2025 - Interior Work

While I'm waiting to paint I thought I would knock out interior pieces that would eventually need to get done.  The radio console holds many switches and controls.

The old vinyl is super stiff and somewhat brittle but I need to remove as a whole piece to use as a template for cutting new vinyl.

I carefully peeled all of the vinyl off both sides of the console.

To get a nice flat clean surface I used some glue remover to get all of the old adhesive off.

I gave a light sanding with 600 grit to give a slight bite for the new glue.

With a template cut I glued the new vinyl and folder over the back.  I used cardboard and binder clips to hold it while drying. I used a leather punch to recreate the holes.

The console face has a slight wrinkle finish...you can see the original where the radio was.  I stripped the piece and painted satin black as a backdrop to my next step.

This is the fixed panel covered the same way I did the removable side.

Tested the hole alignment for the console trim.  Will complete when I cover the console face.

The knobs are a hard bakelite type material and will polish up with careful work to avoid deep scratches or overheating while buffing.  After the polish I quickly painted the indicator.  You can see how the Throttle lock looks compared to the Choke knob (before and after).

I really like the look of a wood dash, but also feel that the radio console and shift plate should match.  I simply cut veneer and glued and vacuum sealed it to the appropriate parts.

The glovebox got the same treatment.  Others have used hydro dipping and I imagine that solves the problem of complex curves and shapes, but I really wanted to try a wood veneer.

Same process on this piece.  Now this is a 67 2000 so many will say I should restore stock, but I do have an extra dash, console cover, and shift plate if it ever needed to be stock.  I'm going to get it all assembled and see how it looks done.

After the veneer was bonded and dried I carefully used a Dremel to cut out the gauge holes and then finished all opening with a small Dremel sander.

The dash cutout for the glovebox was tricky as I needed to finish the edges and have a clean cut, but I wanted the grain to carry through so my cardboard template provided an exact reference for the glove box door.

When I put the console face into my vacuum bag I had applied a veneer flex agent that allows the veneer to bend without cracking.  Here is the piece ready for some varnish.

Every piece will get repetitive steps of thin coats of Spar Urethane, sand, and varnish again until the pieces are flat.

With each coat it starts to look better, but while working I was questioning my choices.

The hardest part is waiting for the layer of varnish to completly cure so I can sand flat.

The final coats are going on with a very smooth foam brush and nice and thin to reduce sanding.

You can see after sanding its almost completely flat which will make polishing and finishing easier.

Doing final finishing so I slid the door on to see how well I matched the grain pattern and I'm happy.

All pieces are going through a final cut and buff.

Hard to capture in photos, but the dash came out smooth and polished up nicely.  It looks so clear and glossy that it almost looks like a fake glue on cover.

The console face came out nice and looks really good against the red vinyl.

The shift plate came out nice as well and is ready to go into the car.

To do the center console, I disassembled and removed the old vinyl.  I cleaned and sanded to prep for new vinyl.

Stretched, trimmed, and glued the new vinyl onto the console.  Again, cardboard and binder clips held in place until dry.

The vinyl is folded over and glued, but the front plate screwed in and secured the vinyl in place.

Recovered the console lid the same way and installed.

So the top door trim does not have the same vinyl as the rest of the interior.  It is a super thin vinyl close to tape or a shelf liner type material.

Inside these trim pieces are the door fuzzies that help keep the window from rattling as well as sweep the glass as it travels up and down.

Completely stripped.

I had to use a razor blade and get all of the vinyl off.  These are the holes that the door fuzzy installs in and then the tabs are bent to hold in place.

Completely sanded. The hole is for the door lock knob to go through.  Dean sells new black trim pieces for this hole.

Painted black in prep for new vinyl.

I was able to find a replacement cover that was very thin, patterned, and adhesive was already on it.

Installed very flat and secure.  Folded over the back and ran additional adhesive to the seam on the rear.

Cut holes for knob trim ring and holes in rear for door fuzzy.

Fuzzy installed and trim ring in.  Notice the thin cover has a nice grain pattern,  A successful at home trim resto.

Complete....need to paint the car!