walnut dash

[briancrossy]

hi all/started fitting my walnut dash from ebay today to the spare wood i have.got to the glove box and noticed there is no hole for the maplight.have previous fitters of this dash just not fitted the lens or is there a foolproof method of cutting a hole out without damaging the veneer.am reluctant to do anything as the lens sits flush when fitted,so any c**k-ups will be noticable.cheers brian

[Ray Smith]

Hi Brian, you appear to have a Mk2 kit, mk2`s do not have glove box light. You need a mk1 kit. There are also some differences regarding brake light position on `clocks` dash, and mk1 did not have hazard light switch, mk2 does. Hope you can return it for correct one.
Ray Smith.

[dragonstag]

Hi Brian. I assume this is the stick on plastic dash variety. I went through this myself. I first asked supplier how to cut the hole and he suggested drilling but as you may have noticed the resin layer of plastic easily comes away from the printed "veneer" layer so I was wary of this approach. If you drill through a plywood or mdf sandwich two layers with the plastic in the middle firmly clamped together) it may work but getting the hole correctly positioned is very difficult.The way I did it was to use a circular hole punch and a 10 ton press. Hitting the punch with a hammer does not work as the punch will "bounce" off the surface. With the hole punch and press approach you can mark the position precisely I drew the circle on masking tape stuck on the panel. You can then position the punch precisely and apply the pressure.This approach cut a beautiful hole for me.

[briancrossy]

thanks for the replies.instrument panel is definately a mk 1.have already stuck the glove box one on and only then thought to ask the forum.grrrr may be able to use the punch and press method still .will check what size punches i have available first brian

[jakesmig]

Try drilling out an undersised pilot hole in the centre from the back face and use a dremmel sanding drum to finish it off. If you don't have a dremmel, buy a sanding kit in B&Q or wherever and use a standard drill, carefully . Any scuff marks on the inner face of the hole can be touched up using dark brown enamel paint or similar from any hardware shop.

John

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/206Pc-Drum-Sanding-Sleeve-Belt-Kit-Cutting-Disc-Bit-Set-Fit-Dremel-Rotary-Tool-/201064033485?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item2ed059accd

[andy p]

deff sounds like a mk2 kit, they ask when you buy them is it mk1 or 2 and auto or manual, I would use a small drill bit and drill through then step up to the next size, after that a fine file to finish it off.

[briancrossy]

thanks again.will drill a pilot hole and then try out a file and the dremel to see which gives the better finish on the edge and go from there.fingers crossed.lol brian