Pretty much have all the work completed, the flocking is AMAZING!! Thank you BKelley for the recommendation!!!! I can already tell it's really a stand out features of the little consolette. It'll need another 10 hours to cure but I can already tell it looks freaking awesome!!!!! Got the clock wrapped up and back together, I bent the tabs over, not as much as the factory but it 100% secure. The only problem I've not been able to fix is a nick in the clock face. I polished it, super glued it (like a windshield repair) but nothing seems to work. I may just have to live with it. If anybody has any recommendation I'm all ears! Here's a few more pic's including the nick.
I always thought it was kinda funny how the clock mounts, just kinda twist the brackets, and it's good....
Looking really good. A good suggestion for that lens is to use Future floor polish. It works great to make clear plastic parts look new again. It is self-leveling which means that typically you put it on a bit thick and let the piece set up with the most important surface horizontal. That lens is a bit of a challenge .... it is curved and has the knob protruding right through the lens. The curve means that Future would want to puddle at the lowest point. You can rock the piece back and forth while it sets up to counteract that. The hole presents an issue where you don't want any to run into the inside of the clock. I have wiped Future on smaller parts and been successful. You can do it in multiple layers. This would be the approach I would use with this if you can't separate the lens from the body of the clock (and I likely wouldn't ...). If those are divots in the lens, maybe gravity fill them off of a toothpick. Then follow up with a wipe coat over the whole lens. The beauty of Future is that if you get a streak or finish that is maybe over-worked, you can follow it up with another coat. That will partially- or fully-dissolve the previous coat, depending how aggressive you get with it. That works at any time later. Before you try any of this, go out and buy a container of Tic-Tacs and practice on that. It will give you an idea of the amount to use and the speed you need to work at.
@ CaptianComet, I'll give it a shot. Willing to try just about anything. Pretty familiar with the product, we used it allot to shine shoes. Makes since, just got to find a way to get into the crack.
It’s about Finished! A couple little touch ups needed and I have to re-wrap the wiring harness this weekend I’ll get some dry vinyl tape. Here’s a few last pictures before a box it up, I want it to fully cure, I figure about two weeks or so. This weekend I’ll do a final write up with lessons learned. There are a few things I would do differently if I started the project today. For me, that’s important to pass along to the next guy who may be doing the same sort of restoration. Anyway, happy Friday and I hope you enjoy the pictures! I had a lot of fun with this job!
Great job! It looks like new Overall, how satisfied were you with the flocking material and can you share with us how close (or not) was it compared to what came in the interior of the consolette from factory?
The material in my box was really worn, I think it would be very difficult to compare the two and come with an "originality" measurement. I will say, the Donjer products are superb. I used their glue, fibers and hand pump to apply the fibers. To me it looks "factory" I wouldn't hesitate for one second to use the products again. Plus, they have several colors, blue, green, brown etc... Next time (if I ever do it again) I will color match the fibers to the box! I think that would be REALLY cool!!!!
Martha Stewart’s Silver Gilding Sheets, they came in a pack of 2 bronze, 2 silver, 2 gold. I used the bronze ones as a learning curve. The wife walked into the kitchen and saw her wine bottles bronzed! Had to test it out something http://todayscreativeblog.net/diy-silver-gilding/ After it was done, I gave the whole consolette a clearcoat. Hopefully it won't run off down the road.
Thought I would post the next piece of my little mini project, it goes with the consolette. Followed the same procedure, painted the cups with the same color so hopefully when lite, everything will match. I also color matched the needles and choose a font that looked similar to Fords. I think it all looks pretty close, the below pictures are a mockup of what it will look like.
The next part of the consolette is to install it, I’ve working out the wiring diagram and planning the wiring harness. I believe I’m going to come straight off the fuse box for constant power (after ignition on) and tap into the dimmer switch for variable voltage. I’m going to go ahead and install some under dash lighting as well, that will be tapped into the variable voltage source. I’m not an electrical engineer so let me know if my schematic looks reasonable! Also has anybody used JEGS Unsealed Connector Kit? I’m planning on making a full harness with individual pig tails for each component. Thanks in advance for any input! http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/10900/10002/-1
This stuff works pretty good for small chrome trim too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bare-Metal-...372613165?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item338ad6022d
