It has been a relatively long time since my last Blog posting, which has prompted some to politely check in with me…presumably to verify that I haven’t either electrocuted myself via a multi-KW amplifier project or have been crushed under the frame of my trusty Triumph Stag. No…nothing as spectacular as that. Just as a good friend often says, Life sometimes gets in the way of progress!
Let’s talk about that Triumph Stag a bit. The Plan was to have it ready for the March British Car Show, hosted in my hometown of Covington, LA. All was proceeding nicely. The Stag was back from the paint shop, after getting a redo of the passenger side door. Oh??…why was work stopped for a second run at the paint shop you ask?? Somehow, it was painted a different shade of Carmen Red than the balance of the Stag’s majestic body…which went unnoticed by me and a stream of visitors until the car was rolled out of the warehouse, in preparation for its long delayed engine/transmission installation. The bright sunlight of that wonderful day brought the passenger door’s color mismatch to center stage…painfully like an abscessed molar.
After a three-month ‘intermission’, my beautiful Stag was back home, and the next stages of interior assembly took flight. That is, until the restored and quite expensive dash pad’s time had come -- and with it, all hopes for making the March British Car Show were dashed…so to speak….
Vinyl covered dash pads were seen as a measure for lessening head injuries in car crashes, and so, had become standard equipment for the automotive industry by the mid-1960s. With the passage of decades, many vintage European and US muscle car owners have struggled with sun-damaged, cracked dash pads. Clearly, a person can’t invest tons of money into a vehicle’s nut & bolt restoration only to have this most visible component look like crap. Some go for a loose hanging dash cover to conceal such defects, but I was going for perfection.
After stumbling onto a You Tube video featuring Jey Leno at an outfit called Just Dashes in Van Nuys, California, the decision was made. Anyone into vintage cars knows about Jay Leno’s fantastic car collection and his attention to even the smallest restoration detail. I figured if Just Dashes was good enough for Jay, then it ought to be great for me! Off went the Stag’s dash pad, which by the way is a rather cumbersome item to ship most anywhere….keep that though in mind.
With the dash pad’s restoration in process and out of mind, attention next focused on the wooden dashboard…or fascia as the Brits call it. Over the years, the Stag’s fascia had gradually morphed into a nasty shade of yellow orange…a shade that looked far out of touch even for a Car of the 70s. It was, indeed, hideous so now was the time for not just a fascia restoration but a true makeover.
Who to entrust this major assignment? Again, a visit back to YouTube and the solution materialized before my very eyes: Modera Customs in Goleta, California. Now where else other than California would high-end outfits like Just Dashes and Modera Customs exist? We’re talking Beach Boys, Jan and Dean…the Little Old Lady from Pasadena … so of course!
In a matter of months, that nasty yellow orange hunk was transformed into a beautiful burled walnut fascia with a finish that looks about 10-feet deep. Those guys at Modera Concepts are the absolute, A-#1 best…period! Soon after, the refurbished dash pad was back from Just Dashes and I was heading for the home stretch; yet from the Jaws of Victory…well you kinda sense what happened next…
My restored dash pad arrived wrapped in layer upon layer of bubble wrap and took major effort to get it uncased from its protective cocoon. At first blush, it looked FANTASTIC! Eagerly, the work of getting it ready to accept the new burled wood fascia components commenced – and then disaster struck once again….
As is common knowledge, USA automobiles are designed with one’s steering wheel on the left hand side. In England, its cars are designed for right hand drive. Why those UK folks drive on the wrong side of the road is a Question for the Ages. So, it comes as no surprise that my Stag has been left hand drive its entire life.
Hmmmm…if that’s the case, how could the restored dash pad then perched on the workbench be for a UK right hand drive car???.
Triumph Stags were exported to the USA for only three years (1971-1973) and in very small numbers. Today, fewer than 750 USA-spec Stags exist either restored, broken, or parked in garages awaiting rebirth. You’d think the odds for two dash pads for such a limited production car being sent to Just Dashes at the same time for refurbishment should be rather thin…yet my left hand drive, beautifully refurbished dash pad was somehow returned to a chap in England while I received his right hand drive version by mistake!
The folks at Just Dashes were fantastic and went the extra mile in making things right - for me and an unnamed chap in the UK. Their workmanship is impeccable so if your dash pad is in sad shape, these are the people to trust to make yours better than new.
Things are progressing now at a fast pace, with this project’s completion drawing to an exciting close. The interior is now 80% installed and just a few last minute pre-checks to be made before hitting the ignition key for the first time in 20+ years.
Can’t wait to go rocketing down Highway 1082!
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