Malcom, I knew someone would tell me just what you did about taking
the dash off. I always get overwhelmed by these bigger projects;
sometimes for no reason, they turn out to be easier than expected.
According to Bentleys, you have to remove the tach, speedo, and all
other items poking throughthe dash before you cann fully remove it. I
was hopiong I could just remove the exterior bezels surrounding the
guages and switches, unscrew the dash and VOILA!. How hard is this
project? Someone local has a dash they are selling with a hood
(bonnet?) for $60, total. I thought I might buy the dash, spend 7-10
days stripping and putting on a half-dozen coats of varnish and THEN
remove my existing dash to do the swap. This would reduce the
downtime. Sound like the best thing you ever heard? (Pat,pat)
Regarding varnish you are right; the can says not to use on teak
(doesn't say why, thank you) and on exterior door, boat uses, etc it
suggests re-coating every year or two.
Let me know how big a job you think it is. I really need to replace
the turn signal switch anyway and Bentley's also says you have to
remove he speedo and tach for that job too.
While I'm at it, why doesn't my odometer work?
OK, I've hogged your time enough.
With much gratitude,
Jeff
'73 TR6
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: dash
Author: Malcolm Walker <walker05@camosun.bc.ca> at SMTP
Date: 2/27/98 10:54 AM
On Fri, 27 Feb 1998 jbonina@nectech.com wrote:
> I wouild also like to do this WITHOUT removing the dash. Do you
> listers think this is possible, or is the dash removal too easy to do
> with all the other benefits included such as maybe re-painting the
> bezels, the ease of wood re-finishing on a bench versus inside a small
> car, etc.
I would recommend you take a weekend off and remove the dash. You can't
use a varnish stripper with the dash in situ unless you can apply the
stuff without it getting onto anything plastic or vinyl (guess what most
of a car interior is made of?); if you use a chemical stripper the best
thing to do is to get the dash onto a bench, then let the goop go to work.
I used a paint/varnish stripper. It smelled like it had alcohol in it (I
didn't taste it). Also if you intend to use polyurethane varnish you will
find it has a tendency to sag when applied to a vertical surface. When
the dash is horizontal you will be able to get away with much more (be
SURE the varnish is dry!!!), and you can probably get a very rich finish
built up.
I didn't use varnish as I veneered with teak, and the oil in teak causes
varnish to lift and flake. the best preservative for teak and other oily
woods is oil; I used Swedish Teak Oil (not made from swedes, it's got Tung
Oil in it). It's not maintenance free, I have to put a light coat of oil
on every 6 months to stop the teak going grey, but I can live with
that.
You may find that after 10-15 years even the spar varnish will flake off.
My uncle makes oars for a living and uses varnish to protect them. For
heavy use you have to refinish them every year.
Oops! I'm rambling
-Malcolm
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