Re: The Duchess Project: 1940 Super 8 Convertible Sedan

Posted by Joe Santana On 2011/6/23 15:13:14

Very helpful, Evan and JDee.
My car was sold on announcement day, August 18 or 20, 1939. The original was identical to the black and white photo of the woman in the hat. The original dashboard was modified by the chauffeur of the original owner to install an instrument where the radio would go. A hole was cut in it. The mottled chocolate plastic was badly corroded except for a few knobs, probably from UV exposure. It's a convertible after all.

I had a 120 dash and had it painted a solid color and used that for years. No woodgrain.

My friend Vaughn found a complete 160 dash with excellent beige plastic. This apparently came from a car after the change to Sapele Mahogany. BUT TO ME it looked like the original woodgrain I remembered from 1960, so I thought that's what I should match. I remember calling about what to do after sending the picture of the replacement dash. As a result, my kit has a Mottled Aspen plate, which is correct for my car, Carpathian Elm and Light Walnut inks. Maybe I have two inks because we weren't sure at the time, so you sent an alternative.

Tonight I'll check the basecoat color. It should be LS120, I see that now, but I suspect I have YS227 instead. And I should have Driftwood ink instead of the other two.

Thanks so much for clearing this up. If I ever get to be a judge, I'll be dangerous.