Polishing or renovating a dashboard

[GregT]

My '76 Stag has a lacklustre dashboard - it's not in terrible condition (a fine crack in the veneer is liveable with) but it looks like it could do with being made to look much nicer. Question is do I polish, and if so what's the best polish to use? Or is that not a worthwhile activity and would renovation by a specialist be better? Or do these photos (professionally taken recently when it was up for auction) represent as good as one can hope for, short of replacing with new veneers?

NRL07087-71.jpg NRL07088-72.jpg NRL07075-61.jpg NRL07074-60.jpg

TIA Greg

[Roy_S]

I don't think the original wood in Stags is up to much improving, like trying to polish plywood.....
There were a few posts on here that used a stick on film or thin veneer that looked good and offered a lot of choice to improve the look of the wood. If I ever get round to mine I'll probably go that route as it keeps the original wood in place, but for now I have lots of other jobs before that.

[JeffW]

Some outstanding professionals are Chapman & Cliff. They redid mine and are ex-Bentley & Rolls Royce workers.

http://www.chapmanandcliff.co.uk/

Jeff

[DJT]

If it hasn't been refinished from new then the OE lacquer is pretty bomb proof. The only way I could find to remove it was by gently using a hot air gun and scraper to soften and remove it. No thinners or paint stripper would shift it. With that in mind, the finish can be improved by using T-Cut or similar to polish the lacquer.

[Lingen]

Greg.
It is in fact an straight grained American Walnut. It should have a good shiny surface, but not a high gloss.. From the pictures, I think you could considerably improve the appearance and finish, by giving it several goes with a good household wax polish, and after that has sunk in, perhaps one with a bit of silicone in it for a greater shine.
Mike.

[GregT]

Some outstanding professionals are Chapman & Cliff. They redid mine and are ex-Bentley & Rolls Royce workers.

http://www.chapmanandcliff.co.uk/

Jeff

Thanks Jeff - will bear them in mind if my own efforts don't render a better look!

Greg

[GregT]

Greg.
It is in fact an straight grained American Walnut. It should have a good shiny surface, but not a high gloss.. From the pictures, I think you could considerably improve the appearance and finish, by giving it several goes with a good household wax polish, and after that has sunk in, perhaps one with a bit of silicone in it for a greater shine.
Mike.

Thanks Mike - I clearly have no idea what's been used on it before - but do know that wood from that era was more susceptible to 'the wrong type of polish' being used on furniture etc that meant that it wouldn't benefit when the right type was applied later. My late grandfather was a French polisher, amongst other skills, and used to talk about such nuances. So wanted to at least make sure what I try first is not one of those... I am not after high gloss particularly, it is just that as I look at more and more classic cars in adverts for auctions etc, it makes me think that I could do better with mine. more of an even glow is what I'd like to achieve. Will get polishing!

[trunt]

Has someone stripped it down the the ply? I only really see signs of pattern grain on the glovebox, and maybe signs of a stain on some of the other panels..

I re-veneered mine with a "paper backed" veneer then varnished with a good quality oil modified polyurethane satin which is water based, TBH I am not a fan of the glass like finish. So far so good.. Its pretty tough, I used it on my stair treads and its they have been Ok for a number of years now.

[Chris O]

I’ve re-veneered quite a few Stag dash wood sets that were beyond repair. I’ve also restored some dash sets that were just a bit shabby. I would suggest removing the wood from the car, then giving it a hard sanding with wet and dry sandpaper. Then spray some Halfords Matt or Satin clear lacquer on it - 2 coats should be enough. Leave for 24 hours and then give a quick polish with a very fine sanding pad ( about 8000 grit is enough) just so it feels smooth to the touch. Don’t polish too much as you will get a shine instead of your Matt or Satin finish. Then refit the wood to the car.

[elvimto]

I redid my dash if you are into this its not to hard. I used a veneer American walnut and as best I could kept the grain lined up. I used the same stain and finished it with a marine urathane coating. Use a good craft knife and keep the blades sharp and give yourself a bit of time.

[Paulfrazer]

You could try cleaning it with soap and water then rubbing in some Tableau scratch cover polish. Leave it for a few hours then polish with some wax polish - not the sort that contains silicone. I have done this on scratched hi-fi cabinets from the same era with good results. The fashion for wood at the time was to have a fairly matt finish so don't expect to get that high gloss "Jaguar" finish.

[RobinLegin]

My fear is if I remove the wood, it will disturb some of the wiring behind giving rise to bigger problems. I use household Pledge to brighten it up a little. I have thought of using linseed oil as I do on my Alvis, but not sure if this will affect the veneer glue.

[Roy_S]

If you use linseed oil, try the boiled type as it leaves a less tacky finish and attracts less dirt.