Early/Mid '70s Cabinet Renovate Approach

[Cos]

I have been trying to decide between replacing all the original fake woodwork in my '73 GT or keeping and repairing the simulated walnut. Has anyone taken the approach of reusing all the original cabinet aluminum pieces but replacing the the fake wood with a real wood (like a birch plywood)? Any pictures or links would be appreciated.

[muddy_hollow]

I've got a slightly older model than yours, but my interior was shot due to water damage. I chose to rebuild/mod the cabinets that were not worth saving and then using a PSA veneer on the cabinets that were worth re-using.

I'm keeping a blog of my handywork.

D

[kneal]

I have a 73 Safari that we were contemplating the same thing. I ended up gutting it in December after our first camping trip in it as I didn't get along with the tambour doors very well. I then hired someone to do the cabinet work but we ended up going all birch and got rid of the plastic/formica. We mostly used the existing cabinets for templates. Good luck!

[dmroot]

This post is a little old, but am responding...a previous owner (at least one or two previous owners ago) of our new 71 Safari did what you are suggesting: Birch doors with existing walnut laminate sides, etc. I am wanting to restore it back to the original laminate tambors for visual consistency. We are exploring some links that other forum members sent, salvage options and have a classified "wanted" post and hope to get to work with the restoration soon.

Here is a picture of how it looks now, note the contrast:

[vajeep]

Total re-do. The wood on our 1976 was shot...
Here is the after galley photo.

[Streamin 65]

Why not just replace the walnut lam with real walnut? If you have some woodworking tools, the cabinets are pretty easy to construct, especially if you can use the old as a template. If your having it done, labor should be the same for either walnut or birch. The only variable is material cost and if you'd just rather have a lighter wood. Around here, a 4x8 sheet of good quality walnut plywood is about $60 for 1/4" and a sheet of good quality birch is $40 or so. Home Depot has imported 1/4" birch sheets, but the quality can vary for $20 or so. I'd dare guess the cost difference from using birch to walnut for your rig would be $300 at most.... Just a thought. --dave

[muddy_hollow]

Originally Posted by vajeep

Total re-do. The wood on our 1976 was shot...
Here is the after galley photo.

Very nice. You should be happy with your handy work. Looks pro!

Doug