lee101315

Yea, thats what all the upholstery guys say " The leather will shrink "

The interior is outstanding, great job!

MarkRobinson

getting there, thanks Lee

MarkRobinson

I figured out early on that I needed to trim back the vinyl where overlaying leather would create a too-tight of location for overlaying pieces. I should have done this with the dash seam (cut out a 1/2" wide strip of burgundy vinyl). Live & learn.

Here's how I did the console (first). Looks fantastic. Noticed how I trimmed back (xacto knife) the vinyl where the leather would cause it to be too thick for the center glove box & shift boot surround?

Cyberpunky

Looks great. The seats will definatly tighten up with some sunshine and heat.

slinger569

I'm debating between sending them my dash or DIY...

How hard is it to install their upper and lower kits?
My dash is in pretty good shape aside from 3 or 4 cracks that will need attending.

MarkRobinson

Wasn't too bad: take your time, scuff up the surface per his instructions, de-oil it thoroughly, use plenty of glue, go slow, ensure the seams are perfect, etc.

Arominus

The upper is the harder of the two, but it lays down nicely if you take your time. The lowers are cake compared to the upper dash.

lsejnoha

Wow it looks like you are doing an amazing job so far. Intimate detail and surgical precision is where I am heading with my 951 and by the looks of it, you are already there. Keep up the good work and I hope to see the finished product real soon.

Dash01

Very nice job, Mark, and thanks for sharing.

Questions:

What adhesive?

Is the leather conformable enough that you could use single pieces without stitching? (The stitching seams look great and very well done, but I'm wondering if simple strips of leather could be bonded to the console, etc.)

MarkRobinson

DAP Wilwood contact cement is what I used.

No, do not lay down unstitched pieces and expect the edges to stay: I suspect they wont.

I'm already having some pulling on my dash as I probably should have left more leather behind the gauge bezel at the top of my dash where it gets the hottest: USE a sunvisor...My car was at the body shop for a week and I forgot to ask them...pulled while it was there

Dash01

FWIW, rubbing alcohol applied to leather lets the fibers instantly relax, so the leather will stretch. Helps it conform to three dimensional shapes.

ehall

Great thread! Great job!