potent951turbo

After driving a 996 the other day and seeing the leather covered dash I have been thinking of how it would look to have a tired cracked 944 dash covered in black suede or leather. Has anyone else thought about doing something like this? I usually only go for stock stuff but I never have liked the looks of the dash caps since you can usually tell its capped on there, and finding a good used dash is getting harder to come by. What do you guys think if you had the top portion of the dash professionally covered in black suede? Maybe have them do a nice stitch outlining the gauge/vent area and maybe around the side vents? Just a thought, and maybe if someone has any pics of this already done.

chris951

I think it would look nice. I would like to see a pic

DanG

I like it. I like it alot. I'd even be ok with using "simulated suede" microfiber. As long as it was thick enough not to stretch and had adequate fade resistance.

Maybe I'll strike up some talks with the local auto upholstry shops and see what it would cost. I think $500 or less would be a pretty reasonable price for something that came out looking better than stock.

NZ951

Suede would be killer! Go for it. How hard is it to take the dash out? I have not done that yet and I need to re-cover my dash too.

MPD47

ldt1

The GPR dash overlay is hard to tell from the original. I have seen others that were truly lame.

ninefiveone

Right now my dash is crack free but when it does start cracking, I'm planning on covering it in an ultra-suede or other similar fabric. No glare on the windshield, etc.

streckfu's

Explain yourself, Sir!

testarossa_td

I have messed with the microfiber (moleskin at hobby lobby)...el stinkaroo on the fade. I took a piece and just left it in the dash of my pos Saturn and it did not fare well. However if you used it on your door inserts and center arm rest, you might be alright. What separates the home use(furniture) and what you buy off the bolt ($26 a yard) is backing. Depending on what level the cracks are you could effectively cover them, however if they are like the 928 dashes they can buckle up as well....no joy there. For a garage queen you should be fine.

There was an ebay auction recently that had done this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...gory=6434&rd=1

potent951turbo

Wow, I am surprised at how many of you were excited about the possibility. Simulated suede might be just as good since it might hold up better to the sun and probably has better fade resistance. A really nice product I looked at a few months ago was called Sensuede, and looked fantastic. I can't remember what it was made from but it was really nice stuff. The upholstery shop I saw it at charged $105 per yard with a mininum of one yard which would be more then enough since I think it was something like 57 inches wide. I have however found the same product online for as low as about $60 per yard if I recall. The main question would be how well it would conform around the curves of the dash, but there really isn't anything crazy to cause much of a problem. And if you had some stitches around some areas for accent it might help create some of the folds needed to help it form.

Yeah, I know some of the old Porsche race cars would have the dash covered in suede to prevent glare etc.

Porsche-O-Phile

I'd have to see pics but it's probably a halfway decent idea. Pretty much ANYTHING is better than those pimpin' lookin' fugly dash carpets or crappy plastic dash covers. Both are "duct tape & bailing wire" solutions to the problem. The proper solution is either repair or replacement of the dash, preferably covering it with a material that is more resistent to UV degradation. I have yet to see a dash cap that doesn't look/feel chincy and like it was made last week in some Chinese sweatshop where the objective is quantity, certainly not quality.

potent951turbo

Here is a pic of a dash covered in some type of suede like product I found on ebay (I hope the owner doesn't mind). I like how the top of the dash looks pretty well, but of course I would only do it in black myself.

Dash01

Along the same lines, I've often wondered about using marine-grade vinyl or cloth upholstery material to re-cover the dash. Being marine-grade, it would have excellent resistance to weathering and fading, and is available in lots of colors and various textures. Could be applied with spray adhesive, and generally costs ~$20/yard around here. Works better and is more durable and forgiving than leather, which skins are generally too small for dashboard application.

Also, it's designed to have good "drape" characteristics, such that stretching over compound curves is workable, unlike other basically two dimensional materials.

Anybody tried this? Insights/suggestions?

aben8057

No sure about the suede and how it effects window fogging and glare. Although the leather must be maintained with conditioner and proper treatment.
My dash is leather and the headliner is suede..no issues

potent951turbo

Here is the link to the material I had in mind. Its very comparable to the stuff they are currently using in new BMW's with the optional alcantara steering wheels and shift boots found in the 330i ZHP and M3 Competition. Its called sensuede and its the best simulated suede I have seen.

http://www.sensuede.com/sensuede/index.html