Too impecunious to be able to tackle the real issues lately, I decided I was tired of seeing the cracked varnish on the dash and took it out Saturday and had a good long go at removing the dead finish. Unfortunately, there were a couple of goofs that damaged the veneer (doesn't take much; it truly is paper thin) in visible spots.... damn it. This car will never be a concours example by far, so just getting it somewhat presentable to my eyes is all I'm after. shame, really, as there are some really pretty burl areas in the veneer... will have to keep my eyes open for a better one to replace it. NOTE: Jaguar did not do us any favors in several areas of this process: the pads at either end of the dash, which MUST be removed to let the panel clear the A-pillars, took almost an hour each to remove.... that upper stud is a pure buzzard to deal with. AND, the simple "twist and slide" system of removing the main gauges does not take into account one of those retainer springs sliding around and catching on the wood, in effect, locking the gauge firmly into place...
All in all, however, the dash is nowhere near the nightmare on this car as they are on old Lincolns...

 

You must have a Series III (?)
I took my dash board/instrument panel out of my SII the first time in about an hour, which included removing all the instruments and the crash roll. I had No trouble getting it out past the A-pillar, only needed another hand because if the awkwardness of it.

I did have to loosen the steering column though, because the turn signal/wiper switch cover was so tight against the wood. But after I did that, it came right out.

 

nope, it's definitely a series 2. I watched a video on removing the dash but it happened to be a series 3, which is slightly different in detail. The center vent simply snaps into a 3, where it is screwed into a 2. the end pads jut upwards behind the bottom of the A pillars on mine, where on a 3 there are side covers that are removed to get at the retaining nuts. it seems that 3's have dashboards that extend further out from the scuttle than on 1's and 2's, but I have only the 2 here to examine. I didn't need to drop the column for room, but I may do so in order to reinstall it. examining the underdash area gives me a lot of admiration for Jaguar in their ability to cram a bushel into a hogshead.

 

My car was given many Series 3 "upgrades" at the time of conversion in 1986. One of those "upgrades" is a snap-in center vent, along with S-3 demister vents, but the S-3s I've cannibalized had movable center vanes where mine were fixed, but still snap-in.
Yes, the crash roll is Not interchangeable nor are the end pieces.
Added to all those 'normal' items, they stuffed an alarm system just above the driver's knees. If Everything isn't positioned Just Right, the underskuttle refuses to locate properly. As it is, all that stuff Must be removed to access the fuse block on the back of the fan.
(';')

 

There has been a lot of discussion about how to remove the cracked varnish.
Never sand it.... for the reasons you have discovered. Instead use a regular steam iron that is used for ironing clothes ... does anyone iron clothes anymore?
Place the iron on the dash (set to 75% of heat range or so.) The smell of warm plastic tells you to lift the iron now,.. you will see that the varnish has clouded and become released from the dash face. Pry the clouded sections off using a plastic scraper or knife as found in packaged food. Rinse and repeat as needed.

Use fine steel wool to clean the face of the dash after removing the clouded varnish, I re stained mine at this point ...really brought out the burl effect ,, my car is a S3 1986 VDP model.

I bought a spare dash from EBAY and both it and the original came out great. Use automotive clear as used for 2 part paint systems - it will not yellow over time as most clears will do, because it has UV inhibitors.

 

I tried the steam iron and I must not have given it sufficient time. it did very little to shift the unfaded varnish. It did make the wood uncomfortable to touch.

 

I think when I did both of the dashboards, I started using the iron over the biggest cracks first then lift the pieces of plastic starting at the crack edges.