What's a binacle? I thought it was something on a ship.

 

wow, super helpful you are...

 

What shape are they in now? Is the paint worn off or just dirty?

If dirty, plain old soap & water can make them look much better. The textured surface holds a lot of crud.

If they need re-painting you will need 'wrinkle paint'. It can be done at home with spray cans. But practice first. Paint thickness, distance sprayed and curing temperatures all affect the wrinkle amount.

 

Hi thanks for the thoughtful reply.. I guess they may benefit from soap and water, I will give it a try... they have a few chips but nothing major. they just looking faded? I'll try the soap first... Would it be normal crinkle paint? in Matt black?

 

Have you considered trying to find a good set from a parts car? Mine look brand new in comparison, and my car is not a cream puff by any stretch of the imagination.

You'll get a factory finish with a used set, and the time/labor trade is probably very favorable.

But if you want a project...that sounds like something that could eat as much time as you want.

And for what it's worth:

A binnacle is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditional purpose was to hold the ship's magnetic compass, mounted in gimbals to keep it level while the ship pitched and rolled. A binnacle may be subdivided into sections and its contents typically include one or more compasses and an oil lamp or other light source. Other devices such as a sand timer for estimating speed may have been stored in the binnacle as well.

-Graciously provided by our lord masters at wikipedia​

 

i've had a look for a used set but they all seem to have various degrees of chips on them! If indeed I could find a used pair I would buy them. Keep searching i suppose!

I've seen several which have been restored but they look wrong.. either to glossy black or they don't have the crinkle....

 

Oh, no crinkle paint, it will look like you did it yourself and you'll probably regret it.

If the issue is fading with maybe a few minor chips and such, I'd just paint it with regular semi flat black paint, what you want is to bring it back to life rather than give it a whole new look, which the homeowner crinkle black will probably do.

 

You can improve the results of using wrinkle paint yourself with a little judicious use of a heat gun or hair dryer. The problem with doing your own wrinkle finish repaints is that the parts which do not get direct sunlight during the paint cureing process do not wrinkle as much as the top or outer surfaces. Some careful use of a heat gun on the shady sides to the part during the cureing process can compensate for the lack of sunlight on the shady surfaces.

This from past experience on Giulietta dash boards.

Robert

 

I believe they are called "Pods"....
I agree no Wrinkle paint, just a good cleaning and maybe a light dusting with a flat black spray.

 

If your pods are too far gone and have no other option, I have used crinkle paint with great success on my Fiat's valve cover. Had it sandblasted and then ran it through the dishwasher (wait until "She Who Must Be Obeyed" is away...). A few coats of crinkle paint and then in the oven for 20-30 min. for the crinkle to happen and be even. I'm quite happy with the result!

 

Thanks for the feed back guys... trial and error I think!

 

Paint

Hey Roony try this stuff out. Cheers Neil.

 

Actualy, once they are glass beaded, the best way is to put them in the oven at 350 for about 15 min before painting, that way, the paint does its off gassing much better and the wrinkle is very uniform. VHT wrinkle black is the best. I have used it many times.

Comes out looking very very good OR you can get them powder coated with a black wrinkle paint, I have done this also on a lot of restoration work that I do. That is the very best way to do them. 20 min preheat, 3 min to blow thw powder on, another 20 min of baking and then 20-30 min cooling down time and you can install them right away, looks as professional as you can get.

Thanks,

Rick Stephenson

 

Cheers Rick... sounds like a great plan for me to try out!

 

over here we call them Eistüten (Ice cream cones)....

 

VHT is also the brand I used on my valve cover. Turned out very nice using the red.

 

Agreed! I used the VHT wrinkle finish and placed in the oven for approx 30 mins and it tightened up the wrinkles to a great and uniform finish

 

Binnacle is the correct term. As far as restoration, we use Rustoleum rattle can texture paint. Excellent match, easy to apply, holds up well.

 

Thanks..

Can you buy it in the matt black?

 

Rust-Oleum Stops Rust, 12 oz. Protective Enamel Textured Black Spray Paint, 7220830 at The Home Depot - Mobile

 

Thanks for that, the pics show it to be a really good match//

 

:thumbup::thumbup:alfa binnacle are a lot like this

 

AH.. my wife has a pair of those... :thumbup:

 

Bianchi,

Do you have any more examples of Alfa Binacles?

 

They also come in different shape and sizes:thumbup:

 

These must have been restored at some point because they sure don't look like they are 40+ years old!

 

Hi Guys,

I know that this is an old thread... but I'm looking for advice for reinstalling the binnacle in a 1987 spider veloce. I can't recall if you need to drop the steering column or not. I don't have my CarDisc CD anywhere in sight (nor likely to find it any time soon) so I'm trying to avoid work if I can safely reinstall the binnacle without dropping the drivers side knee pad/steering column.

Thanks
Doug

 

I have been able to pull out and replace my '87's monopod instrument cluster without removing the steering wheel. The outer ring is more flexible than you think. I am surprised that it didn't break twisting it back in. It does feel satisfying to have it snap into place. Dropping the steering column seems like a lot more effort than is needed.

 

Unless your pods are hopeless, the less you do the better they'll look. Start with just wiping with a damp cloth. If there are small chips, Testor's flat black on a toothpick will make them disappear.

If they are faded but still have the wrinkled texture, mist on some rattlecan flat black.

Less is more.

David OD
Laguna CA

 

Unless your pods are hopeless, the less you do the better they'll look. Start with just wiping with a damp cloth. If there are small chips, Testor's flat black on a toothpick will make them disappear.

If they are faded but still have the wrinkled texture, mist on some rattlecan flat black.

Less is more.

David OD
Laguna CA

Hi David,

Thanks all for the replies. My pods are anything but hopeless.... they are just out of the car d/t speedo rebuild at Palo Alto Speedometer. So, mine don't need touch ups or bulbs replacing... it simply needs to be refitted into the dash.

Once I get my nerve up, I'll get the plastic surround fitted!

Thanks again, folks,
Doug