Hi Chris,
I've studied 948s in some detail, hopefully I can provide some answers to
your questions;
> My queries at this time are in regard to the fascia which is made of moulded
> millboard with a black finish.
> There appears to have been a badge above the "Herald" badge in the center of
> the fascia (right above the ash tray), but I can find no record of what this
> could have been, as the book I have only covers the later 1200 and 13/60
> Heralds with what appear to be wooden finish dash boards.
Above the ashtray there is the same "herald" badge in gothic script which is
fitted to the later cars. There was no other badging fitted by the factory,
though it's quite common (in the UK at least) to find a plate with the supplying
dealers details fitted here, between the light switch and choke control.
> Where the fascia light goes under the top edge of the fascia, there is only
> a torn hole. The switch and bulb mechanism are still there, but I was
> wondering if there is some form of cover to fit over the bulb where it
> protrudes through the fascia.
There is no cover for the bulb. Incidentally, the Twin Carb dashboard has a
different courtesy light fitting, with a round screw-in type bulb. The hole in
the dashboard is correspondingly different.
> Lastly, (for the moment anyway), I need to restore the fascia and was
> thinking of spraying it with a semi-gloss black paint. Would this be OK or
> is there some better method?
The dashboard actually has a grey fleck to it (the finish is known by the
trade-name PORTAFLECK), though this fleck does tend to vary from almost
invisible to extremely prominent! There is also a prominent texture to this
fnish. The grey flecks also tend to fade with age. I restored this style of dash
on a 1961 1200 some years ago. (the early 1200s, until about 1963 used a 948
dashboard, with a modified glovebox opening, and a wood capping applied to the
front face. No padding fitted, with recesses around the switches, which were
still mounted in the fibre dash.) On this dash, there was very little of the
grey fleck visible on the exposed surfces, though there was considerably more on
the surfaces which had not been exposed to the sun (ie., underneath the wood).
To reproduce the finish, I used an aerosol underbody protectant called
"Stone-Chip Protect", which I think is a 3M product. If applied in thin coats,
this gives a very fine texture, and the exact level of semi-matt finish. I've
not found a way to add the flecks, though a friend has attempted a fine spray
with grey paint from some distance. He's sattisfied with the results, but in all
honesty, I could spot it a mile off!
I hope this clears up some problems. If you need any further info on 948s,
drop me a line - they're something of an obsession to me,
Cheers,
Bill.
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^================^
/ \ William Davies
/ \ Total Triumph Enthusiast
__ __________________ __
/ \ ______ ______ / \ 1959 Herald 948 Coupe 1st Batch!!!
\__/ \ || / \__/ 1959 Herald 948 Coupe
| A \____||____/ A | 1960 Herald 948 Saloon Export
| = H H = | 1964 Herald 1200 Saloon
=====U==============U===== 1966 Herald 1200 Convertible
\________________________/ 1959 Standard Atlas Pickup
| | | | 1973 Spitfire MkIV
|_| |_|
|