Just 2 comments after reading all the questions and replies on this thread.
1) I remember that the reason the original dashes were plywood with a
hardwood veneer was that --- the final plywood dash which resulted was a
laminate contructed of a series of plywood pieces glued/pressed together at
90degree angles to each other. This type of constructon prevents warping
from moisture or heat. (Solid wood dashes will warp and even high priced cars
use laminates). The final layer was a hard wood veneer that was added for
appearance. The final step was a finish (glossy or satin) whose the purpose
was to protect the whole thing. That said - here is what I did.
2) I refinished my original TR4 dash in '92. It was 28 yrs old and the
finish was cracked and split. The veneer was NOT damaged; (it was just dirty
where the finish had cracked enough to let dirt in)
a) I used a mild varnish stripper from Sears and a putty knife. The secret
was to let the stripper work for 5 or ten minutes to soften the old finish,
then GENTLY use the putty knife to lift the softened finish off. (If the
finish is not soft at a spot - then do the same process again. In other
words - no "gorrilla" work - let the stripper do the work). After that, the
veneer was wiped down with whatever the stripper container recommended (to
clean off any stripper residue). I then wiped the veneer down with mineral
spirits. At this point, I had a clean, unmarked, unprotected, NON-shiny
veneered surface.
b) Next I painted the cutout surfaces for the air vents and dash lights (the
directional and ignition) with a dark brown paint that matched the original
color found there. And I also did around the under the glove box door.
(When the dash is out of the car you can see here it was painted). The
final finish would eventually protect these painted sections.
c) After the paint had dried, I applied teak oil to the BACK of the dash.
Since is no veneer there, the plywood just soaked up the oil. (Obviously
the natural oils had dried out somewhat over the years.
d) Since the original finish for my dash was high-gloss (i.e. shiny), I
bought a can of high-gloss polyurethane finish from DAP (brand name). I
tried applying this several ways. First, I tried spraying (with a
woodworking shop's sprayer). This was not satisfactory (bubbles and
fisheyes). So I stripped and cleaned it again. I then tried using a regular
brush (not a cheapo). This too was not satisfactory (streaks). Stripped and
cleaned again. Finally I used a foam sponge brush ($2 for a bag of them at
the local Home Depot). I applied one coat (threw away the sponge brush) and
let the finish dry 24 hours (undisturbed and covered by a little paper "tent"
so dust could not fall on it). Then I sanded with 1600 grit sand paper
(wet), and 2000 grit, also wet. Then I dried it with paper towels, sat down
and had a beer and applied another coat. Waited 24 hours - repeated the
sanding and drying. Total 5 coats.
Result - fantastic finish, looks as good as when new and is probably tougher.
After 5 years of use (three years as a daily driver in the Florida sunshine)
there are no problems. SO -
It's easy to do, not space science -- just takes some time and patience. AND
Try it; if the veneer is not damaged to start with, you'll like when you are
finished.
Enough - off the soapbox. Think I'll put this up on the VTR web site. What
say Ken?
Art Kelly '64 TR4 CT33118L (original owner)
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