Plastic dash cover or leather one?
#16
Three Wheelin'
Having your dash covered by Paul or Robert is the best solution and the only one that you are likely to be happy with over time. If you go straight to the re-upholstered route you save yourself the cost of the intermediate solutions. I had my dash and pod covered by Robert and they look great--I chose to go with vinyl because it gets rather warm here in Texas and I did not want to have to be constantly conditioning the leather. The new dash and pod totally transformed the interior so it was worth it in my mind.
#17
Rennlist Member
Hey,
I just did mine in the 79 this past week. Car came with leather dash but it was pulling away pretty badly. When the guy came to replace my windshield, I had him wait a few minutes and I tore the leather off. The bad below was puffed up in several places. I thought I would use a heating iron and push it back down, didn't work. Wound up cutting the high spots down. The replacement cover was sort of flat black and a perfect match for the rest of my interior. I spent several days removing the old glue from the pad and sanding. Next I used a dremmel and cut out the vent area to use my origional vent caps. I took my time and I am quite satisfied with the plastic cap.
Best of luck,
I just did mine in the 79 this past week. Car came with leather dash but it was pulling away pretty badly. When the guy came to replace my windshield, I had him wait a few minutes and I tore the leather off. The bad below was puffed up in several places. I thought I would use a heating iron and push it back down, didn't work. Wound up cutting the high spots down. The replacement cover was sort of flat black and a perfect match for the rest of my interior. I spent several days removing the old glue from the pad and sanding. Next I used a dremmel and cut out the vent area to use my origional vent caps. I took my time and I am quite satisfied with the plastic cap.
Best of luck,
#18
Instructor
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Virginia Beach
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If you're planning on keeping the car, don't even consider anything but a recover in vinyl or leather ( depending on what your had originally) by Mr. Budd or Mr. Champagne. Mr. Budd did my 86 dash and pod in vinyl and they were a perfect match . Mr Champagne did the interior of my 87 and it is beautiful. I started with a vinyl glue-on for the 86 that looked ugly and artificial when done and looked like an ocean wave after I left it in the sun the first time and was a pain to clean up after I heat gunned it off.
#22
Rennlist Member
The only way to make this work is to remove the dash and either 1. have it recovered in vinyl or leather, or 2. Any of the other options are simply second rate at best and you will not be happy. If you are relatively handy, have some patience it can be done to a professional standard in your own garage. When I purchased my 89 951, it had a bad plastic dash cap. The cap looked so bad I removed and drove with a cracking peeling top dash pad until I got around to fixing. After removing the dash, you will need to reglue any foam that is lifting from the metal substrate, and fill any voids and cracks with a filler material (i used epoxy) and then sand until smooth and recover. I am sure the 928 leather shop would do a more professional job, I just could not afford to go that route. The results are worth the work!
#24
Rennlist Member
Contact Keyston. They are a retailer for automotive leathers and vinyls. I bought a perfect match brown vinyl for the dash in my 81. The sell the best adhesives as well
I think I paid $40 for 2 yards of vinyl. It's a nationwide company
I think I paid $40 for 2 yards of vinyl. It's a nationwide company
#25
Burning Brakes
#26
Official Bay Area Patriot
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
I'm sort of in the same boat as the OP. My car is garaged and has a dash cover, but it just looks so damn funky now. Looking at those plastic dash covers. I forgot who made them. I doubt it will warp under a car cover and in a garage for the rest of its life though.