Dot Dash

I'm getting a bit previous with myself, but I thought I'd have a go at renovating the GT6 dashboard well in advance of when I'm likely to install it. 

I hunted high and low in the boxes of bits for the original dashboard, but all I found was a rather dilapidated right hand third - the dash is actually in 3 pieces. Renovating the piece that I do have and fabricating the other two sections from ply and veneer is an option, but some people do have a one-piece dashboard which, while more elegant looking, is a bit of a fiddle when having to perform maintenance on the wiring behind the dash.

I needed to make a template and scoured the Interweb for a one, but drew a blank. On that basis I could feasibly simply sell copies of my template, when finished, or even digitise it. I used the existing piece for the right hand section and traced it and then the rest onto a piece of cardboard by using a marker pen from behind the metal dash support you can see in the photo below.

Below you can see the template taking shape, along with the right-hand original piece.

The intent is to make a single piece dash and decide, once I've made the basic shape from ply, whether to split it into three.

This is how it should look in situ, although this one is missing a gauge hole on the left-hand section - probably because it's a Spitfire and not a GT6.

And this is how the bits look when bought. You'll perhaps notice a slight difference on the steering column gap between mine and the original - I've swept it a bit more on the left of the hole, as I think it looks better and balances it more. As an aside, the GT6 has one of those steering columns that can impale the driver in a severe, front-end accident.

I bought a slab of 10mm ply from B&Q for £15 (enough for 3 dashboards), cut out the dashboard shape and fitted it with a clamp against the dash support metalwork. Not a bad fit for a first attempt.

I've also ordered a sheet of 60cm x 56cm burr walnut veneer on e-Bay for £46, which should give me enough to make 3 or 4 dashboards. 

Given pre-made dashboards sell for £342, I could make a handsome profit if I sell a couple. Actually, I could be a bit more creative and put my lampshade making skills to use by covering the ply in some patterned cloth, covering it in several layers of clear resin and rubbing it back to a matt finish. Just think of the fun I could have with that - a tartan dashboard, perhaps...

However - bugger me! I then received a message from e-Bay that someone had made me an offer on a central piece of a dash from a MkIV Spitfire they were selling for £36. Well, I couldn't turn that down and here's an image of it.

Grotty, but eminently repairable with new veneer and it has all the holes in the right place (the image was actually upside down). Having that and my own section makes the whole job easier, but I'll still proceed with making a single section dashboard from burr walnut, but use the two pieces I'll have to ensure the correct tolerances. The passenger section is a doddle.

Having scrutinised various dashboards, I was confused as to how it is attached, but I learned that it's mainly held in place by the clamps on the back of the instruments, which hold it against the metal backing plate. A neat idea that removes the need for messy screws, although I may add a few knurled nuts that screw into the backing plate for effect.

I will continue, however, to make a single panel dash or two and sell them.

Talking of wood - No.1 Son bought me this for my birthday, which is on Friday.

Nice of him.