1800: Dashboard - refurbish or buy new?

[p1800]

Hi Everyone
I'm having bodywork done on my 1963 p1800 and want to get the dash up to scratch while the windscreen is out.

Has anyone managed to get dashboard successfully refurbished? Mine has a couple of cracks in the top one so it would need filling and resurface.

Interested to know whether to look into this ( and any contacts welcome ) or just go for purchase - and if I go for new can I get one that would match the Jensen style dash ?

Thanks in advance .

Mike

[JC T ONE]

Check this = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3wCdLJAPgE

[142 Guy]

I had cracks in the corners (and one in the center) of my 142 dash pad repaired by someone who did this for a living. The 140 has a faux grained surface and the biggest problem that the specialist had was trying to get a reasonable match in the filler to the faux grain. Really hard because with the cracks in the corners you are trying to get a grain on a very sharp radius surface. After the repairs were done I sprayed the pad with Colorbond black to get a uniform color across the pad. If you know where to look you can spot the repairs in the corners because the grain in the repair area is not a perfect match to the adjacent grain. The crack in the center where the pad is flat was easier to apply grain to and is an excellent match. You have to get very close to see the repair. The repair has a surface hardness that is a very good match to the original pad material.

I am very happy with the result; but, it was expensive. If somebody had offered a nice aftermarket replacement pad I would have gone that route because it would have been cheaper; but, there weren't (and still aren't???) replacement pads for the 140.

I did see one dash pad for a 164 on which the cracks were filled and smoothed much like in the video posted by JC T ONE. They then covered / bonded the complete pad with a vinyl upholstery product. The individual doing this was skilled with doing upholstery work which, depending on the contours and edges on the 1800 pad might be a requirement. I think this option would also be pricey if you have to pay somebody to do that.

As an observation, having had some experience with flock I would not want a flocked dash. Aside from being a non original surface finish, flock is not particularly durable - gets bald spots like the wear spots on your blue suede shoes.

[LawsonJD]

I had my E's upper and lower + grab handle leather covered by Richard Felton.

https://www.specialist-upholstery.com

[142 Guy]

Originally Posted by LawsonJD

I had my E's upper and lower + grab handle leather covered by Richard Felton.

https://www.specialist-upholstery.com

That looks very very nice. With the stitching detail along the edge that is going to take significantly skill to do well. I expect that it cost more than an aftermarket replacement pad.

[mike gilbert]

Brookhouse do a dash top cover that, if fitted properly, is as near as you will get to the original look, Jensen cars included. The problem is that to do it properly you need to take the dash out and separate the top part from the lower part, then remove the old vinyl covering from the top and replace/repair the sponge below it etc. It is a major job from beginning to end. I can't imagine a 'repaired in situ' dash will look as good as doing it this way, but it depends on how far you want to go with the restoration of course.

[Nullifie]

Leather covering: it's amazing how nice stitching can be done, but it's not original and it depends only on your opinion if you like it that way.
I agree with Mike that the job only can be done well taking out the dash.
Buying new there are two options I know:
1) A hard plastic cover without foam to glue on your damaged dash (or just the foam): less expensive as 2) but I don't like them being too far away from the original.
2) A soft skin on foam piece to glue on the bare metal of the dash like the original.
Beware the surface structure isn't always like you should have it: some of them have a "coarse grain leather structure" instead of the "smooth leather structure" you should have.

[LawsonJD]

Guys in my defence back then that was the only way of doing it.
Around 2013 I think it was replacement RHD dash pads were unavailable, Richard Felton was already doing my seats because they weren't available either so I went with him and that's been the whole tale of this restoration, when I started it in 2012 bodywork and interior bits just weren't available.
God knows how much I spent on "rust free Californian" door handles and then getting them rechromed, now they're £50 new from CVI.
David.