DashTop™ dash "caps" are not bad!
 

I didn't use one for my 911 dash but I was planning on it until I stumbled across a near perfect used original at John Walker's shop here in Seattle and bought it from him. I already had the DashTop™ (by Palco Industries) dash "cap" purchased and was planning on using it to transform this:

http://members.aol.com/darryld/olddash.jpg

Into something a bit more appealing to the eye. Somewhere under that sorry looking recover job was an original 911 dash with a crack in it.

Well, I went ahead and installed it on the old dash yesterday and here's the result:

http://members.aol.com/darryld/dashtop.jpg

I had to trim a good 1/8" of padding off the front edge of the old pad in a couple places to get it to fit snug but it really laid down nicely and the silicone glue provided with the DashTop™ really did a good job of holding it down. I used wood clothespins around the perimeter to hold the cap until it was dry this morning. The only thing that's less than desirable is the area just above the gauges, which you really can't see much of when the dash is installed. It just seems funny they wouldn't fully cover this area too. The little vinyl skirt around the front edge is also missing but not something you can really see much of with the dash pad installed.

There is no way to get this thing to fit correctly without removing the dash pad and trimming it a bit.

All-in-all, for $89 it's not a bad solution, but I'm very happy I found the great original used one from John Walker given the work to install it.

The DashTop™ website is: http://www.dashtop.com and you are referred to an authorized dealer's website near you.

I read that the DashTop™ brand fits a bit better than the CoverLay™ brand in the archives here on this BBS and that's what influenced my purchase decision.

sweet. I went a step further. My car already had the cap. I removed mine and am in the process of covering it in ultrasuede. I'm giving it some "class" :D

A friend put one of these on his Mercedes 280SL and I could hardly tell it wasn't original to the car. Unbelievable.

He purchased his from Adsit. I'm not sure who they source from. I'll bet it's Dashtop or Coverlay.

I contacted the manufacturer and they pointed me to a place in Kalifornia. Shipping was nothing due to the featherweight of the cap.

I've noticed the Coverlay™ are molded black and kind of shiney, the DashTop™ is sprayed with a dye and can be ordered in just about any interior color Porsche offers. Unfortunately the dye got a little scuffed on mine (the area over the gauges) when it was shipped and I'll need to do a touch-up with VHT spray dye.

Covering the cap with ultrasuede, that should look great! Then you can add the little skirt too!

What is ultrasuede? I've never heard of it before?

It's like suede - but even better!

Isn't it like Pleather? :D

Are you talking about Alcantra? Kind of a synthetic suede...

It's exactly like pleather! :D

Ultrasuede is synthetic suede, also known as alcantara.

It's a duct tape type of material:D , right Dave:p !

here it is
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1109711496.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1109711512.jpg

uhhh....... no...comment...

is it smooth like leather or textured like suede?

There is a material like leather that is not affected by water, spills, sun exposure, etc.. Anyone know the brand name of this stuff??

Check this out: http://www.gulffabrics.com/

It's like leather it just like the Ferrari 360CS material.
cost $60 us. dlls. p/yr.

Is it "pleather" or "ultraleather"

Ultrasuede can be found in fabric stores. Garments are made of it, with fewer maintenance and cleaning problems. It's a fabric of sorts and is easier to sew than real leather.

ok here it is what I'm using on my dash, door arm rest and headliner.
:D
Is just like the one BMW use on the M3
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110239692.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110239718.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110239750.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110239789.jpg

cool!

I was looking at an ultra-suade couch in an upscale furniture store last week. I asked the clerk about the spill, wear, charastics of the material. They said it cleas up very nicely from spills. That its better than the leather.

I have a coverlay on the '75. It was not installed very well. It creaks and makes noises. I would put in a new dash however, I figure this will be the fun car anyway. This Dashtop product may make more sense. So its not stock, well neather are the carbs.

David Duffield

I'm all done but did not re-install it yet. This is what the process looked like. You have to be patient b/c once you get to the curvy areas, you need to pull the fabric in several directions to get it to smooth out. This means that you have to do a section and then wait until next day so it's completely dry. A bit of a pain but I think it'll be worth it for some cheap bling appeal.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110269897.jpg

Woooo - - More photos please

Is that 3M spray??

Was it difficult where the gauge "hump" meets the dash?

Yes, yes, please...more pictures!!

some more of the finished product

my approach was to do the large flat area first, and then to take care of the crease for the gauges in two separate attempts

then I did the section all the way to the left (above the ignition/light switch) after which I attacked the right side

then I finished up with the section above the glove box

I used (spotted correctly) the 3M spray adhesive but it's a messy affair. Tough to aim the stream of glue shooting out of the can.... For best results, spray the area and then the fabric as well and let it sit for approx 30 sec. Then it becomes really tacky but you can still peel it off and stretch it in the right direction. If you join surfaces too soon, the glue is too wet and it won't stick very well on the curvy sections.

Apply the adhesive liberally but not too much. One or two spots where I sprayed too much on the fabric seeped through and to a picky person it's visible if you stick your nose on the windshield. I'm not picky, the car is not a concours queen and I'm just satisfied from getting it done, so I don't care as much, but you should know what to avoid for next time. From the driver's seat it looks great.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110349995.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110350035.jpg


this is the backside (bottom) of the set up. You can clearly see the spray pattern of the glue. Care must be taken when spraying the "tight" areas so you don't shoot over the top portion of the fabric. The 3M stuff is really sticky and tough to remove from any fabric.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110350068.jpg

Dave,

That looks GREAT! I think I have finaly found the solution for my cracked dash. Is the fabric shown on your dash one whole piece? Did you buy the material from GulfFabrics?

You can get 3m trim adhesive in tubes and spread it with a brush-its known as FasTack trim adhesive-try Napa. Also perfect for gluing on tubular bike tires.

Wish I knew I could avoid spraying the glue everywhere ;)

Simon,
I got the fabric from a "regular" fabric store. I got two yards of it at whatever width they normally provide. Total was approx $50-$60. In retrospect, I could have used a little more b/c to cover it all up I had to place the fabric diagonally to maximize it. But, yes it's all one piece.

The benefit of this job (besides the looks) is that it makes the cap more snug and it eliminates a lot of the rattles that I used to hear.

my up date
the hairliner
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110383503.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110383527.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110383554.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110383571.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1110383595.jpg

Dave your dash looks great.

thanks, it gives me this "custom work"/DTM race car feel :D

Dave, that's outstanding. Another project to add to my list. :rolleyes:

Colin,
With the prices for new or good condition dashboards approaching the ridiculous, and the professional shops still charging almost HALF that for a fix, it looked to me like the only way to go. My car came with the cap and I didn't mind the look, but I knew I could make it nicer.

Somehow mine hasn't done that and the PO had it on there for a while before me too. It could be b/c of how it's mounted. the "front" part is wedged as far as it can go against the windshield, therefore it's held in there very snug. The rest of it is secured by several discreet, black screws (gasp! :eek: ). I know it's not the cleanest way, but it sure held on well, and it took me a while to even notice all the screws holding it in place.

The bigger question will be whether under some heat and sun the fabric separates from the surface. I doubt it b/c that 3M stuff hardens nicely and it doesn't look like it will soften much with heat, but only time will tell. Maybe by then I can afford a real dash :D

Dave, mine was glued to the dash so that is probably why the heat effected it.

I'm interested to see how the upholstered cap fits over the dash. Hopefully the upholstery won't interfere with a clean installation.

You might try a little lacquer thinner to remove any unwanted glue. I ordered some door pockets from Original Fit (never again, BTW) and they had glue on the carpet. When I called to complain, I was told to use lacquer thinner. It worked, and didn't harm the carpet. Be careful. YMMV.

Nice work!

Ok, run this all by me again (sorry for being thick)... This is a cap that just slides on top of your cracked dash? I am checking because your pictures show a removed windshield and all, symptoms of a replaced dash, not a capped one... If so, I have always wanted an alcantara dash on my car (73.5 with crack) so you could be the best inspiration ever... I'd want to see how it fits with that extra layer of cloth though, I suspect it'll stick out or something....

If OTOH I gotta remove my dash, repair it, pop the windshield etc, that is not so much fun anymore as I have a decent custom carpet to cover the dash right now.

Well, my 73.5 has *many* cracks in the dash ;)

The cap that was in my car does not require the removal of the windshield. It just slides on top of the dash which is what made me want to even attempt this project.

As for the fit... I've been too busy/lazy to put it in but I may get around to it tonight. Even by itself, the plastic cap is not really a "speed-skater-suit" fit, just an approximation of the shape of the dash. Since it's not really an exact fit, the fabric should not interfere. If it does, then I'll remove as much as possible of the overlap material from the bottom of the cap.

Excellent, please do post a picture when you are done if it's not too much trouble...

The one on the right needs help dash wise - just finished recovering the dash on the left (much easier).. ;-)

http://members.rennlist.com/greg/57et73.jpg

And no, I am not color blind, just unlucky in the colors I find for sale ;-)

Other than the difficulty of removing the existing dash, does anyone know why this same reupholstry job could not be done to the dash itself as opposed to a dash cap that fits over the dash?

sweet cars!

MikeSid,
I can't think of any other reason. It probably could be done to the dash itself, as long as you had a way of masking/filling in the cracks that are on the dash... if there are any. Otherwise, I think they would show through.

Reupholstery is absolutely possible...competent auto reupholstery shops will do that for about $400-$500 (in the SF Bay Area) (that's what I got quoted)