Lakewell leather dash - too small?

[Glenfield]

Team,

Anyone have any experience with Lakewell leather dashes coming in too small? Old dash measured 1274mm and the new one is 1267mm long. That 7mm leads to a nasty and observable gap on the driver side A pillar. It’s for a 911SC.

Maybe a creative solution to explore by building up one side of the dash. Keen to hear if anyone else has experienced.

Cheers,
Tom

[thor66]

I've seen people complain about them on EarlyS forum

[Jonny042]

I hate to say it but if that's the only issue you have with a replacement dash you're doing pretty well!!

Seems like all the options are sub-optimal. I got mine from Carpoint and AFAIK at the time I think it was the same manufacturer as lakewell, numerous places are I think selling the same dash.

I ended up getting it to fit pretty well but you wouldn't believe how much time it took. Really disappointing to spend well over $1000 for something like that.

I see there's a place selling on ebay for significantly less, with free shipping from Turkey I think. How much worse could it be?

[john walker's workshop]

Last one I got, i could stick my thumb in the gap between dash and door molding. I need one for my '69 now, Grrr!!##*&*#!

[Glenfield]

Guys, thanks for the responses. Went to Lakewell as I was (mistakenly) of the belief that for a few extra dollaridoos, I might be able to minimize the headaches around fitment. To make matters worse, stud on the drivers side was exceedingly brittle and pulled out.

Let’s see if their customer service is better than their QC. I am assuming the worst and think I might be best off trying to build up the short side and reupholster.

[Inrevinc]

I had trouble with a no name repro dash not long ago: it was thicker on one side and wouldn't fit flush. I ended up discovering that it was a manufacturing issue and they took it back (not after a lot of work grinding with a dremel tool the inside of it to equalize it.).

In the end I bought an OEM replacement in black vinyl from a local dealer. It fit like a glove, no issue, center vent was perfect fit, enough flex for an easy install. It was for an 84 3.2.

Obviously the new dash differs a lot from the original one in its internal construction but I'm wondering if it couldn't be upholstered in leather over the vinyl?

[Glenfield]

Good suggestion Inrevinc. Lakewell sells a product that’s already upholstered in leather, which is what I ordered. The quality of the upholstery and leather looks very good, but they did choose a cow with a particularly small hide on the drivers A pillar side ... maybe Belgian cows have one cheek smaller than the other

[Inrevinc]

Based on the dash description on their website I would think it's a defective unit.

"Our complete dashboards are probably the best you can buy for originality and fit. The tool to mould and cast the dashboards was developed using 3-D scanning on a NOS dashboard. Grain and gloss of the vynil surface coat have been optimised to match the typical patina found on the door caps of '74-86 models. All dashboards are quality assured on a jig to correct/control mounting points. We guarantee a factory authentic appearance and fit."

Other issue could be your car has been in an accident in the past and is slightly bent?

[75 911s]

I had this problem with a 75 dash I bought from Porsche Classic at my local dealer.

Recently I ran into Bucky Melvin, Porsche Classic Product Manager at a show here in Las Vegas. I showed him the issue and he took pictures. We talked briefly about the issue but it was a busy show.

You can see video of the problem in my yt video dashboard confessional.

There are multiple dash styles so I wonder if this might be an issue with the 69-75 dash.

Right now the best option (in my opinion) is to take a core and recover it by someone who can do a good job.

[Glenfield]

Grateful for the perspectives guys. Definitely a 77-86 dash. While it’s possible, I see zero indications of accident damage anywhere on the car.

I can only conclude that the dash is a QC fail or their 77-86 dashes are made short. Of course, each 911 has slight variations in manufacturing so it could be that also.

I’ll let folks know what Lakewell says so others can make their mind up around dash vendors.

[Uwon]

I tried to fit a ‘71 made in Turkey into my ‘71 resto project. Too big and some studs in the wrong place. Needless to say, it was returned.
I have decided the repair the original and recover in leather. I have already done this once on my current hot rod, the RST. Not a DIY project unless you are patient and have strong hands.
Hope this helps.
Johan

[kevstens]

I just ordered one from My local Porsche dealer. I am told it is OEM. It cost $1200.00. I will let you know how it fits when I get it. By the way it is for my 69.

[john walker's workshop]

So how did it fit?

[Jeff Alton]

Here is a PORSCHE dash we installed last week in a 74. Drivers side A-pillar fit is great, Passenger side is very close, but not perfect.





Cheers