We've been through the discussion on dashboard building before, so
I'll just summarize my experiences from the perspective of both an LBC
owner and an amateur (Sp?) furniture maker.
Regarding glue, I've tried sheets of holt-melt glue that are sold by
veneer suppliers, and they didn't hold at all. Conventional wisdom
among furniture-makers is that contact cement never really hardens,
and isn't suitable for fine veneer work. OTOH, many people within
this mail group report good results using contact cement. My
personal preference is thinned yellow woodworkers glue (Elmo's or
equivalent) and a clamping arrangement that holds the veneer flat
while the glue sets up -- I use a 12x50 piece of butcher block and
every clamp I own. YMMV.
I've used baltic birch plywood for the base with good results. This
stuff is sometimes hard to find, but has no voids, and looks
identical to the original. I have no experience with marine plywood,
but the waterproof glue is certainly an advantage. To date, my
dashboard has not been submerged.
If the original dash is in reasonably sound, but not good enough to
re-veneer, I've been able to use it as a template, using
pattern-cutting router bits to get a perfect duplicate. There are
some peculiar bevels around the glove box door that I've been able
to duplicate using a dovetail bit. BTW, I might be willing to build
you a ready-to-veneer base (I have a TR4 template) for the cost of
materials and my time.
Spar varnish is a good choice for the finish. Block sand between
(completely dry) coats, and wet sand the final coat with 1200 grit
wet-or-dry, followed by polishing compound. I found a brown enamel
(Red Devil?) that seems to match the paint that the factory used
around the edges. Make absolutely sure that you varnish all sides of
the finished dashboard. This is necessary to keep moisture content
consistent, and the wood dimensionally stable. Even plywood is
subject to some moisture effects.
Good luck, and feel free to contact me directly if any of the above
makes no sense what-so-ever.
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Dean Mericas
1965 TR4 (CT37089L)
1988 Saab 900S
1991 Saab 9000T
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