I guess I’m getting closer to being done. At this point, it’s waiting for the rear bumpers to get back from the chrome shop, refinishing the top frame (and installing the top), and finishing the dash top.
The dash, sigh–at this point, for expediency’s sake, I’m leaning strongly towards just using the normal replacements readily available, rather than trying to replicate the early car’s thinner dash, much as I’d like to. This car has pretty much soured me on using professionals for much of anything, and I don’t have a good plan for producing a good early dash replica with the means I have available here.
This car will be on the market soon(ish), and if you’re interested, drop me a line. It’s a good 1- to 2+ car using Hagerty’s value guide. It’s a lovely old thing, just wish I could afford to keep it.
Hey Roger,
Stumbled across your posts and can understand your frustration with the “experts”. I restore sports and racing cars for people and most of my re-work or misfit parts or incorrect stuff has been sourced from or fabricated by the pros.
As far as a correct dash goes, I looked for a cabinet maker who takes instruction well and got him to do a dash in his slow season. Lot’s of time explaining why it has to be just so and positive words when telling him to re-do something, but in the end I got what I wanted and it fit as well as the original wood did. Cost quite a bit more than the club dash, but the last one of those I got was so poorly done I felt badly selling it on ebay.
I encourage you to get it the way you want, otherwise you will think it every time you look at the car.
Cheers
Scott
It has been quite a journey to say the very least. We all have longs lists of “If I had to do it all over again, I…” Not many people can say they have restored an E-Type. Which is kinda like summiting K2 in the British car world. At least the next restoration will be a day at the beach by comparison. That is, if your therapist ever gives you the green light.