Like a lot of older XJS's, the wood panels on my dash and console are cracked and faded. I know that I can have the panels restored but I am looking for something different.

I know many people like the look of the wood but it I would like to see other options. There are companies who make different finishes but most of them do not have any photos that show the different options on an XJS dash.

Has anyone changed their dash to Aluminum, Carbon Fiber or some other non-wood covering? If so, please post some pictures. I would like to see how these dashes look.

I want to try to bring a little more modern touch to my car and am considering Carbon Fiber. Yes, I feel like many of you that Carbon Fiber has been overdone but I think in this case it might look ok.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing some pictures.

Thanks!

Mark

 

I like the wood myself... The wood in my car has deteriorated and broken up to the point that it needs to be replaced. I will begin reveneering in the next week or so. I bought some absolutely gorgeous carpathian elm veneer - much nicer than what came from the factory (sorry Jaguar).

 

In my mind there is nothing better than the wood dash. I just replaced all of the wood in mine for around $450, and to me, it's what should be in a Jag, as that's what sets them apart ..............JMHO

 

I like the classic look of the Jag wood interior. So far mine is holding up well, but currently working on replacing the leather.

 

im planning on replacing my old cracked wood with custom polished aluminum panels, but havent gotten around to it.

 

My wood was ruined and while one day I may actually replace it with real wood like magredvet, I was very pleased with the "temporary solution" I found here..... Jaguar XJS Dash Trim Kit 82-96 - 12 pieces - Marble Wood (3-221)
I bought the English Burlwood kit

As you can see from their colour chart, they do all kids of cool finishes. Just to be clear, this kit is obviously not real wood.... it is custom cut thick pieces that you stick on top of the existing wood. I know it sounds gastly, but it doesn't look bad at all in the flesh...

 

Good Lord the price of that kit! no thanks.

 

My switch panels beside the computer went south so I peeled what was left of the veneer off and black crinkle painted them....looks super, blends in with the computers finish. I also did the same to the same panel on my 87 XJ6 Series III when I switched from the computer panel to the euro clock panel...peeled the veneer and crinkle blacked it. When useing the crinkle black you MUST follow the recoating directions AND use a space heater for best/even results. YMMV

 

A Jaguar need not contain wood to set it apart or make it a Jaguar....original issue XJS's contained no wood nor did XKE's. (unless you count the shift knob or wheel on some ;] ) Just my $.02

 

that crinkle black paint looks great on oddball things. ive got it on my Gauge pod and rocker covers in my grand prix, and i was planning on doing my ski slope in it as well.

 

Have any pictures??

 

here is my center consol, the quality and color great Burlwood ,its thicker than factory jag,has a deep look to it.

 

The previous owner of my 89 donor car put a carbon fiber dash in the car back in 2001. However, by the time I bought it, he had gone back to Walnut, with an interesting twist---an added 7 inch TFT touchscreen which was the primary interface for the onboard PC and SATNAV. He had also changed the interior color to light grey, including brand new leather on the seats and console. Then he wrecked the car, and I eventually bought it.

 

Hi Scott,

Thank you for the pictures. I like the look of the carbon fiber and might use that in my car.

I am very interested in the 7" display that was installed in your car. Do you have any details on how it was done? How did they deal with the air vents?

I would love to be able to create a double din space so I can install a modern stereo/GPS.


Mark

 

This is not an XJS (it's a 1950 MK V)... but this is my dash now;



And what the modified will look like;



If anyone is interested in a custom dash, let me know. I can do it in virtually any exotic wood, and book matching the grain is my specialty!

 

@JagZilla

Interesting mod to get the 7" screen in. Looks like the center vents are sacrificed ?? That would be an issue for me as thats where all the A/C air comes from on a hot day.

I've been toying with the idea of trying a single din setup with a 7" motorized display, but I'm not sure it would be able to come out without hitting the transmission lever........

 

If that is you "donor" car, what are your plans for the carpets? I am in desperate need of new carpets but can not currently afford what I am finding for new ones.

Marty......................

 

@ Mark and Scott (SARC):

I don't think there is enough room for a double DIN unit in this dash, because of how the AC unit fits behind the dash. See for yourself by checking out the attached photo of the interior with the dash removed. However, I seem to remember seeing photos on Jag-Lovers of a guy who successfully fitted a motorized unit with screen into the stock position.

I removed that dash and transferred it into JagZilla, so I know quite a bit about how it was done. I have attached photos of the metalwork which went into this mod. It wasn't elaborate, just your basic measure/cut/weld. It's actually pretty sloppy work, but, all the ugly gets covered up by the pretty new wood.

The center vents were not completely sacrificed. There are small ports on each side of the screen, which allow cool (or warm) air to flow. Only the center grate was entirely sacrificed. However, that is no big deal, since a popular mod among XJS owners is to block that grate, so the directional vents on either side of it will have stronger flow, rather than allowing most of the air to shoot out that grate, and straight toward the rear window.

One of my problems with the way the PO did this, is that he didn't address a means of directing that airflow through those small ports, so it just shoots straight out. I am thinking about further modding it by enlarging those ports vertically, so the original vents can be used, but, they would need to be rotated 90 degrees, so they would be vertical instead of the stock horizontal positioning. I'll then have new wood panels made to make it look right.

That whole center vent area in a stock XJS is just one big horizontal opening in the dash with a plastic "S"-shaped duct (when viewed from the side) supplying air from the blower opening, which is located higher behind the dash (the air actually flows down to that center vent). When the PO opened the dash up for the touch screen, he left that duct untouched, and that screen simply pops in and out of the opening in the dash with very little effort. However, I think this is a poor idea, because it causes the back of the touch screen to be utilized as one part of the duct wall. That's not so bad when you have the AC on, but, when you run the heater, you have hot air blowing directly onto the back of the touch screen. That's never a good thing. I thought a better way to do this was to notch JagZilla's duct in such a way that I could create a fully enclosed duct (with the exception of the lateral ports) using a sheet of styrene plastic (available from any decent hobby shop). This insulates the back of the touch screen from warm air when the heater is on.

Confused? I've attached several photos which will help explain the PO's original mod, as well as the center duct mod I did. I'm also attaching a photo of how things look when the dash is removed, and a couple photos of the dash before it came out of the donor, which will show the center section better. One photo shows the screen active and lit up. The other photo better shows the PCs DVD drive mounted under the stereo. It's not a "DVD player" for showing movies (although it can certainly be used for that), but, an actual DVD drive which is used to load programs onto the PC.

@ Marty:

I'll probably sell the carpets (and many other parts), since they don't match the tan interior of JagZilla. I can't remember what shape they are in, but, I do know they are not the stock Wilton Wool type that came in the 88 and 84 models (can't speak for other years, as these are the only models I own). The Donor carpet has much more of a nylon feel to it.

 

Excellent post Scott.Thank you!

Gives me something to thing about.

 

Well, I would certainly be interested since my interrior IS the tan color. The top four "want to fix" items on the list are carpets, head liner, radio and power antenna. The first two are missing all together, the antenna has a bad control circuit so does not work. The after-market radio in there now is toast.

Marty........................