I bought 2 overlays from Vic Brit when they had them on sale at $39 each.
Fitted
one to the MK IV and one to the dash getting ready to go back into the 1500
restoration project.
I have to say, that unless you press on the overlay to see that it isn't soft
like
an original, you CAN'T tell its a replacement. They both fitted to within 1/8"
on
one hole. A file fixed that. All others lined up perfectly. I even installed
the
one in the MK IV without removing any dashes. True the overlay does not wrap
around
under and behind the wood dashes, but you can't see a gap.
Cheers, Fred
with no financial interest in anything other than my Spits
Vic Whitmore wrote:
> Coverlays are semi-rigid plastic covers that fit over your current crashpad.
> They look reasonable but are easily distinguished from the original. I got one
> but never put it on. The right way to do it is to apply vinyl over the current
> crashpad. VTR has a great description on how to do it.
> http://www.vtr.org/maintain/dash-recovering.html
>
> Some points that I found during my project:
>
> Use epoxy to fill the cracks and then smooth out the surface to match the
> surrounding area.
>
> Don't use contact cement to hold the vinyl. On a hot day it just softens and
>the
> vinyl comes loose. There may also be some reaction with the oil residue in the
> vinyl itself. I have seen a high-heat version of spray-on contact cement that
> might work. I recommend an epoxy.
>
> Be selective in the vinyl thickness. My vinyl was a little on the thick side
>and
> presented a problem re-assembling the crashpad. I end up trimming so that it
> would fit better with the dash.
>
> When your done, the result is a crashpad that is virtually indistinguishable
> from the original.
>
> Vic Whitmore
> 76 Spitfire
> Thornhill, Ontario
>
> (Canada,eh)
>
> "McKey, Paul" wrote:
> >
> > Hi guys and gals
> >
> > Well, my crashpad (padded vinyl above dash) has finally got to the point of
> > nedding critical attention; AND its been sitting indoors all winter!
> >
> > I'm sure there isn't a single person on this list not familiar with the
> > inability of the crashpads on our cars to resist UV light and crack in
> > untold numbers of places. I've checked out the usual parts places, VB,
> > Moss, Rimmers etc. Rimmers looked promising as their catalogue doesn't list
> > the part as an "overlay" as the others did. However, an email confirmed it
> > was in fact an overlay.
> >
> > My question(s): What is an overlay? Is it simply a piece of vinyl cut to
> > cover the old dash? In which case, couldn't I just buy some vinyl and do
> > this myself? Most places want around US$45 for this seemingly simple
> > overlay. I see VB do a plastic overlay. Does this really look authentic?
> >
> > As anybody heard of (and tried) vacuum overlaying vinyl after filling the
> > cracks in the old dash? In this way you retain the original crashpad as a
> > shell for the new vinyl.
> >
> > Anyway, summer's coming down under and its time the Spit saw more daylight.
> > Anybody on the list come over for the Olympics? If you did you may have
> > noticed the distinct lack of Spits and GT6's in Australia and New Zealand.
> > Given that however, the Triumph Saloons were extremely popular (my family
> > had one) as they were manufactured extensively in both New Zealand and
> > Australia. That's just given me a thought - you've got to wonder why BL
> > didn't build Spits in the US...
> >
> > Thanks again.
> >
> > Paul.
> >
> > PS: I'm in the process of installing my new Prestige Autotrim hood and hood
> > cover (both in black mohair with beige inside). They look absolutely SUPERB
> > and are highly recommended! Danny at Prestige is very helpful.
> >
> > Paul McKey
> > Palmerston North
> > NEW ZEALAND
--
Fred & Wendy Griffiths,
Calgary, Canada
http://www.cadvision.com/griffco/index.htm
mailto: griffco@cadvision.com
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