I opted for black walnut that I stained and sealed with the Cetol products. One of the few products that is still oil based and is UV resistant. I considered going with vinyl and using contact cement on the front and heating and stretching the vinyl over the edges and stapling the vinyl on the back of the dash. Problem with using the vinyl was on the corners in trying to fold the vinyl flat and on the concave portions of the dash. So inspite of vinyl replicating original dash finish I went with stain/seal option. Will also be easier to carry out minor repairs without removing the dash, gauges and switches. I posted pics on a previous post but believe they did not make the transition to the new web environment

I made my dash out of walnut-veneer plywood from Home Depot, and sanded and stained it.  Two things I didn’t like.  The veneer made tiny chips along the edge while I was cutting it (but repairable), and the polyurethane varnish I used caught every dust particle in Las Vegas despite my best efforts.  I wish I could have found solid wood and used Cetol like Toller suggests.  That would have been better but solid walnut or mahogany in the right size is hard to find and I thought polyurethane would be better for outside exposure.  What was I thinking?  It doesn’t rain here!  Well, not until this week anyway.  Nevertheless my dash turned out very nice.

For the edge I have to disagree with edsnova.  Why fool with stainless steel banding unless you are a glutton for punishment?  I used a 7/16″ plastic chrome molding which was cheap, easy to work with, and conforms to all those curves.  I only used a couple of small screws where the adhesive needed help.  IMHO it actually looks better than stainless because it has “depth” (rounded thickness”) to it that stainless would lack.

I never considered covering the dash with vinyl.  Original or not, wood just looks much better.  You can also match wood to a wood steering wheel which also looks nice.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by John Simion.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by John Simion.

That IS crazy!

John: pics of your dash? Your way sounds much easier than mine. Good on yea.

To me the aesthetic key is also adding the vinyl welting between the dash and the scuttle (several photos at link). That stuff covers most of whatever banding you use on your dashboard’s edges, hides any number of minor flaws and lends that overall finished look.

Ah the beauty of car building. You get to become a master at:

• mechanical work
• fiberglass work
• electrical work
• wood-working
• painting
• upholstery

…ad infinitum!

Allen
Two questions, as oak has both an open and closed grain structure will you be using a filler and conditioner prior to staining? I have used filler to provide a glass smooth surface when working with oak. The conditioner will provide an even penetration of stain. Second question, why did you decide to use lacquer as your top coat. I know cars are painted with lacquer but I would not have considered using it on wood that may be exposed to the elements, sun, rain, humidity etc.

Toller, I drilled the holes for my instruments into 7/16″ walnut veneer plywood with my hand drill using hole saws I bought for that purpose at Home Depot.  These were 4-1/4″ diameter and 2-1/2″ diameter respectively (as I recall, I had to order the larger one from Home Depot online rather than in-store).  Essentially these are just regular saws that are made into a circle and designed to put a drill chuck in the center.  With a light touch, the holes turned out perfectly, or very nearly so.  I also cut out the basic shape of the dash using my saber saw with a brand-new, fine-tooth blade.  It also turned out very well.  In both cases there were very minor chips to the veneer that Allen would never get with a solid piece of oak.  In any event, the chips are not noticeable at all on the instruments, because the bezels totally cover the chips.  The chips on the edge of the dash were filled with wood filler and stained, sealed, and varnished like the rest.  Perfect?  No, but pretty darned good if you aren’t looking for defects.  My car has so many other defects that if a perfectionist is looking for defects, his eyes will glaze over long before he gets to the dashboard.

Granted that a drill press would be better yet … but unless Allen already has access to a drill press, what I did seems like a good alternative.  Allen, go to Home Depot and look in the tool section and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by John Simion.

That looks just fantastic!  What a nice finish on the wood, and the chrome really makes the center “pop.”  Very professional looking.  I’m curious, though, what chrome you used.  It turned out great even with the corner joints … apparently you have both a sharp eye and a sharp knife.