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Dash capping details


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I'm getting ready to tackle the dash capping. Getting the old horses hoof glue off the aluminum was a bit of an ordeal but I finally got it all off after a long soak in paint stripper.

 

Looking at the vinyl that I have to re-cover it I'm planning to use the same approach that has been described for the elbow capping, ie first glue the vinyl to just the crown of the capping, perhaps an inch wide and just along the straight-ish section and let that set up Then work my way around the curved sections stretching the vinyl as needed. Finally stretch and glue the vinyl to the sides. The vinyl I am using has a good amount of stretch in it based on my experience with the dashboard. I will wrap the vinyl around the edge of the capping and glue it.

 

Where the vent rod escutcheon is attached there are a couple of J clips for the screws. Do these go on after the vinyl is fully completed or do they go on first and get covered by the vinyl ?. They are not big enough to go over the vinyl so they need to be slid right onto the aluminum capping either way.

 

IMAG0170_zps875a55ca.jpg

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1. Get the vinyl warm. It will be more able to 'stretch' as required and hopefully avoid the wrinkles. Did mine on a hot sunny day (we do have them in UK) I have a TRF kit.

2. I had the clips on the trim rail and covered over them on my car, then poked holes in the glued trim to get the vent push rod through - I am not saying that is correct tho....but it works and looks good as the escutcheon covers the clips.

 

Cheers

Peter W

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It is easier to stretch trimming material

than it is to shrink it.

 

I always glue the shortest curve first, then

stretch over the larger curves.

 

So, for the dash trim, I would glue the

underside first.

 

AlanR

Edited by TR 2100
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It is easier to stretch trimming material

than it is to shrink it.

 

I always glue the shortest curve first, then

stretch over the larger curves.

 

So, for the dash trim, I would glue the

underside first.

 

AlanR

 

The stretching vs shrinking is an excellent point Alan. This piece has the additional challenge in that the capping is curved in general and has the two extreme curves at the ends while the supplied vinyl is rectangular and only just big enough to do the job assuming you plan ahead and understand where you will need to position it to cover all of the capping.Probably a piece of cake once you have done this a dozen times, a bit daunting when you have this one and only shot at not screwing it up.

 

Stan

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Fasten the clips first, including the ones for the grab handle over the cubby box.

 

I marked of the centre line of the vinyl on the back so that I could keep it in line with the capping. I applied the glue as a single exercise.

 

Rgds Ian

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Hi Stan,

Given that you are using Vinyl the choice of glue is extremely important and i suggest that you trial a scrap piece to see the effect when stretched. Some glue will break it down and cause wrinkling or "pooking".

It is even more difficult with leather at the corners. as the stretch required is quite significant. I worked from the centre out pulling the material in both dimensions and used clothes pegs and document clamps to hold the material in place till sure how much was required at the curved ends. The material needs to be biased to the top so that it will fully cover with adequate material spare to fold over.

Use a good quality glue specific for the material but one that allows repositioning. I glued and folded over the excess unglued but clamped with card isolators (to avoid marking to material) and then when dry, trimmed to half inch all round and then glued that. I did this to approx 4 inches before that start of the curve and then i was able to stretch and form the material round and over the curve. By doing it that way it reduced the potential for the material to deform and shrink back on the inner radius pulling the material away from the curve as it has to be tight and the outer section tighter still.

 

Long winded I know but the essence of what I am saying is that you need to really trial fit to understand how the material behaves when you come to glue it. Furthermore i would not advise any painting except perhaps the area finally left inside after all gluing and trimming has been done. Roughen the alloy surface before applying glue.

 

As far as I remember the only j clips required to fit are those for vent knob plate. The holes for the grab handle are glued and covered. I have no recollection of any fitted to attach the grab handle as the screws either go into the wood frame on an early car or the finished box section on a later car. O would not want the grab handle screwed direct to the capping as it is only alloy and not strong enough for the purpose.

Edited by Rodbr
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Thanks all for the very helpful tips. I ended up starting in the middle, just anchoring the vinyl a couple of inches either side of the vent pull hole, then moved to the inside diameter of the end curves followed by the outside faces of the curves just to be sure I had enough fabric in the right places and that it would stretch as needed. Then I glued the vertical faces along the length followed by folding the fabric over and gluing it to the inner surface. A bit of cutting and trimming needed at the end to get the fabric to fold and sit nicely.

 

Basically an all day job.

 

The vinyl and the contact adhesive I am using are both very forgiving. There is a lot of stretch in the vinyl so it is possible to work it around the bends and I had a lot of practice using these materials when I did the dashboard. I would say that the dash capping was a bigger challenge than the dashboard because of the more complex shape.

 

 

Not a great picture with the phone but you get the idea.

 

IMAG0180_zps7ce82927.jpg

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Hi Stan,

Nice job, and agree an all day one. Rush it at your peril.

Now the fun starts when you try to get the dash, the cap, the door caps all to line up do they don't clash when you open and shut the door.

http://s223.photobucket.com/user/Rodbr/media/ec53891b-d441-4904-bd4b-e34c87682711.jpg.html

 

leather ain't that easy on a lot of these jobs but results are worth it I think

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As far as I remember the only j clips required to fit are those for vent knob plate. The holes for the grab handle are glued and covered. I have no recollection of any fitted to attach the grab handle as the screws either go into the wood frame on an early car or the finished box section on a later car. O would not want the grab handle screwed direct to the capping as it is only alloy and not strong enough for the purpose.

Apologies, you are right Rod, the J clips are on the box section and there are large oval cut outs in the capping piece.

 

Rgds Ian

Edited by Ian Vincent
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Well done on getting the front rail covered - good practice for when you get to the cappings just behind the doors.

They are the only ones I had to do twice. The bend at the bottom is the killer, first time i did it, it looked great for a week,

then it started to wrinkle on the top surface at the bend. I pulled that area off, cleaned, & used a stronger adhesive

(brush on , not spray on) this time for the centre, as well as the edges. OK this time !

 

Good Luck.

Bob.

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The elbow cappings are always a killer to do, Best to do the centre couple of inches first before the sides. A good idea to fix them to something whilst doing the job. Most of the high strength contact adhesives if you need them to really hold something well then apply 1 layer of glue to both sides, let it dry and then apply another layer but be aware that doing this if you get it wrong then you will probably destroy the material if you have to re-position!

Stuart.

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The elbow cappings are always a killer to do, Best to do the centre couple of inches first before the sides. A good idea to fix them to something whilst doing the job. Most of the high strength contact adhesives if you need them to really hold something well then apply 1 layer of glue to both sides, let it dry and then apply another layer but be aware that doing this if you get it wrong then you will probably destroy the material if you have to re-position!

Stuart.

 

I'm finding with this vinyl (which is quite thick compared to the original) it absorbs the first application of adhesive and it takes another coat or two to provide a surface that will bond. The aluminum has the opposite problem, nothing to grip, so another two coats needed there. This particular product (DAP contact adhesive gel) sets up in about 20 mins at room temp and when you bring the two surfaces together and apply pressure, the bond is permanent and no additional clamping is required. The glue takes another 24 hours to fully cure and is heat resistant.

 

Elbow capping will be next on the list but I need to make a wooden stand to hold the pieces and then follow the process that was very nicely described and illustrated here: http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/44328-elbow-capping-suggested-vinyl-covering-method/?hl=capping

 

 

Now where did I put that vent pull escutcheon 4 years ago...

 

Stan

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I covered mine in leather and spent 4 evenings sitting working to soften and stretch the leather over the lower section which is difficult. Until ready to actually glue I used these to hold the leather while it relaxed after working. I put thin card gaskets to stop marking the leather.

http://www.buy-stationery.co.uk/q-connect-foldback-clip-32mm-assorted-pack-of-10-kf03653-1kf03653?X=GS12&gclid=CJXOveqW3MICFWL4wgodrl4A1g

Because the leather grain will flatten due to the process of stretching it is important to let it relax before gluing. I glued a strip down the centre and down the sides and held it in place while to glue went off and finally trimmed round and stick the folded over section. At the top and bottom ends I has a narrow section due to the tight curve and excess material would prevent it sitting well.

Here are mine after completion, but again a job that does take some time and two years later is as good as the day they were done.

PICT1697.jpg

 

20130825_160319.jpg

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Rod, I noticed in an earlier picture that you have a panel for switches attached to the bottom of the dashboard. Were you able to cover that with the same leather or did you paint it ?. I have a small bracket that I plan to use for fog/spot switches, it is smaller than the one you have and I was not optimistic that the thick vinyl would work on something this small.

 

Stan

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Hi Stan,

Do you mean this?ec53891b-d441-4904-bd4b-e34c87682711.jpg

 

It is a standard Lucas switch panel slightly altered, two spotlight switch, 12v pin plug socket, washer push switch and a fan switch. The plating was flatted down, and material glued with impact glue and then left to set. the excess trimmed and then stretched and glued over with slot cuts and when dry cover with glue to hold cut tabs down. I then put it aside for a week and then cut the holes with a craft knife. I made the holes fit the switches fit each hole before the above. Use the stretch in the material to get a good profile round the rounded corners. Same vinyl as the dash.

 

Note: The driver seat cushion came as a filthy purchase to replace the seat springs but when cleaned was far too good to scrap so I use ut as my working cushion, i.e. jeans proof. U have matching correct sprung cushion base in the trunk.

Edited by Rodbr
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Thanks for the switch panel detail Rod, I'll give that a go with my smaller panel.

 

Alan, the thicker fabric is a concern as is the aluminum underneath it (there is a big depression in one of the elbow cappings that I will need to fix). It does look a little plusher than the thinner material though with a grain similar to leather. I'll just have to be careful and use the truck if I need to haul lumber.

 

Stan

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A question about the fasteners for the tonneau that also attach the dash capping to the scuttle. In the picture below the fastener on the far right is what I removed 4 years ago. It doesnt look right to me because it has a wood screw. Next to it in the middle is a new version of that fastener. On the left is another style from my collection, it is shorter and the screw looks like a sheet metal screw not a wood screw. I dont trust anything that I took off this car so before I use one of these am I correct that the shorter fastener with the machine screw is correct for this post 60K TR3A ?

 

IMAG0185_zps5383da2d.jpg

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The ones on the right would be correct, as they do screw into wood - unless your car is late enough to not have wood under the metal,

in which case use the left one if it is long enough.

The middle one looks like a brass thread, which is common for the wood type, if the right hand one is steel, then that would be better if you have no wood, but still need a longer thread.

 

Bob.

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The ones on the right would be correct, as they do screw into wood - unless your car is late enough to not have wood under the metal,

in which case use the left one if it is long enough.

The middle one looks like a brass thread, which is common for the wood type, if the right hand one is steel, then that would be better if you have no wood, but still need a longer thread.

 

Bob.

 

The later cars dont have the wood under the scuttle or in the door frame Bob so they use sheet metal screws where the earlier cars used wood screws. I liked the look of the shorter pegs with the sheet metal screws so after testing with an LTD fastener I opted to use them along the top of the dash.

 

I find this whole thing confusing so I need to do some more research. I have a box of body Tenax pegs with multiple variations in thread size and peg length and no confidence in using the ones that I removed as a guide.

 

Stan

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Tenex were only used along the top of the screen. Early ones were smaller than the later ones - yours would be the larger type.

Lift the dot used everywhere else, some "nut & bolt" type where you had access to the inside, others were self tap type.

 

Bob.

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Tenex were only used along the top of the screen. Early ones were smaller than the later ones - yours would be the larger type.

Lift the dot used everywhere else, some "nut & bolt" type where you had access to the inside, others were self tap type.

 

Bob.

 

Yes, sorry I'm getting my Tenax and LTD terminology mixed up. I'm good with the Tenax pegs on the windshield frame, just unclear about the diverse sizes of LTD pegs and mounting variations that are on different parts of the tub and doors.

 

Stan

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If you can get hold of the bolt in version of those short flat topped LTD fasteners then use them all the way round the rear from the "B" post back as they are better if you ever wanted to fit a hard top.

Stuart.

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