DASH PIZZAZZ

WE SHOW YOU HOW TO ADD AN ENGINE-TURNED DASH PANEL TO PERSONALIZE YOUR HOT ROD

- TONY THACKER

Hot-rodding has always been about personalization, but not many of today's rodders understand that one of the early drivers of the hobby was the desire to make a cheap car look expensive. Hence the trend of damascene or engine-turned dash inserts like those found in expensive cars such as Bugatti, Lincoln, and, of course, the 1931 Auburn dash that found itself swapped into many a hot rod. Heck, the 1932 Ford V8 had an engine-turned-dash insert.

As Mick Jenkins of Mick's Paint in Pomona, California, began to detail his stack-injected, Chevy big-block-powered Deuce roadster, he decided to recess the dash panel and install a full-width, engine-turned insert in the style of the famed Doane Spencer Deuce roadster. The engine-turned inserts are available from several hot rod suppliers in many different shapes and sizes. You can also buy sheets of uncut aluminum or stainless steel from which to cut your own shapes (just be careful not to damage the finish by leaving the protective plastic on). You could also use other metals such as brass or copper.