Woodgrain Dash

[hutchwe]

Does anyone know where I can find a new/good used wood grain dash for my 73 914. I had one installed on my 71 back in 72. Looked real nice, IMHO. I've searched the internet and can't find any kits or any place that would make me one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

HUTCH

[Joe Bob]

Madera Concepts in Santa Barbara, CA. 805-962-1579. Ask for Jeff Wayco. I would not say they are cheap, but well made and classy.

[Ascaris]

Is this the whole dash face or just the instrument cluster? I've considered making an exotic wood dash myself and wonder which would look better.

[Joe Bob]

It covers the whole dash, including the gauges, all the switches all the way over to the glove box. Mine is done in dark burlwood.

[This message has been edited by mikez (edited 11-03-1999).]

[Germain]

mikez, could you put some pictures of this up? I sure would like to see what the dash looks like with wood. Thanks

[Ascaris]

Me too!

[Joe Bob]

Send me a private email and I will send a digital picture...

[Joe Bob]

I sent out a lot of email picss with the wood grain dash from Madera Concepts....I got a few error messages back....anyone who did NOT get a reply send me another request @

mtz1@home.com

[Dave Thompson]

I went to the local woodcraft shop and bought a strip of mahogany about 5 feet long, 6 inches wide , and 1/8" thick. I removed carefully the hideous basketweave vinyl and used the metal piece inside it as a template to cut the mahogany to fit. It took a little custom measurement and careful fitting hereand there but I managed to make a nice fitting one-piece dash face. I removed the knee pad from the bottom of the dash to get the face plate off, so I made the new wooden insert with its bottom long enough to fit behind the knee pad when reinstalled. That way the entire wooden dash panel is held in place by the screw rings on the dash switches and the kneepad across the entire bottom edge. I also made a smaler piece which I mounted in place of the vinyl and metal on the glove box door. This entire process was fun, and relatively easy although working with the fragile wood made it slow and somewhat tedious. However, I think anyone with any kind of patience and motor skills could do it, and at a total investment of under $40, including shellac, urethane and a small scroll saw, it made my humble 914 look fabulous. I have also installed a mahogany rimmed Dino wheel and shift knob. I also removed the main guage panel and stripped the finish with a bench wire brush, then urethane coated it. The resulting brushed steel appearance is unique and sharp. The combined effect is a dashboard that redefines the whole feeling of the car and draws compliments from even the most die hard 914-isn't-really-Porsche-types! Anyone who would like a more detailed look at how this worked can email me and I will snap some pics and write it up in a bit greater detail.

[John Dandy]

Do you guys know about aircraft plywood? It can be gotten nearly as thin as a tablet back in 5 ply, sanded, with perfect grain. The outer surfaces are clear grained and as perfect as wood can be and it's all waterproof. Most any Fixed Base Operator,(general garage for airplanes to you Gringos), will have a Wicks Aircraft Supply Catalog. They're nearly all laid back friendly guys who would let you check theirs out and answer questions about aircraft wood. The smaller the FBO the better, they'll know more about it than the big boys do. You can punch up Wicks Aircraft Supply in your brouser too. They opened a site in October.