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Guys,
I'm trying to make up my mind on a wood dash. Pix of progress attached.
Do I just want all wood? Do I want wood with an engined turned alum. area where the gages will be inserted? Do I want the wood dash with a padded area where gages are located? Each of the 3 styles has a greatly varied amount of work to accomplish a nice look.
Thanks for your comments,
Don

I'm a wood worker by trade and I don't want an exposed wood dash. They are a pain for a car that is subjected to the sun and rain like ours are. At least old British cars had a hood (top) to put up to keep the rain and sun off the dash. I am getting ready put a new dash in mine and it is going to be marine plywood covered by red vinyl. Russ

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You meet the nicest people in a Locost Se7en.

Russ,
I know there was discussion of this (similar- finishes) topic on the site before and, if I remember correctly, the consensus was that the correct Min-wax products were pretty good stuff and "might" hold up to ultravilot rays, etc. Are you saying with your woodworking experience that nothing on the market, even when applied correctly, will last a few years with our cars out in the weather? I understand that if you get rained on every week, with no protection, I would expect the dash to deteriorate rather quickly no matter how well sealed. And, least I forget. This is Pgh., where if you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will probably get worse. even if you driving a Seven. Thanks for your input.
Don

Mount your gauges in metal if you want to simplify the grounding of your instrument lights. I put a stick of walnut in a mk2 Sprite. It looked great even after it weathered (no finish) but the daisy chained grounds kept failing.

MinWax poly and Helmsman products are great finishes. I use them all the time. But they really don't like UV rays. If you really what a wood dash I would suggest using fiberglass and resin over it then use Helmsman over that just like you would do for a cedar strip canoe. Oh and don't forget to do the back of the dash and ALL the holes you put in it because rain will get to those areas and you can't get to them to dry them off. The moisture will get trapped and attack the finish from the back side. Russ

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You meet the nicest people in a Locost Se7en.

i used to do wood for boats and the only thing that really held up in san diego sun was teak, unvarnished but oiled with teak oil, you have to sand the teak really smooth like 400grit paper then oil and wipe clean.

alternativly, you could use steel sheet and paint a wood grain on it then use a clear coat to seal it up.

with regard to grounds on wooden dashes, you have to make a sheet metal surround for the guages and affix it to the back of the wooden dash.

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this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

At either your local marine store or your hardware store you should be able to find a polyurethane wood finish that contains UV protection. I've used it on parts of my sailboat, some that get a lot of use like the tiller that was made out of mahogany and it stood up very well to weather....usually three years between refinishing. I've usually used Helmsman with great success. Brushed on with a cheap bristle brush it smooths out perfectly and dries crystal clear.

http://www.minwax.ca/wood-products/exte ... r-urethane

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Bill H
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

I would not recommend any type of varnish for exterior use. I have been building custom furniture for 45 years and now, will only use oil finishes. One of the items I build are mahogany canoes, you can see an example here. No fiberglass, just wood and glue.
http://spearfishcreek.net/index.php?opt ... 1&Itemid=2
What I use on the canoes is a tung oil blend made by waterlox, it is not cheep but it holds up very well and is easy to apply or repair if needed.
http://www.waterlox.com/
use the sealer finish original on most things and the marine version on things exposed to the weather.
First coat keep the wood wet for an hour and then wipe off the excess.
Day two flood on a coat and scrub it in using 0000 steel wool, wet or dry sand paper or a grey abrasive pad, your choice, wipe off the excess immediately.
Day 3 wipe on a thin even coat and don't wipe off (Thin/even). repeat day three until you are happy with the look. depending on the prep and number of coats you can have a matt finish or a high gloss, anything in-between, what ever you want. Most hard woods will only require three to four coats to provide a nice semi-gloss.

In the past I blended my own finishes and my own waxes but have stopped that after using Waterlox.

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K0RKK 146.460
spearfishcreek.net
Royce

They have sunshine in the UK? Must be a closely guarded secret... I figured that the oily air coming from the motor would waterproof the wood inside too....

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Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

the top on my MGB provided a fairly good shade from the sun, but I can't say as I ever noticed it keeping any water out of the car, off the dash, off the driver, etc, etc. When I lived in WV, on cold mornings I'd scrape the ice off of BOTH sides of the windshield, use my thumb to clear the frost off the oil pressure gauge, and then try to start the old girl...

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Have some experience with exposed wood surfaces owning different sailboats over the last 30 years. So if you want to refinish your dash every 2 or 3 years (at best) go with wood. If not you might well consider vinyl over aluminum :<)

This is vinyl over a 1/4" foam base. The wiring is much neater now. Honest.

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Larry in Seattle

Thank you Gentlemen for all the advise and excellant suggestions. I haven't made up my mind yet on a definite direction, but need to in the near future. Benny - Having built a Factory Five Roadster 11 years ago, there dash is alum. with padding so I'm looking at that, also. Using Fox body Mustang dash parts, it comes out really nice with there pre-enginered kit pieces. I think I can duplicate their dash style to make a nice job, again with the gages I have.
Later,
Don