Can anyone help with how to install a wooden dash like the one in this link http://ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php ... highlight=
I thought it was just a matter of screwing it in top and bottom but it does not seem to fit. Are leyland dashes different sizes from morris as this could be the reason?
Cheers james

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1962 Traveller with 1275LS engine

James.
I have one like that in mine (Rokee)
My method:
Locate the centre bit around the speedo,
Fit the (say) left side into place. See if you can plug the threads into the centre peice and start wingnuts.
Now wriggle that side into place. The ones I have seen don't fit perfectly. If its got the old screw holes, try and adjust it so the holes will sit so you can drill a new hole on the crest of the dash panel.
They do sit out a bit. Then sit the other side in the same way
Its a matter of making it look even.
Avoid cutting anything, you'll regret it.

Take your time. I used small metal threads with nuts so I could keep taking it in and out.

Good luck
Alex

Thanks, have you got any pics mine has a big gap at the top when sitting on the bottom rail.

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1962 Traveller with 1275LS engine

This is a shot if it helps. It's an old shot as I was building it.
Alex

Yeah cheers. I guess my top rail has been bent out of shape. Will try and get a pic tomorrow.

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1962 Traveller with 1275LS engine

James.
If you PM me your email I've got some fresh photo's

Alex

The wooden dash is fitted with self tapping screws four for each side that go into the top and bottom rails. some of the screws are close or under the hinges for the glovebox doors.
Use wing nuts to hold the centre piece over the speedo but when you do the initial fit do not tighten them up, leave them loose, use washers to avoid depressing the wooden back of the centre piece.
Fitting one side at a time, gently tighten the wing nuts of the first side but just off finger tight.
Fit the other side, centre the three pieces. Remember there will be a gap above the centre speedo near the ash tray.
Also, there are supposed to be two pieces which are screwed to the side of the body on each side. They should be chamfered to allow for the wiring on the the passenger side which goes over the roof lining after going up the passenger A pillar.
When it is centred, use a scribe or the end of a small unused rivet to scribe marks on the top and bottom rail for the self tapping screws.
Carefully undo the wing nuts and remove the dash as three pieces, if you pull it out as one piece you can damage the edge of the veneer which are now old at almost 50 years!
Use a punch to locate the scribed holes for drilling. Using a fresh HSS bit smaller than the self tappers diameter drill the holes.
Make the outer pieces out of suitable 5 or 9 ply. Drill two holes in each using the same diameter of the smaller self tappers. Fit them to make sure they will sit flat and chamfer the areas required for them to lay flat on the sides.
Refinish the dash, making attention to the type of varnish or finish, gloss or satin. Badly worn dashes can be rebuilt by applying veneers.
The more the layers of varnish, the better the finish, there are various links to people doing this on MGs etc.
The edges of the dash pieces, around the speedo and the inside of the glove boxes were in a brown colour, I used a sample pot of Abbot Brown to do the last one.
The hinges are hard to replace and the ones commercially available are not as good. Make sure the self tapping screws you fit to the hinges do not interfere with the operation of the hinge.
Lastly ball catches of the type used are also hard to get. I wandered around a few Wood shows trying to find them without luck. Many glovebox lids just jam themselves in, but the veneer will suffer.
If your centre dash has been drilled for guages then you will have to consider its replacement to give the original look or make a pod to hold the guages proud of the centre piece. The pod will hold the guages loosely to the shelf and can be tightened once the dash is in place.
Please avoid drilling the glovebox lids as this looks bad. You can position the guages inside the drivers lid and open it when you are driving the car.

if there is a ig gap (top or bottom) then it may be that your car has been involved in a big accident

i hope not, but i`ve seen this on many occasion , many people believing the dash to be not the right shape, when it`s the car out of whack

again i hope this is not the case for you, because cars "that" far out of whack from accidents are pretty yukky

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Have worked out that the dash has been bent to fit Leyland gear in it, how can I bend it back down with out damaging it, or is it a job best left for a panel shop? Cheers James

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1962 Traveller with 1275LS engine