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TR4/4A Wood Finish on 4A Dashboard

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K

karls59tr

Obi Wan
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Anyone know what type of wood or veneer was used on the 4A dash...... was stained a certain "shade" and what was it top coated with?
 
I reveneered a couple of TR6 dash's if your interested in going that route; I can tell you how I did mine.
 
I was told it was teak, but I'm not sure. Mine needs veneer also, so I'm interested I hearing about your process Terry.

-Tom
 
When I re-veneered my TR6 dash in walnut, I built a clamping jig to keep pressure on the dash until the glue dried. Usually the veneered piece is placed into a vacuum press but since I did not have access to one, I built the clamping jig.
Also, I used precatalyzed resin to adhere the veneer to the dash. Precatalyzed resin holds up lots better to heat and moisture than contact adhesives.
 
Karl, the dash on the TR4A was a dark walnut and was what was called "book ends" as it was two pieces end to end that met in the middle and were identical on both sides. I had one and the veneer was thicker than on the TR6. I think Moss may have one, just to look at and see what it looked like.

Wayne
 
This is how I did my TR6 dashes. First of all I purchased the veneer off of Ebay where you can get some good deals because you don't need a full sheet. Made sure you use paper backed veneer and not raw veneer or you have to attach it using a different method then what I used. If you use contact cement, you need to spray it on, using a brush will result in it being uneven and you will have to apply more pressure to get any lumps out. I used Permatex Headliner & carpet adhesive # 27828. What I did was tape using blue masting tape all the edges that were exposed including gauge openings switches etc. before I sprayed the adhesive. After applying the adhesive, I removed the tape and then applied the veneer which already had the adhesive on it. I did this to keep the gauges, etc. from sticking to the dash after they were installed. The first dash I did in Birch, the second one in Walnut. I used Helmsman Spar Urethane for the finish spraying about 7 to 8 coats which gives a nice finish. You can use high gloss or satin. I've included some pictures. The Walnut dash is installed in my car which is in the garage (I'm working on the brakes), so I had to use a flash which makes it look a lot lighter in color then what it is. After attaching the veneer, I used a sharp x-acto knife to cut out for the gauges, switches, etc.
 

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Terry, those are positively beautiful dashboard units. I may take a break from working on the Hawk to work on the TR dashboard.
 
Terry,
Great looking dashboards!
Did you use a press or clamps to hold the veneer down while is was drying?
Thanks, Scott in CA
 
Scott, I clamped a straight 3/4" board on the face of the dash. The adhesive I used didn't take long to dry. This is not an hard to do project. Cutting the openings for the gauges, switches, etc. took a lot of time.
 
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