Wood grain speedo bezel?

[69FLATBED]

Hey guys, I've been wanting to buy a new woodgrain Ranger bezel for my 69, the problem i'm running into is all the aftermarket ones that i've found are a burl wood used in the later years instead of the grain looking wood pattern used in the 69. Does anyone carry this grain pattern? LMC and NPD are all the burl wood ones. Also Checked Mac's and Dennis Carpenter. Has anyone ever had one of these re-chromed? and how much did it cost? Thanks.

[Happy_Camper]

Here's a thought that may help...
A while back Papabug71 had a sheet of adhesive backed vinyl trim made at a sign shop.
Here is the thread he did on it. IMO, it came out stunning!
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =woodgrain
You might be able to take in a piece of your wood grain (I think '69 is "Teak"), and maybe the can make you up a sheet that matches. Then buy a new bezel, cut out the pieces, and install your own.
Good luck!

[papabug71]

I also did the speedo, but I cant seem to find any pics of it at the moment. It was a PITA, but it came out awsome !!

69FLATBED, all of the repops are made by DC. Even the ones sold by LMC, Macs etc. They all have a DC stamp on the back. It makes sense considering DC is the only one with the machines to make them. I guess they sell their stuff to other vendors.

All the repops I could find were the burl wood. Thats why I went to the sign shop & had my own made up, so everything would match.

[mk]

I was just going through a Dennis Carpenter catalog this afternoon, wondering why he won't correct that mistake and identify those bezels correctly
A few years ago when I was trying to restore a '69 cluster's woodgrain I wandered over to a local 3M dealer. He found me a scrap of stuff that was pretty close. I've still got the pattern I used to cut the pieces. Another good place to try is body shops. Sometimes they have scraps and chunks of woodgrain from repairing wagons or minivans.
Olds and Buick mid-size wagons from the late '80s have a light woodgrain that looks close.

mike

[hazelnut]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... MEWAX%3AIT ive got this bookmarked on my ebay because its the only teak ive found, i dont know the quality of it but if you try it let us know how it turns out. i bought a bezel from carpenter with out the woodgrain because like you say he dont offer one for 69 ranger, my old one i was able to play around with and get the clear to come off in one piece to copy for a new decal when i do mine.

[heviarti]

I'll check, there may be one in good shape in the local junkyard.

[69FLATBED]

Thanks guys i'm looking into a 3M adhesive for Jeep wagoneers to see if it is close.

[Doug F]

I would ask at the local fine woodworking shop if they have a router... They can cut a thin veneer for you, or go to a WoodWorker's Warehouse or something like that and buy a veneer and cut it yourself with an X-Acto knife. I know the originals were veneer, since I have seen them split and peel.

[papabug71]

The originals I pulled off were a thick sticker if you will. You could see the ink spots on them, almost like they were printed with an old school bubble jet printer.

[papabug71]

Better late than never. Any good sign shop can print you out a sheet of this stuff & they will even let you custom the woodgrain to your specs. The guys downtown did it on a computer while I watched, & when it got to how I wanted it I said PRINT!

[alvald83]

I was thinking of using actual wood veneer and cutting to fit. Has anyone tried this? I bet it would look nice after you put a thin coat of varnish on it.

[fordman]

i have considered recommending that. veneer is so flexable that i think it could be done. and you could use any veneer that you wanted. to get the look you are after.