification to the flasher
cutout). It has been in the car for close to 10 years. The car is stored in
an unheated garage in central NJ (temp swings from about -5 to 95/ humidity
from very dry to can't move without sweating). The dash looks as nice today
as when it was installed. There is no warping, cupping, or splitting.
Think about this, my dinning room table is a huge mass of solid cherry. It
expands and contracts a tremendous amount because we rarely us the AC in the
summer. This too is free of warps and cracks. As a woodworker, I know that
as long as the wood was properly dried and it is free to move over its range
of expansion, it will not crack.
Prestige makes some wonderful looking dashboards. Some are overkill for a TR
(IMHO). You should not be afraid to use solid wood. As long as the wood was
sufficiently dried before manufacture, you'll be fine.
Peter
'68 TR250
on 1/30/05 12:43 AM, Ruffner, James A *HS at JAR7U@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu
wrote:
> A while back someone on the list mentioned a maker of solid wood (either teak
> or walnut) dashes. Does anyone out there remember who made these?
>
> Thanks
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