i was lucky enough to get all the wood parts for my 97 xk8 from a member in az . my dash was badley faded .the miner change i saw is on the air bag panel .mine said xk8 .the new one has jaguar . any boby know when they made this change? thanks dan l

 

I can only recall seeing XK8 on the passenger airbag panel of very early cars. It could have been superseded by Jaguar as soon as the second year of production.

Graham

 

Thanks for the replay .i don't know if i can restore the orighial dash .later on i might find sombody that could get it looking right again . the fade in it is verry bad .i realy hate to loose a rare part of the car.i still have a long way to go . but getting closer each week . all the best DAN L Darlington sc

 

Several forum members have recommended this company: British Autowood | Dashboard and Woodwork Restoration

 

+1...as well as Madera Concepts: Automotive Wood Restoration

 

Anyone know a ballpark figure for the cost of refinish work for a full set of wood trim from one of these companies?

 

'Read someplace it's cheaper to buy replacement wood.

 

When I had my 2005 XK8, I was thinking about having the dash re-veneered in ash. Attached is Madera Concept's price list for our cars. As you can see, it would total $1,920 to have new veneer applied, or $1,202 to have your existing set refinished. Plus labor/time to remove and re-install all pieces, and shipping.

You can find full sets on eBay for around $300-600 usually, but they do not come up very often. I actually have one I'm looking to sell, and will be posting in the classifieds soon.

It's from a very early car, and has the gold "XK8" script on the airbag panel.

 

i would like to thank everybody for all the great replys and advice . i got realy lucky on my parts . i got all 5 pices so no miss match wood . it looks like it just came out of the box not one scratch . the seller could have got mutch more out of it . i just hope the seats & paint work come out as good . i hope Jim shaub in phx az {a member} can help out some other members also . i always look in our parts sellers first . all the best Dan L Darlington SC

 

Thanks for the pricing info.

 

One of the best wood refinishing options I've found is to locate a retired woodworkers hobby club in your area. Most of these guys spent their entire careers in the woodworking industry and they enjoy getting together with their colleagues on a regular basis and taking on various projects that folks show up with. They typically have every woodworking tool known to man and they've done everything there is to do with woodworking so they really enjoy a good challenge. I had some wooden dash pieces refinished (and strengthened) back in the 1990s, and at the same time they designed and built a custom jewelry box out of some spare teakwood I had at the time for me to give to my wife as a birthday present. The dash pieces turned out better than new, and my wife still cherishes her custom teak jewelry box. These guys refused to take my money as payment so I drove to the local woodworkers supply warehouse, purchased some nice oak, maple, and walnut planks, and delivered them to the guys as a thank-you donation. If I need any future wooden dash pieces refurbished, I'll check to see if this particular club is still active....

Just google "woodworking hobby clubs" along with your particular city and see what turns up....

 

Great advice. Thanks!