1964-1966 Wooden Dashes

[304065]

Well, as part of my restoration of 304065 I have begun to focus on the wood dash and steering wheel. Has anyone used Bruce Crawford for the wood? I understand from his web site he does the dash also.

I am trying to figure out what species the dash is. It's commonly known as "teak" but I believe it's not teak at all, I think it's quarter-sawn mahogany.

Here are some photos. Bonus if you guys can guess which cars they are.

The last attachment is a sample of quartersawn mahogany veneer that I am going to get a physical piece of to check against the dash. The dash consists of the aluminum wraparound piece (not present in 232 cars) with a plywood insert and the veneer laid over the top. I think it's possible to soak the wood in solvent to dissolve the double-stick tape that's probably holding it in the aluminum channel- wetsand and polish the aluminum, put a new veneer over the wood, stain to match and put the whole thing back together.

Or maybe I'll just send it to Bruce Crawford!

Can anyone offer insight into the wood species? Has anyone restored their wooden dash before? Thanks in advance for any contributions.

[Fritter]

John, contact Jerry Weiland (carsngolf), he recently redid his. I believe it is mahogany.

[John912]

I've done a few wheels and dash pieces and had good luck using a Safe-Strip solvent to get the old finish off (saving one piece as is to match color), then using a minwax stain, blending as needed to get the right match, then finishing with several coats of tung oil (use very fine steel wool between finish and clean between coats with tack cloth). I was able to leave aluminum trim on wood dash pieces and work around it. Mask off steering wheel spokes with blue painter's tape and paper. After 40+ years the old wood finish comes off pretty easy.

[Fidalgo911]

John,

How are you? Hope the restoration is going well. First off the wood is mahogany. It's not necessarily quarter-sawn but for sure it's not figured.

I wouldn't soak the wood in water or any other liquid for a period of time. It will cause swelling and warping. Kind of like throwing your first edition Hemingway in the tub. I had good success restoring a couple of pieces of my dash on the '66 I owned. Do you remember?

I would also hesitate in replacing any pieces. This wood was harvested at least 45 years ago from trees that were god knows how old from god knows where. Finding a good match could be difficult. There's a lot you can do to get rid of stains and discoloration. You'd be amazed. If you do need to replace and match, I'd take it to a speciality wood shop and ask the pros what species it is and get some samples. Each board is different. Optimally all pieces should be cut from the same piece of veneer, in order, so the grain and color are continuous.

I can send you before and after pictures and the process by which I did it if interested. Good luck.

Nate

[Bobs 67S]

John,
take a look at African Mahogany for a grain match. Rockler Woodworking is one source but a local to you source is always better for that 'eyes on" match.

The original color can be viewed under the ashtray handle. When I saw photos of Alois' dash I was taken aback as how cherry color it was. So when I took my ashtray apart I was pleasantly surprised on how good a match he did. That orange is just faded out stain/wood.

There is a 1966 wood dash with the aluminum surround that does look like it is teak. After all the car reviews calling the mahogany "teak" (THE wood of the danish modern 1960's) it looks like at one point a dash actually was teak (with it's slight green cast to the brown).

[steven0401]

I used Bruce Crawford for both the wheel and wood on a 66. Superb work.

[cool5]

Hi John, I'll 2nd. the quarter sawn African Mahogany. A few years ago I did the dash on my '66, 304606. I fabricated all parts from new wood using the old as patterns.

[cool5]

Sorry, only wanted to reply once.

[304065]

Hi John, I'll 2nd. the quarter sawn African Mahogany. A few years ago I did the dash on my '66, 304606. I fabricated all parts from new wood using the old as patterns.

Matt, that looks great, and the quarter-sawn mahogany certainly matches the "rays" (I've been reading a lot of guitar-making sites that talk about "rays") of the original. I agree I think it's quarter-sawn, which basically means the growth rings are cut through more or less perpendicular, which results in the "rays."

So how did you do it? How did you get the original wood out of the aluminum channel without bending it? Did you use solid wood or a plywood and veneer sandwich?

I am probably going to try this myself, it's likely only slightly more difficult than rebuilding the engine

[304065]

John,
take a look at African Mahogany for a grain match. Rockler Woodworking is one source but a local to you source is always better for that 'eyes on" match.

The original color can be viewed under the ashtray handle. When I saw photos of Alois' dash I was taken aback as how cherry color it was. So when I took my ashtray apart I was pleasantly surprised on how good a match he did. That orange is just faded out stain/wood.

There is a 1966 wood dash with the aluminum surround that does look like it is teak. After all the car reviews calling the mahogany "teak" (THE wood of the danish modern 1960's) it looks like at one point a dash actually was teak (with it's slight green cast to the brown).

Bob, thanks as ever for the excellent advice. I"ll pull off the ashtray handle and have a look. Even Excellence Was Expected calls the dash "teak" but it seems like a consensus is forming around mahogany. I'm going to order some samples (veneer isn't expensive) to compare with my own eyes.