This later I "fixed" by remaking the dash into a two-piece design, all wood.
I used plywood as a base as this, I had been told, would be less likely crack with temperature extremes. Over this I applied a veneer of mahogany purchased at a woodworking/furniture making shop.
My goad was to match the wood tone to that of the steering wheel. The fellow in the shop looked at that and told me the secret of its slightly yellow cast was aged marine varnish. (The car was then about ten years old and had baked for the first nine in the Florida sun).
To help assure a matching run of grain from left to right I cut the wood as a single piece, using the original three pieces as a guide, and to this I affixed and stained the veneer. Only afterward did I make the cut that separated the glove box door from the instrument panel portion. Finally I applied several coats of the recommended marine varnish.
I counter sunk the thin threaded fasteners used to hold the electric switches in the central portion and then covered this with black painted washers of an appropriate size found at a hardware store. These washers were held on with a drop of glue - not a perfect solution I know - but they have held on for now over twenty years.
I like the final appearance a lot. The only thing that would have improved it, IMO, is quite frankly if someone with greater skill had done the wood working.
Oh, and as to the color... Did it "yellow" as expected? Yes. But alas the steering wheel has continued to yellow more as well and so the color is still not an absolutely perfect match.
BTW, I at the same time did the upper and lower center console using the same materials and approach, including putting wood where originally there was what I assume was meant to be a speaker grill.
-don
