Are they worth it? Does not strike me as a labor intensive project. Please share if you had any exp w/ this.

The Doghead

 

Buehler...Buehler...IM guessing that Jag traditionalists think these dash kits are amatuer. Let me know..ill go ahead and repair the 2 dashes i have.

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is a Dash Repair Trim Kit? Do you have a link to one?

Thanks,

Eric

 

I think we're talking about a self-adhesive wood (or fake wood?) dashboard overlay. I've seen 'em advertised but haven't actually seen any installed.

Cheers
DD

 

If the stick on fake wood is indeed what we are talking about, I did it on my car when I first got it, looks ok from 20 feet away, but anthing closer and you won't be happy. I HATED it, ifor less money I got a vdp dash from ebay and sanded and revarnished it myself. I am very happy with the way it came out, apparently so was everyone else! as it took 2nd place for the southeastern driven division within jcna . now, however car is driven daily, and the only thing with no signs of wear is the dash, still looks new! so, imho don't waste your money on what isjust a glorified sticker.Darre

 

Thanks for the heads up mang. Guess Im going to redo both. Ill take pics and let the forum vote on which one to go with.

 

The guy I purchased by '83 XJ6 from had to vinyl overlays. When I peeled the vinyl back, much of the original wood came off and now all I can see is the metal. Is replacing the entire dash my only option?

 

You may want to give British Auto Woods a look. They do some pretty nice restoration work, although the prices may reflect that. From what I remember, the proprietor has two cars in the photo section, an MKII and a 420G which are really top notch.

British Autowood > Dashboards

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually came across their site a while back - they seem to be the only ones out there that advertise on the web. Will check them out. Their work is beautiful!

 

hopefully the photos show up here, with the plastic stick on dash stuff and the one i refinished myself you shuld be able to tell the difference

 

Darrenmb - the refinish looks fantastic! I hope to get there soon. You mentioned you refinished it yourself.. can you point me in the right direction on how you did so?

 

It really wasnt difficult at all as I got a vdp dash from ebay so when i was done all i had to do was swap the two, it may be a bit more work using your existing dash as you need to remember where everything goes when you are done. Take lots of pics! Basically the wood (even on the old dash that i threw away) was in really good shape, its the clear coat on top that was cracked and faded. Do not try to pick the old varnish off as you stand a chance of pulling up the wood veneer beneath it! All i did was take all the gauges etc out of the dash, sand it back down to the wood then it took a couple of tries to get teh clear coat on properly, first i tried using my compressor and paint pot to spray it on, but its too much velocity and causes wrinkly lines, Sanded that back off (when it was dry) then tried brushing it on, came out ok, but you could see brush marks here and there, in the end i used a small aerosol type sprayer called a preval, and was very happy, i used semi gloss and have since been told it should be gloss, but im very happy with how it is and am not changing it!!!

Good luck!

Darren

P.S. attached is on more pic that actually show the difference between the stick on faux wood and the real thing! the area around the shifter is the sticker thing that looks horrid.

 

i was going to throw the stick on over the wood but decided against it after hearing and seeing the responses to my original comments. these clowns sent me a kit which didnt even match up to the wood strips on the doors. way to short. they tried tellin me i must have special 86 xj6's cause they match up. whats up with that??

 

Hopefully the clowns will be nice and refund your money when you return it.

 

I'd buy a dash from off Ebay and use 2 pack resin to refinish it. Here in the UK I used a product called Rustins. Excellent stuff, you apply 5 coats in quich succession , rub it flat with silicon carbide paper and water. repeat that cycle to give a minimum of 20 coats. Then polish with Brasso meatal polish and admire the results. Truely amazing and easy, it is basically the same as the original factory finish. You can do it at your leisure and the fit the dash when it is ready. Only buy a dash that has peeling varnish. Any remaining varnish can be removed with a hot air gun being careful not to burn the veneer! Good luck!

 

Have 86 XJ6 vdp. I purchased a factory dash kit from Paul's Jaguar. Looks great. Now I just need to pull out the dash and install it. I'm sure this is easier said than done. From those of you who have replaced the wood trim, can you share some advice and insight into this procedure? What is involved in removing the dash? What other things should I be replacing at the same time? (like my worn out ignition switch)
Also, anybody know where I can get the wood trim for the shifter panel? That was not part of the kit, but its in the worst condition. Thanks for your response!

 

Okay, I sent my console panel in to Madera Concepts to get refinished. I got it back today. I'm so excited. I couldn't wait to start putting it back together. I looks so AWESOME!!! What a difference.