On Mon, 25 Nov 1996, Andrew Mace wrote regarding Mk3 crash pads:
> On Mon, 25 Nov 1996, Eric Straub wrote:
> ....
> > The upper dash on the late Mk 3's (I'm not sure the exact date) is the
> > same as the Mk IV dash and is thus different.
> ...
> about to speculate on here. I believe that there must have been some
> difference between even the "late" Mk.3 (Federal, especially) and the
> Mk.IV dashes. The earlier dash pads basically went under the bolt-on
> windscreen frame. The Mk.IV dashes slope down more towards the base of
> the glass, which is a bit deeper owing to the redesigned cowl area,
> where the windscreen frame became permanently a part of the cowl.
>
> Does that sound right, gang?
I have never seen a MkIV crash pad out of the car - but the points you
raise are valid. It seems that the MkIV pad must be similar too (if not
identical too) the 1500 pad. I have seen a 1500 pad out of the car, BTW,
and it clearly different dimensions, profile, etc.. than my '70 Mk3 pad.
In an earlier message, you wrote:
> I think you're right, with the possible exception of the "Federal" 1960
> and 1970 Mk.3s. There might be some difference in graining, as, for
> example, the HardlyBoys RaceSpit4 has its original top pad, and it
> appears to have a much coarser graining than I recall seeing on other
> early Spitfires.
I want to make the point that if the Mk2 pad differs only in the graining,
I would fit one in a heartbeat as it would certainly look better than the
Coverlay that is on the car right now. It (the Coverlay) is better than
displaying the cracked original pad, but only slightly. FWIW...
Cheers,
Mike
PS. There is an outfit called Dash Specialists in Oregon that rebuilds
and recovers cracked dash pads. I called them and they seemed to think it
would be no problem to rebuild a Spit crash pad. They aren't exactly
cheap though - I got a ball park estimate of $250 to get one done! Does
anyone have any experience with this company? (or a similar one?).
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