13 replies to this topic

[WillBriggs]

Hey All,

 

I was wonder if anyone had any suggestions on how I can achieve a colour matched to paintwork dash? I really like the look of the last cooper (non sports pack) model dashboards. In an ideal world, I'd just buy one of those and swap out, but Rover only built 528 it seems, so low chances of finding one for sale!

My SPI Cooper currently has a walnut wood effect dash (original).

 

Pictures of the effect I'm going for:

 

 

Any help appreciated :) 

 

- Will

[stuart bowes]

presumably the walnut is just a veneer, seems unlikely they would have used actual nice wood, you'd either have to rub it down and spray it, or what I think is probably the easiest and most reversible option, wrap it

 

at least that way future owners (or you if you change your mind) can just peel it off again

[WillBriggs]

presumably the walnut is just a veneer, seems unlikely they would have used actual nice wood, you'd either have to rub it down and spray it, or what I think is probably the easiest and most reversible option, wrap it

 

at least that way future owners (or you if you change your mind) can just peel it off again

That's a good shout Stuart, thanks. I might look at buying a second hand dashboard and wrapping or spraying it instead of ruining my own 

[mini-mad-mark]

I don't want to sound sarcastic but I think this might; surely its obvious to paint it if you want it to match the car - wrapping less obvious as it might be difficult to get the exact colour wrap 

 

I painted my wood coloured dash grey (not an exact match to my interior which is various greys of vinyl) but I was happy with the result.

[Ethel]

How about a complimentary or contrasting colour? Something similar but a shade darker, for example. If you can find a good RAL colour, you might be able to find some board or vinyl for the body of the dash. Matching door mirrors & roof ???

[Midas Mk1]

My factory cooper sport 500 type dash is walnut veneer underneath, not hard to spray your existing one up to colour code it.

[Rubbershorts]

I made a sheet steel dash for my Mayfair years ago, and whilst it was in the spray shop the guy rang me and asked if I wanted it spraying at the same time. Never even thought of it myself. The results were very nice indeed. I wish I had pictures but I don't. It was 2 pack Tartan red so was quite tough.
Could you do an MDF version using you dash as a template and paint that? You'd probably have to prime the back as well as MDF is a bit susceptible to moisture ingress.

[stuart bowes]

..susceptible to moisture ingress.

 

perfect fit for a mini then     goes nicely with everything around it 

[Rubbershorts]

..susceptible to moisture ingress.

 
perfect fit for a mini then     goes nicely with everything around it

I suppose once it's swollen up with moisture you could just keep replacing it. Might slow down the advancement if rust if you use it as a dehumidifier

[WillBriggs]

Thanks all for the replies and suggestions. 

 

 

I don't want to sound sarcastic but I think this might; surely its obvious to paint it if you want it to match the car - wrapping less obvious as it might be difficult to get the exact colour wrap 

 

I painted my wood coloured dash grey (not an exact match to my interior which is various greys of vinyl) but I was happy with the result.

 

Good point - I don't exactly trust my painting/spraying skills enough - I reckon I'll end up ruining it - maybe I'll have to keep a lookout for another dash on marketplace/ebay to spray up - wouldn't feel as bad if I ruined that one.

 

 

How about a complimentary or contrasting colour? Something similar but a shade darker, for example. If you can find a good RAL colour, you might be able to find some board or vinyl for the body of the dash. Matching door mirrors & roof ???

 

Good thinking - the roof and mirrors are white. I'm struggling to workout what colour my mini actually is - It's a 95 SPI Cooper - I'm guessing maybe HAM? RAL 6005 Moss green (RAL Classic) | RALcolorchart.com RAL 6005 could be a good match?

 

 

My factory cooper sport 500 type dash is walnut veneer underneath, not hard to spray your existing one up to colour code it.

 

Interesting - I'm guessing a light sand would be required in order to prep for spraying?

[Ethel]

Possibly, 

 

You won't get the exact colour via your computer screen, but you should get a good enough idea to ask for samples from a supplier of whatever you're looking at. The material/substance will make a difference too, even if it's an exact match they're liable to look different under various light conditions. I'd only attempt to try an exact match if you're using the exact same paint as your car, over the same base, primer...

 

Not sure there's a lot of scope with Brit Racing Green for a complimentary dark shade. You might find something that's ok on the dash, but it could be too similar to use as an accent colour for things like the mirrors & roof. Yellow or orange could be good contrasts, but maybe too garish for an interior.

[Lplus]

Thanks all for the replies and suggestions. 

 

 

I don't want to sound sarcastic but I think this might; surely its obvious to paint it if you want it to match the car - wrapping less obvious as it might be difficult to get the exact colour wrap 

 

I painted my wood coloured dash grey (not an exact match to my interior which is various greys of vinyl) but I was happy with the result.

 

Good point - I don't exactly trust my painting/spraying skills enough - I reckon I'll end up ruining it - maybe I'll have to keep a lookout for another dash on marketplace/ebay to spray up - wouldn't feel as bad if I ruined that one.

 

 

How about a complimentary or contrasting colour? Something similar but a shade darker, for example. If you can find a good RAL colour, you might be able to find some board or vinyl for the body of the dash. Matching door mirrors & roof ???

 

Good thinking - the roof and mirrors are white. I'm struggling to workout what colour my mini actually is - It's a 95 SPI Cooper - I'm guessing maybe HAM? RAL 6005 Moss green (RAL Classic) | RALcolorchart.com RAL 6005 could be a good match?

 

 

My factory cooper sport 500 type dash is walnut veneer underneath, not hard to spray your existing one up to colour code it.

 

Interesting - I'm guessing a light sand would be required in order to prep for spraying?

HAM is apparently BLVC1216 British Racing Green 2 used from 95 to 99 according to the mini-colours website.  Easier to get a paint supplier to provide a spray cans in the correct colour than to try to match a RAL colour - which will never be totally correct.  (If you want a direct match that is)

 

For the dash on my mini saloon I got a cheap water damaged late dash, peeled off the remaining veneer, sanded and primed and painted it a deep metallic grey I felt complimented the almond green body paint.  The glove box and surround were painted a much lighter metallic green to accent them.

[Ethel]

My suggestion wasn't to try & match the colour with a RAL colour. It was to find a complimentary colour that could be available in film, board etc.

[71Pickup]

Just get a paint shop to do it. It won’t cost more than the cost or rattle cans. Get a quote and you would be surprised