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I have started to renovate the dashboard on my TR2, TS 3594 L. When I started it was really ugly, with a thick layer of padding unprofessional covered by vinyl. Unfortunately I have no fotos in this state because I really hated the look of it. But I got a surprise when I had removed the vinyl and a layer of a cheap sponge foam.

The dashboard is under all that mess covered by some foam which looks very professional added to the metal structure, probably by some sort of pressing. It can impossibly be done of the same fool who did the outer layer. In fact this looks more having been done in the Triumph factory line but I have never heard of such an experiment during the TR 2-3 production.

Since it would be a shame to destroy the covering if it is factory unique I would like to know if anyone heard of something like this or have any theory of where this modification has been done!

The provenance of my car is not totally known. It has been in Sweden since 1956 and got some modifications during the years. It is now a short door without door handles and has got the rear valance from a TR 3A. It is undergoing a slow restoration project and has not been on the road since late 60-ties.

 

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Is the rear of the dash "hollow" ? (can we see a photo from the rear)

It look like a flat metal dash with a thick layer of foam on - maybe moulded from an original dash ?

 

Bob.

Edited by Lebro
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I notice that the top two holes where the center instrument panel fits are not slotted. Was this the case with the TR2, as I believe that at least the TR3 onwards have slots to make removal easier? If they were supposed to be slotted, that points to an oddity.

 

 

Charlie D

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Never seen or heard of anything like that before.

 

As you say. the foam looks to have been done professionally

with the different thicknesses and curves around the gauges.

May a P.O. to the P.O. that did the horror job?

 

The factory did occasionally do something as an experiment,

a trial so even though unlikely, it could just be factory applied.

 

I wonder if anyone 'in the know' could recognise the type of

foam used and give an opinion as to whether it could have

been done in the 50s when the car was made.

 

AlanR

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That sort of granulated or fibrous finish was available to model makers in 1961-62 when I started building 1/25 scale models imported from the USA. It came in spray cans, and also on very thin sheets of some sort of adhesive paper, water soluble. And was very expensive !

 

I had seen it featured in American custom car magazines of a little earlier, so I'd suggest this dashboard coating might possibly have been applied as an aftermarket custom towards the end of the 1950s ?

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

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