68 Dash Resto Using Bare Metal Foil

[dkn1997]

here's a pic of mine, i used Krylon semi-flat black and this elmers white paint pen i got from wallyworld, went on perfect and very easy to use, the chrome fingernail polish i used in the large areas, and silver sharpie on the small areas:

nice work, I like the chrome nail polish idea, probably better than the silver sharpie.  I have an idea:  I took apart a silver paint pen I had and emptied it.   I am going to put the best brush on chrome like substance I can find into it.  chrome nail polish might be a winner....

[Manfred318]

Heres mine...I also used the Krylon semi-flat and I tried to use a silver Sharpie and wasnt very pleased so I redone it with a Pilot silver paint marker which looks a whole lot nicer than the sharpie did, and I done the lettering with a white Pentel paint marker. They both sell for about $5 each at Staples. I dont think I done too bad for my first try.

[pete]

DKN - Looks beautiful!  You may have inspired me to go back to the original!  I took a different approach, but still need to do the chrome.....see photos.....

[pete]

Back view

[dkn1997]

DKN - Looks beautiful!  You may have inspired me to go back to the original!  I took a different approach, but still need to do the chrome.....see photos.....

you might have just inspired me to go with aftermarket gauges!!  i actually saw your dash in the old thread and it looks awesome.  If I ever decide to make a custom job, I will be seeking you out for advice, truly beautiful...

and in a related story, I am going to staples tomorrow for the goods.  this could be like the $50 paint job revolution over at moparts, except with dashes!!!

[dkn1997]

Hey manfred, I think that pilot pen looks better than any silver paint I have seen (not sprayed, but brushed or markered on) 

I am thinking to try my next one with some bare metal foil and do just the really hard stuff with the paint pen.  mix it up a bit.  probably would fool a lot of people.  and F them if it does not.  we are doing dashes for our drivers, not show cars. 

three days now and my home converted clock is still keeping time by the way...

[Manfred318]

The only problem I had was the pen is a super fine tip and will slip if you are not extra careful especially around the gauges. I had to touch up mine a few times because of it. I also ordered me a set of new gauge face inserts from PCG last night so I will post another pic when I get it all put back together.
Heres a pic of the markers I used

[Manfred318]

Hey manfred, I think that pilot pen looks better than any silver paint I have seen (not sprayed, but brushed or markered on) 

I am thinking to try my next one with some bare metal foil and do just the really hard stuff with the paint pen.  mix it up a bit.  probably would fool a lot of people.  and F them if it does not.  we are doing dashes for our drivers, not show cars. 

How much does one of those quartz kits cost?

[dkn1997]

rt engineering wants 75 bucks, I found what looks like the same one for 50 at www.clocksandgauges.com.  i put it in and it works fine, been hooked up to my battery with jumpers and has been keeping time just fine.

[bill440rt]

Finally got around to taking some smaller file size pics of my dash for the '69. I used Plasti-Kote semi-flat black, & Dupli-Color's Chrome spray paint. I painted the chrome first, then masked off all of the gauges & silver areas with 3M's Fine Line tape. Came out good, but brushing it on would of course have been a lot easier. Looks similar to highly polished aluminum. Thought the Bare Metal Foil on my '68 looked better, but this still came out OK for me.

[Manfred318]

Looks great Bill440
I finally got mine all put back together earlier today and I think it came out fairly well. I wanted to get a pic of it n the car but by the time I got it back in, it was too dark and the pics came out crappy. I did get one before it was put in though.

[Recharger]

Finally got time to download and resize my pics, here's the result of my attempt at DIY dash restoration.  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I used Alcad II chrome paint with an airbrush, which is time consuming and labor intensive, but looks as close to real chrome as anything out there (aside from real chrome, that is.)   The key to making this stuff work is sanding the part smooth-as-glass, and then painting a nice gloss black base before the chrome goes on.  The rougher the surface, the more silvery it looks.  Unfortunately I rushed through prep work on the gauge bezels, and you can see in the pics they ended up more silvery than the other bezels and the a/c vents.    By the time I realized my mistake, I was all out of patience and didn't feel like doing it over... Oh well, good enough for my driver.   

#1  Radio & glove box panels
#2  A/C vents
#3  Main gauge bezel, looks a little more silvery than the others.
#4  Pic as of today, finally got the last of the dash completed (and working)

[DC_1]

Looks Fantastic!

[CLONEDXS29]

Hey, that is a BEAUTIFUL job. it's nice to see people use elbow  grease and ingenuity instead of just opening the checkbook. You should be proud, that dash looks just like it did in '68

[69bronzeT5]

I just bought some Bare Metal Foil but Im saving that for my model cars. For my dash, I'm gonna hand paint it. I have lots of hand painting skills from doing models.

[squeakfinder]

Wow!  That sure is blue    Nice job, and thanks for sharing.

[JimShine]

Paint will gray over time. The foil will last and can atleast be cleaned.

[charger2fast4u]

dash looks amazing how it turned out i think you inspired me to do the same to my dash since im taking it out to clean it up anyways

[Rob R]

Nice job..!!

[onebadmopar]

i read this thread twice .. and i was so impressed with the way rechargers dash came out i decided to do a little experimenting   .....went looking for that bare metal foil but couldnt find any at my local hobby shop it is evidently a hot item for die hard modelers .. any way disapponted i came home and got to thinking if i took some contact cement and laid it down even could i get aluminum foil to do the same as the metal foil    had an old cluster bezel to try it on 1st ....well i tell ya its going in my car now if the rest of the bezel comes out like the top edge and the squareholes i got to tired to do the gauges yet i,ll play with those tomorrow night was going to take a pic but i left digital at work  but i,ll be sure to post some soon as bezel is finished ....i think it may actually be a tad brighter then the metal foil but not sure yet i,ll let you guys decide that im just thinkin its a cheap alternative then a new bezel set and definatley looks way better than just youre basic silver paint imo

[onebadmopar]

ugg i said rechargers dash cluster i meant dk,s

[JimShine]

Another alternative is aluminum tape available at most auto and hardware stores. Buy the cheap stuff as it will be thinner. You should be able to burnish the seams in .

[jdiesel33]

Quick question, what do you guys think is the best order to do these steps in:

Paint the Cluster Bezel Black
Paint the Chrome Pieces on the Bezel
Paint the lettering on the Bezel White

It may not matter all that much, but from all of the experience on this thread, some of you may know of advantages to doing them in a certain order.

Thanks Much!!!

[Musicman]

Nice Job, it turned out great 

[Manfred318]

Quick question, what do you guys think is the best order to do these steps in:

Paint the Cluster Bezel Black
Paint the Chrome Pieces on the Bezel
Paint the lettering on the Bezel White

It may not matter all that much, but from all of the experience on this thread, some of you may know of advantages to doing them in a certain order.

Thanks Much!!!

From my experience its best to clean and paint the whole bezel first with a semi-flat black paint. Then do the chrome. Then save the lettering for last. It gets pretty tedious, so have plenty of patience.