Dashboard refinishing?

Hi everyone
I have just purchased a 280 se 4.5 from a gentleman in pasedena california.He thankfully took great care of this car, absoulutly no rust, paint is near perfect, im over the moon with the car.
The question is, i would like to get the dashboard up to snuff,it is in pretty good shape but i would like to refinish it, has anyone done this? and would you suggest doing it in the car or out?
Also how do you remove it?The strip around the lower windsheild is in need of finishing, how do you remove that?Thank you for any help you can give me.
All the best John wright.

[pj67coll]

From my own experience refinishing a 108 Dash. The strip at the base of the windshield can be removed after you remove the plastic padding on the inside of the A-pillars. Assuming your car has these instead of the wooden strips of the earlier 108's. You simply pull these strongly straight back from the a pillar till they pop off. Then remove the wood strip carefully. Investigate this thoroughly beforehand as it's been a long time since I've done that and I cant remember the details exactly.

One thing I do rememeber vividly is the way I destroyed the veneer by thinking the smart thing to do was to sand off the bubbling/lifting varnish with an orbital sander. Not smart. You need to find some good quality varnish remover and test it on other wood first. I suggest you look at JamieKopp.com's website. He's has several 108's that he's done a lot of work on and has accounts of re-finishing the wood on his 250's. Some good pictures too.

Good luck. Wish I could have found the 4.5 before you...

- Peter.

[mpnye]

To remove the wood by the windshield, you need to remove the instrument cluster and glove-box. Depending when your car was manufactured? You'll see a series of studs protruding down from the wood. Some cars have blue plastic thumb screws and some use a flat washer, lock washer and nut to secure the wood to the metal frame of the dash panel.

Keep the following in mind:

(a) Most of the time the veneer de-laminates from the very ends of the wood. This is caused from a leaking windshield rubber which needs to be replaced or the problem will re-occur.

(b) In many cases ALL the wood needs to be re-veneered to match. It just depends on the condition of the wood, veneer, the skill of the restorer and how much you're willing to spend. I've been to a few wood trim restoration shops who were well equipped to provide BETTER then new results. They steamed the veneer and applied it to the wood by using a vacuum table that provides a PERFECT lamination.

(c) If you decide to tackle the job to R&R the dash fascia wood; you'll need to remove the dash-pad, glove-box door, heater controls and various trim pieces.

MANY people decide NOT to do anything once they find out what it costs to do the job. If your car is in really nice condition; it's definitely worth spending $1500.00 to restore the wood by having it restored PROFESSIONALLY.

[suginami]

Try www.heritagewoodworks.com (828)321-3523 FAX. (888)255-3523 Ask for Drew.

They have advertised in The Star Magazine forever, and have done the work on concours winning cars.

[pkzip]

Don't mess with it yourself. I have heard too many horror stories about refinishing it yourself. To be sure, Heritage will cost you but from what I've heard it is worth it (I'm saving my pennies for a refinishing there myself). As for removing the wood, it can be done yourself if you have any confidence working on cars. One word of caution: Once you start removing wood, it is likely you'll want to remove it all. With sun exposure, it is likely that the other pieces of wood have faded. Ulitmately, you will probably want to refinish all of it. This means taking out the whole dash - which is also fairly straightforward (though some fastener removal will require quite a bit of flexibility). Just be careful to bag the fasteners and dash components and note their respective location on the outside of the bag.

Good luck!

Peter Kaufman

Thank you everyone for your advice, it is very much appreciated.
What a great forum this is, its nice to know there are people around that still like the old classics!
all the best John wright.

[fema]

What about cracks in the dash and the on the vinyl right below the windows - can these be repaired? If not, how hard is it to find replacement dash and window pieces? How expensive?

I found a 280SEL 4.5 that is a little beat on the inside, but good engine and body.

I'll post another thread for some other issues -thanks.

[fema]

Ouch! on the door interior replacement - is that price for real?

[pj67coll]

Surely time enough spent in boneyards might provide interior panels that could be in good enough condition that with a bit of elbow grease they would be acceptable?

- Peter.