ULpilot

Oh, and the image of the dash I have in my "1986.5 928 for sale $1600" post does have the covers on.

Rob Edwards

FWIW:

So far (knock on vinyl) my dash and pod are uncracked and in good shape. To keep them that way a little while longer, I just received a dash mat that I got from the following website:

http://www.dashmats4less.com/index.h...signature.html

It was about $52 with shipping for their 'signature series' mat (only a 2 year warranty, if that's an issue for anyone....). It came in about two weeks, and has all the proper cutouts/slots for the temp sensor, defrost vents and airbag. It is two pieces, one covers the entire dash, and a separate cap for the pod. Fit is very good. In fact, while it came with some stretches of double sided velcro strips to attach it, I just put it in place and jammed the leading edge against the base of the windshield. So far it's holding in place just fine, though I'm not sure I'd autocross with it like that.

It ain't pretty, but it'll serve. For ~$50, I'm happy.

joejoe

I used the caps for my '81 before I picked up a used leather one. I still have the 2 for the pod on the car and am pretty happy with it. The dash was another matter. I could not find a good filler for the original dash. The leather had peeled back taking the foam with it. Applied the cap with the dash still in car (bad idea since only needed 4 screws to remove) It did look good until car got hot during summer and what I had used for filling in missing foam delaminated from metal part of dash. and cap warped some. Still looked ok, but I could not stand it as the major lifting was just above the center consol and you could see the metal base.

I followed instructions for install, but if were to do again would use a bit more of the adhesive and get it closer to the edges (I think it would hold better.) I also found the fit for the ***** on pod was tight and had to dremmel them a bit larger.

Another thing to consider are the defrost vents. My originals are the bigger black plastic and if you have these remove them carefully. To re-use them (they look better than the long ovals in cap) you need to cut out the opening. The fit for this can be done in car, but is much easier and outcome will be better if dash removed.

Shark Attack

top pod cap-great
front pod cap-yeah right
dash cap- really ****ty fit.

FlyingDog

Buy a cracked dash (~$10-20), send it to Rob Budd, swap when he returns it covered. You'll only lose a few hours of driving time doing the swap. You'd probably spend a similar amount of time installing the ugly cap.

Nine2Eight

I had great luck with dash caps for 944s and 924s, but the the 928 caps just don't cut it.
The dash portion is too wide and the front pod piece does not sit flush against the face
enough for the switches and keyholes. Also, the vent holes always seem to warp in the heat
(Florida) and really look like crap. I finally broke down, found a pretty decent used dash
from Canada and replaced all that plastic garbage. The absolute best dash cap ever made is
for the 944 85.5 model year and up- fits like a glove.

Do a real dash replacement. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you get all that spaghetti back in the right places, turn the key and everything works.

joejoe

I agree with Nine2eight the 944 cap does fit quite well. I still have not glued it down in the '87 I have.

AZSAIL

I just installed one I got from azbob on EBAY. It was a local pick up and only paid about $90 for three pieces. It was black, I had a blue leather dash to begin with. My old dash was very badly cracked and curling up. All the old leather had to be removed to fit the cover and some big holes were left in the foam, I filled them with some high density foam I had lying around. I found some vinly dye that was a pretty close match and sprayed the 3 pieces and the glove box door also. It made a big improvement over what I had, but that was pretty bad. The installation was pretty dificult and the cover had to be trimmed to get a good fit. The hardest part for me was working under the dash, next time I might take out the drivers seat. The ***** are tight and I should have relieved the holes more. The electrical connectors also suffered some broken tabs and now I have some intermittent instrument operation. Good luck if you try one, I might just use a carpet cover if your old dash isn't that bad.

Tom Errickson
83 928S
71 Lotus 7 MK4
61 Mini Cooper MK1 1275
02 MINI COOPER S
RF90 Van Diemen FF2000

NoVector

A year after puting a cap on, mine warped--bad! I then removed it and big chunks of the old dash came with it. In the mean time, I put one of the gheto carpet covers over it. I'm now in the middle of removing the dash and plan on doing the bondo/SEM texture thing.

My $.02: do it right the first time and remove the dash and repair/replace it. Otherwise, you're just kicking the can down the road.
Bruce

RichS 1986928

Crap, Bruce.. that is not what I wanted to hear! I just don't have the time to do the whole
dash this year...

H2

Cracked dash or not, Shane has a great, maniacal avatar. That's pure, unadulterated crazy! I think a big decal of this on your car doors would be cool. Does Orofino HS sell license plate frames? I'd buy.

If any of you put one of these pod caps on, please let this list know what your learned. You'd think there'd be a way to keep them from warping.

Thanks,

H2