Dashboard?

[littlecars]

Has anybody out there in cyberland ever recovered a dashboard???
My bugeye dash was red originaly and a previous owner painted the vinyl black. I am doing a restoration and need it to be red like it was made. Any information on type of material to use to cover would be helpful thanks

 

[William]

Its just thin, fine grained Vinyde stuck directly to the metal dash panel. I bet that on of the trimmers that advertise in the back of Classic and Sports Car or Classic Motorsports has a stock of similar material.
-William

 

[spritenut]

I have recovered many Bugeye dashboards.
The original vinyl was "Vinylide" brand.
But when I redo an interior, I buy enough material to recover all the panels and the dash and seats so everything looks the same. Check with a marine canvas or boat supply, they have thousands of different colors and textures.
Use a flamable type of contact cement, the water based types just don't hold up. Weldwood or Formica brand. 2 coats on the fabric, 1 coat on the metal.
Spray glues will work on the face but use the contact glue on the back overlay.

 

[Guest]

I recovered my Bugeye dash and interior panels last winter. I found an acceptable cloth-backed vinyl at a local fabric store and used it for everything. I found the adhesive needs to be pretty think on this cloth backing to adequately hold. It might be easier to use a non-cloth backed vinyl. I also cut my own press board panels since the old ones were heavily water damaged. I found 1/8" press board at a local Menards (Lowes, etc.). The store had it in various sizes, and I used two 2' X 3' pieces for al the panels. I also lined the panels and dash with 3/16" foam for a plusher look, albeit not original. I am very happy with the results. I used an aerosol 3M adhesive found in the local hardware store to tack the larger flat surfaces down, but used heavy duty contact cement to hold down the edges. Using an ample amount of edge clips is important also. It is important to use the old vinyl as a pattern, unless you know what you're doing cutting patterns.

 

[bugimike]

for a non-original, but offering a nice "upgraded look" to the factory dash, a nice sheet of marine-grade veneer of any favorite classic wood (I used mahoganny on my red car)cut and shaped off a paper pattern from the metal dash (veneer can be cut smoothly with a steady hand & an X-acto), a few nice coats of varnish and one has a classic dash!

 

[regularman]

I like tha Idea bugimike , I have a 71 I hope to be putting the interior back in soon and I think that would look good. I want a daily driver so it need not be factory.