Dear Mike and mid-60s Buick restorers,
I am at the point that I need to restore my 65 GS instrument panel and radio face and speaker grille panel. I have them apart and could use any tips on cleaning, polishing, painting etc. I am lucky that the speedometer is in great shape so it is mostly the other parts that need a fresh new look.
I have done this and have lots of pictures on the restoration process, but there was a lot of hit and miss and I used a lot of model railroad tools and supplies. I'm not sure I made the best choices when it comes to paint durability for example. I did touch up the paint on the knobs. Here is an example on the tailgate motor switch:
Here is the cigarette lighter:
In that case I did manage to locate a replacement core for the lighter jack assembly. I had bought an NOS lighter probably about 25 years ago. I repainted the panel behind the switches but once more with railroad colors. I didn't have to do anything with the speedometer either:
My wagon has been mostly garage kept. The circuit board and back of the instrument assembly was also in good shape:
Here is the front partially assembled:
If you give us more details on precisely what needs restoring you can get probably more better focused advice. Photos of
"da' patients" will probably give you the best recommendations. I have lots more photos of what I did but they aren't uploaded to online galleries. Depending on what you need, I can check what I have.
I hope that is at least a start to answering your question.
Cheers, Edouard
P.S. I modified the automatic transmission shifter window to run the cable for the tachometer.
