Wooden dash on 1910 Touring car

[mdh7475]

Would like comments regarding whether on not the wooden dash on a 1910 Touring car would be finished (stained) wood, or if painted body color.   I am in the beginning stages of restoring a 40HP Touring car.  The original dash was apparently not usable and discarded by previous owner.  The only piece of original wood from the car is at the bottom of the windshield frame.  It is oak, very weathered, but does appear that it had been painted a dark color.  Original literature from the car states the body was royal blue with cream frame.  I also have black and white pictures of the car from the 1920's which would seem to indicate that the dash was very dark, but not conclusive.  Virtually all of the restored cars that I have looked at have stained and finished wood dashes, but I am not sure if this is due to current tastes or if this treatment is accurate in regards to originality.

[Guest Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

I used a medium dark maple stain on the dash boards and window ledge boards of my dad's 1910 model 10 Buick as well as my 1911 Buick model 14.

Followed that up with many coats of spar varnish (thoroughly dried and wet sanded between coats). I did not have the original dash/ window ledge boards,

but all indications pointed to the original finishes as stained/ varnished (of the old reproduced dash & ledge boards). I also stained/ varnished the rear

door trim top pieces of my dad's model 10 toy tonneau body.

Thanks,

Joe :-)

[JV Puleo]

I've handled about a half dozen of them on unrestored cars. None were painted. Judging from their condition, I doubt any of them were finished beyond a coat of varnish or possibly lightly stained and a coat of varnish. Several were quite dark but I attributed that to dirt and the varnish degrading over time. In a few case, there was nearly no remaining finish.

Edited October 24, 2016 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

The original dash on my 1915 Buick truck is a dark varnish or stained with a lighter varnish.  Not painted.