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Hello all! LONG time lurker, I have learned a ton of great info from these fourms! Ive owned a 1988 944 for about a year now and have experienced just about every common problem that I hear about ( replaced clutch-did all belts-chased electrical problems ect...) and some body work and paint.
I come to this car after owning multiple sports cars so really it hasn't been too bad. Before this I rebuilt an Alfa Romeo ( two of them actually) so I'm no stranger to shop time
I thought I would post pictures of my Dashmat from...wait for it... Dashmat! I am very pleased. I have the typical cracks on the dash and this looks WAY better and their " Limited Edition" suites our cars very well I think. Made from modern materials so it does complement the interior nicely. I may replace the dash sometime but this looks fine for now and it is just a driver.
I got my Dashmat from AutoAnything for around $43.
If you register and look at anything at AutoAnything, they remind you a couple of days later, and throw a 10% off coupon on hwat you were looking at. Ignore it, adn it becomes 15%
Ignore some more and they send you a 20% off coupon. That's as far as I have gotten, and ordered my dashmat thusly.
Note that this guy has a post-1985 944, and that he got the vinyl material at JoAnn Fabrics, which means he probably spent less than ~$20 to fix his cracked dashboard so it is virtually new.
Also, Allsport makes 4 way stretch vinyl.
A guy on Bimmerforums BMW website is attempting to recover his very complex (deep valleys where the vinyl won't stay glued when heated by the sun) 635csi dashboard with new vinyl. It was not stretchy enough, but he found that Goof Off solvent can be used to remove the cloth backing from sheet vinyl, so it stretches and conforms better. Given the success in the video above, that is apparently not necessary when working with the comparatively simple 944 dashboard shape.
That Dashmat looks nice! I was thinking about getting one for my '84. How was the tunraround time on it?
I wonder how much easier/harder it'd be with a early dash. I was thinking about going to classic9 and get their vinyl dash kit; but that's $700!!
I might have to go to Joann Fabrics if it's that simple. But how would that vinyl handle the sun for long term? Would that material be as good or better than the original material?
That Dashmat looks nice! I was thinking about getting one for my '84. How was the tunraround time on it?
I wonder how much easier/harder it'd be with a early dash. I was thinking about going to classic9 and get their vinyl dash kit; but that's $700!!
I might have to go to Joann Fabrics if it's that simple. But how would that vinyl handle the sun for long term? Would that material be as good or better than the original material?
Marine grade vinyl for boats is probably far superior to the OEM stuff, in terms of sun resistance. The key here is conformability, but apparently the YouTube guy had no trouble with off-the-roll JoAnn Fabrics stuff on his 944.
Shops who do motorcycle seat recovering might be a good place to ask, since such shapes need excellent stretch and conformability.
This stuff may run ~$20/lineal yard in typically 54" width, so you might need only 1/2 yard or so.
That said, I'm not familiar with the early 944 dash, but from extensive reading on dashboard recovery, surmise that dips and valleys are the main problem since the stuff wants to shrink and delaminate in the summer heat.
Note that this guy has a post-1985 944, and that he got the vinyl material at JoAnn Fabrics, which means he probably spent less than ~$20 to fix his cracked dashboard so it is virtually new.
Also, Allsport makes 4 way stretch vinyl.
Not fixing the cracks first though is just wasting time in my opinion....
It's a lot of work, but the result is much better.
I've actually bought a yard of black marine vinyl for under $10 tonight! I'm gonna give redoing my dash myself a go sometime. But how exactly does one fix cracks in the dash?
I've actually bought a yard of black marine vinyl for under $10 tonight! I'm gonna give redoing my dash myself a go sometime. But how exactly does one fix cracks in the dash?
Watch the YT video again, and note that he simply tears off the old cracked vinyl. So, there are no longer any cracks to fix, as the new vinyl is fully supported by the stamped metal dashboard chassis.
Spray adhesive may also work instead of contact cement, but may be more expensive, and may not allow some re-positioning of the vinyl sheet within the first couple of minutes. To assure a good mechanical and chemical bond, it's probably best to clean the metal dashboard chassis by scraping or sanding, then rubbing it with acetone, etc., so you're gluing to a good clean surface and not just old glue residue.
If the new vinyl is not stretchy enough to fit into narrow gaps such as the windshield defroster vents, maybe you could use Goof Off and remove the cloth backing for that portion of the vinyl. It may also be possible to use vacuum (shop vac, etc.) to suck the sheet down firmly against the dashboard chassis until the glue cures, if you can attach the vac to the defroster vent plumbing, etc. Or, use some squishy foam to press down on the sheet from above. I imagine the front edge of the dashboard closest to the windshield may be the most difficult part to secure unless the windshield is removed. (Coordinate this procedure with windshield replacement?)
Upholstery vendors may have textured sheet vinyl in colors other than black, which may match your interior, and/or vinyl with some foam backing for a bit of crash padding.
Some report good results by spraying the dashboard with PlastiDip, although SEM reportedly makes a good spray paint that has a textured look. For that, you'd probably want to remove the dashboard from the car for better access.
I just got started on the real deal, I had a mat, but the mat is not a long term solution. I got lucky and the old vinyl came off very clean with a little heat, leaving my foam in excellent condition. I will be installing the classic 9 leather cover next week. I'm working in borrowed space, so forgive the bench, its not my fault!
I just got started on the real deal, I had a mat, but the mat is not a long term solution. I got lucky and the old vinyl came off very clean with a little heat, leaving my foam in excellent condition. I will be installing the classic 9 leather cover next week. I'm working in borrowed space, so forgive the bench, its not my fault!
Ballpark cost? Leather?
How hard was it to remove the whole dashboard from the car? That might be actually less work, with better results.
BTW, if somebody wanted to try this in leather, from scratch, Craigslist or the local Goodwill store often have used leather chairs and sofas with enough good leather to do the job, for cheap. Lots of fairly large pieces of usable leather to be re-purposed.
Fr'ex, the local Goodwill store recently had a whole 7' long sofa with good natural tan leather on the seats, seat pad bottoms, armrests, sides, and back, for $12. This would have been enough to easily do an entire car interior, including seatcovers, door cards, dashboard, headliner, etc. Most of it (sides, back, pad bottoms) was in virtually new condition. Being natural tan leather, it can easily and inexpensively be re-dyed with Leatherique or Leather Magic. SEM reportedly makes a good spray paint for leather.
To stretch and conform leather, wet with rubbing alcohol, which instantly relaxes the leather fibers, then dries quickly. This may be actually easier to work with than vinyl, because the cloth reinforcement backing on vinyl typically does not stretch equally in all directions, whereas leather pretty much does. Might be worth a shot.
And, it could be that limiting use of glue to just the perimeter tuck-ins would allow the vinyl or leather to sorta "float" without stress concentrations which may cause cracking over time. Maybe use UV block treatment to preserve the stuff so it won't fade so quickly.
06-24-2015, 03:42 AM
Dashmat
