Re: Fuse box, dash restoration questions

[David Bongo <dbongo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Thomas R. Elliott Jr." wrote:

> ---About the fuse panel. You can take any fuse box from any vehicle and make
> your own using new terminals from a company like Waytek or Cinchtech (is it
> "Cinchtech"?). You can purchase an expensive panel from any of the
> aftermarket companies, or you can rebuild your old panel with new terminals
> from the companies like the ones mentioned above. I have a mini fuse panel
> from wire-works that has a lifetime warranty. That alone I think costs close
> to $150. That will have more circuits than you need for the OEM wiring,
> plenty for add-ons.

I'll be looking into that.  The Scout runs just fine so I'm not too worried
about doing this, but it would be nice to have a "normal" fuse panel.  I'll be
looking into this and probably get on it in a month or 2.  (Apart from work and
my Scout projects, I'm helping my cousin out with some stuff, so the fuse panel
got moved back on the to-do list.  Especially since it's a non-essential job.)

>
>
> ---As for the dash, get yourself some strong adhesive and visit a tack shop
> for some doe skin or other treated and buffed leather. Wet the leather down,
> wrap the dash and use stick pins to hold it in place until it dries. After
> it dries, apply the adhesive to the dash, wrap it again and use the stick
> pins to hold it in place. Trim off the excess leaving 1" overlapping and
> there ya have it, a leather dash for about 1/2 the cost to have an
> upholsterer do it.

That sounds like a good idea.  But how well will it hold up?  I'm not (and never
was) looking forward to the upholstery end of this.  My concern is the fact that
this dash WILL take a beating.  Apart from the Florida sun, there's a lot of
heat and moisture to contend with.  Also, I set mail on my dash whenever
possible.  All kinds of stuff moving around on there.  I'd hate to ruin a
leather dash (and, god forbid, have to go through it again in a few years...with
a bunch of adhesive to remove before re-application) because I had stained it or
worn a hole in it.

I hadn't considered leather because of the heat/sun/humidity/water factors.  I
was leaning towards vinyl as I expected that to be largely unaffected by such
environmental factors.  Toughness and durability are also concerns, too.  I
think I'm going to need to seal the dash to prevent further deterioration, so
the Acraglas Gel John H. mentioned is looking attractive, but I'm still not
certain about it's suitability as a top coat.

Thanks,

Dave

>
>
> ---Thank you,
> -T.R.E.Jr.
> -`73 Scout II (StoneThrower)
> -`51 Farmall H (Heinz)
> -`49 IH fridge (presently unnamed and in need of a compressor) -`49 Plymouth
> Special Deluxe 4-door Sedan (Papapalooza)