Repairing center console wood

[wagons ho]

I have been waiting for a time to break down all the junk consoles, for good parts.
Time finally came . I had several that have been out in the rain, snow,sometimes sun, and were just to harvest good frames.

But naturally, I was going to experiment with the cracked wood grain.
Number one victim was extremely bad, with wood coming off the backing. I just needed a back to recover with something non stock.
Then I realized they made 2 styles.
The cast one is thicker, and should be easier to re cover.

Then I moved to cracking all the failed clear off the wood. I was worried about scratching the veneer prying it off with a razor blade, and having it show through the new clear. I ended up sanding the veneer, to get rid of dark streaks that were under the cracks., and it had no effect once cleared.
The recleared one was extremely yellowed, and cracked originally. I scuffed with 150 grit. That's all. It will get buffed, maybe recoated. Thought you might need a craft project.
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[JimLev]

Looks good, thanks for the info.

[Mike WW]

On an E12 I had long ago the wood finish failed and I restored it. I had to use epoxy remover to remove it, I'm told even back then it was a urethane finish and paint remover wouldn't touch it. Probably a super light sanding with 600 or something just for the surface, but only after the finish was removed. A few coats of polyurethane finish sprayed on and they looked great.

FWIW. I had a cousin, past tense, who made a career refinishing wood in collectable cars. Lots of old Rolls, MB, Jag and whatever else. He used automotive clearcoat and got good money and good reviews of his work. His wood jobs were typically in the $3K range in the first decade of this century.

[crdiscoverer]

I've always wondered how an E39 would look with the more modern satin or matte wood finishes you see nowadays. I've never seen one that's not shiny.

This is an E46 and doesn't look half bad:
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[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

Someone on here did just that using a satin finish using Cerakote, looks freakin nice as hell! I think it was our friend from Argentina.

[philly98540]

The finished wood almost looks 3D. Cool grain in that piece. The original clear is really thick I thought? No? Must of been a pia to remove.

[crdiscoverer]

Here's the full thread. The guy who did it said the clear is indeed super thick and paint strippers do nothing.

I never looked closely at mine but it appears there's clear coat, a very thin layer of wood veneer and then a plywood base. You have a very narrow margin before you sand all the way down to the plywood.

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...-trim.1290019/

https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...-do-it.976414/

If I had a spare set lying around I would do it, but I sold mine. Looks f... great.

[Nfs021]

What clear did you use? I got some spare cracked trim pieces I can try on in my spare time. Good work.

[wagons ho]

To test the boundaries, I grabbed the junk that had been out in the rain.
Apparently, veneer is like regular wood, that when it gets wet, it's stained darker. ( like no kidding)
But you can see how I just went under the cleat with the blade.
Cleared them just for you, obviously junk.
I used regular automotive clear, I'm sure you could use several coats of spar varnish.
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[KeysCoupe]

I’ve done burl veneer dash refinishing on old British cars. Same story, the hardest part is getting the thick clear finish off. I’ve used both BC/CC clear topcoat, and WEST epoxy (w/UV inhibitor). The WEST builds the real thick coat that gives a 3D effect. Either topcoat still requires multiple coats.
For our E39s, I prefer the “other” finishes like the painted black, silver, beige, or even cubic graphite. The wood makes our cars look like a stodgy old man’s car inside, with the exception of the very light maple wood burl.
-Donny

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

It’s just a matter of taste. I love both. I like the Vavulvas, birch, all the other wood grains, but also liked the Titan silver trim I’ve had in my old 530, the piano black trim I had on a 540, and the Technical Graphite that I have slated for my green wagon. Just different tastes, different flavors.

[crdiscoverer]

with the exception of the very light maple wood burl.
-Donny

Is this it?

Screenshot 2022-08-20 145204.jpg

[sleuth255]

I'm a real fan of the wood trim options myself. I guess that makes me stodgy lol. I suppose if the shoe fits...

[KeysCoupe]

Is this it?

Screenshot 2022-08-20 145204.jpg

Yes on the wood trim, with the bonus of the burnt orange hides/ trim.
-Donny