In a message dated 5/4/99 11:38:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
frank@ssabsa.sa.gov.au writes:
> Tim,
> I too would have reservations about using a solid piece of wood for
> the dash - I just don't think that it would be anywhere near stable enough
> to not expand/shrink/warp.
Frank and Tim,
I wouldn't worry at all about using a solid piece of wood - I have had one in
my TR6 for 11 years now, with no problems at all - 9 years that I've owned
it, and two that the restorer had it before I bought it. It hasn't split,
cracked or warped yet.
> Also, regarding cutting the holes for the big instruments, you should be
> able to get a hole saw with a <snip> You'd have to use a drill press
though, as there's
> no way you'd be able to hold it steady enough using a hand electric drill.
Absolutely! In fact, you must clamp the dash to the drill press table firmly
after you locate the hole centers. To do this, I first chucked the end of a
scratch awl in the drill press to find the exact center, then clamped the
dash and replaced the awl tip with the hole cutter. I built a special table
out of scrap to hold the dash, making the table the same height as the drill
press table. I have a bench top drill press, so I just raised the drill press
table till it touched the bottom of the table, which sat on the workbench. If
you have a floor model, you could just fasten a long piece of wood directly
to the table. It's a much more stable method of holding the dash, and makes
it a lot easier to move the dash to find the hole centers.
> Another option would be to make a circular template and use a plunge router
> to cut the holes. Both these options are only useful for the inside
diameter
> of the holes - remember they also have a lip for the gauge bezels to sit
in.
I did the lip on the drill press as well, with the hole cutter. First, drill
the outside diameter to the correct depth, then replace it with another hole
cutter set to the inside diameter, and then drill all the way through. You
could just readjust the cutter, but it's much easier if you have two cutters
preset to the correct size. It is really easy to trim the lip with a knife or
a chisel after the hole is cut. Remember, the bottom of the lip is hidden
from view, so perfection is not required.
> To do this you should be able to get a bearing guided router bit <snip>
The router is certainly a good way to do it, if you have a router, but the
double hole cutter method is certainly adequate.
It's a lot easier to do than it sounds.
> The small instruments
> shouldn't be a problem as you'd probably be able to get standard holesaws
> the correct size.
That's exactly what I did. I used two hole saws, one for the lip and another
for the hole itself, using the same technique as for the large holes.
The original dashes were 1/2" thick, so that's what I would recommend. When
you've finished cutting the dash, you will need to bevel the back edge in
certain areas, to allow for the vinyl padding surrounding the dash. You will
see where this is done when you look at the original. I used a router table
for this, with a 45 degree cutter, but you could just use a file and
sandpaper. Again, this area is hidden from view, so perfection is not
required.
There are far two many options as to finishing, and so many of them are a
matter of taste, so I would just recommend going to a good paint store and
asking them for advice. Your two primary choices are a "surface" or "film"
finish, such as varnish, or one of the penetrating finishes. The penetrating
finish will hold up better under adverse weather conditions, but it is very
hard to get a high gloss, if that's your preference.
So far, so good. Up till now, everything has been a piece of cake, but now
comes the hard part -- the glovebox door! This is a royal pain in the @## to
do. In order to look right, the door must be cut from the same piece as the
dash, and cut "in place" as it will be when finished. If the grain isn't
continuous across the dash and across the door, it will look like crap. AND,
if the gap around the door isn't very thin and very uniform, it will also
look like crap. I have seen some otherwise beautiful dashboards at some of
the cars shows that were ruined by the large gap around the door (at least in
my opinion). You will spend more time on the door than the rest of the dash
put together.
To do the door, you will need a scroll saw, either electric or manual, and
very thin blades. No scroll saw the home hobbyist is apt to have will be big
enough to turn the dash for a continuous cut, so you will need to stop, turn
the blade around, and continue the cut in reverse. I don't remember now, but
it seems like I did this four times before I got completely around the door.
I drilled the starting hole for the blade in the area where the hinges would
go, as the hinges fit into recesses anyway, so the drill hole will be trimmed
away when the recesses are cut.
The hinges are the next problem area. Cutting the recesses for them is not
difficult, using a SHARP chisel, but drilling the holes in the door opening
for the screws is very difficult, unless you have a 90 degree hand drill. The
holes must be drilled straight into the door opening, and there is no room
for a regular drill to fit. You DO NOT want to do what I did. I didn't have a
right angle drill, and I didn't want to spend the money for one, so I drilled
the holes by hand. No, make that by fingers. I used a bare bit, and twisted
it in my fingers to drill the four holes for the hinges. It took a LONG time
to do, and it took a LONG time for the blisters to heal! I was using oak,
and oak is a very hard wood.
The next problem is the door catch. It fits into an odd shaped hole, at a 15
degree angle to the door. The round part of the hole has an outside diameter
of 15/16" for the lip, and a through hole diameter of 3/4". On top of the
round hole, there is a squared off area. The first problem is finding a bit
with a 15/16" diameter that will cut a flat bottom hole without splintering
the wood. I could not find a hole saw of that diameter. One option is to use
a 1" spade bit that has been trimmed down to 15/16" and reshaped to cut a
smooth bottomed hole. The best option is to get a Forstner bit of the correct
size, but these are hard to come by also. I was lucky to get one through a
mail order company.
To drill the 15 degree angle, I made a little table with the top at the
proper angle. I clamped this table to the drill press table, and clamped the
door to the angled top, and used the same technique as above for locating the
holes.
After the holes were cut, I used a VERY, VERY sharp chisel, and LOTS of
patience, and cut the squared-off area by hand.
The edge of the door will need to be beveled a little bit so it will clear
the opening as it swings down. The tighter the gap, the more pronounced the
bevel will need to be. A file will work quite well here, even though the edge
will be visible. It's really not hard to do with a file, smoothing it up with
sandpaper. A router bit would do, but it will be hard to find one with the
proper angle.
That's all there is to it!
If you want to see what my dash looks like, go to:
http://members.aol.com/danmas/dashboar.htm
As you look at it, keep in mind three things:
1) the discoloration is from the flash unit. It actually looks better in
person. Much better.
2) I DO NOT like a high gloss finish, so I used a satin penetrating finish.
3) I DO NOT like an exotic wood grain in a car. I used a simple piece of oak,
bought from Home Depot for about $15.00.
Almost everyone else has likes high gloss exotic wood, so that makes me some
sort of oddball, I guess. But you knew that already, didn't you?
Would I recommend making your own, from solid wood? NO! Unless you just
enjoy doing stuff like that. I had no choice but to make my own, as I was
using a nonstandard dash layout (V8 conversion), but I could have used
plywood and veneer, and it would have been much, much easier. For some
reason, though, I just wanted solid wood. When I open the glove box door, I
want to see continuos grain -- front to back, and on the edge.
Even making it from plywood with veneer, I think some of the tips here will
be helpful. I hope so, anyway.
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
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