[alfa] '67 GTV Dash Restoration

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

West Clark asks "Does anyone have a recommendation of where I can send my '67 GTV dash to have the laminated "wood" facing replaced/restored?"
 
There are both hard and easy answers to the "wood" dash question on the stepnose coupes, depending on personal aesthetics and values, particularly the importance one places on the originality of design versus the originality of execution.
 
The Giulia Sprint GT and the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce are virtually identical cars with a slight variation in tune (106 CV on the GT, 109 CV on the GT Veloce) and slight cosmetic changes on the Veloce: the Veloce grill has three horizontal bars (rather than a grid) flanking the Alfa shield, a cloverleaf badge on the C-pillar, Veloce script on the rear panel, a different upholstery material on the seats, and the vinyl imitation "wood" applied to the dashboard. The original Sprint GT, the no-nonsense performance-oriented GTA, and the decidedly upscale GTC all had painted dashboards without any fake woodgraining. People who like 'faux' stuff may well find the 'wood' attractive, and people who value strict originality may want to replicate it on a car which originally had it, (just as they might pay a premium for Coker's reissue of the original 155-15 Pirelli tires) but those who are drawn to the purity and refinement of Giugiaro's design for Bertone and Alfa may find the painted dashboard preferable. Many could live with either. Owner's choice.
 
If one does want to recreate the 'wood', the technology is not obscure; the printed vinyl is thermoplastic, and can be eased into the recesses around the instruments (or other compound curvature) with the aid of a hair-drier or other heat gun. The skill is not demanding; any bodyshop which could have fixed a bent fender on a fake-wood station wagon in the sixties would have done it as a matter of course, although a DIY first-attempt might benefit from experimenting with scraps. The material is not unobtainium; aftermarket doll-up places like J.C. Whitney stock it for customers who want to make their cars look nice. Finding a really close match to the original color and grain might be harder, but a reasonably close approximation shouldn't be too hard to find. 
 
Enjoy yours,

John H.
Raleigh N.C.
164 
Milano
MBz C 230 K
Various 115 projects ('when' and 'if')
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