anyone able to fix warped leather dash

[lonewolf]

has anyone here had any success in trying to take the warpage out of the leather dash.
i know the leather dashes shrink and warp from the heat but was wondering if it could be reversed somehow.

i was thinking of a little steam to stretch the leather and somehow flattening out the warpage perhaps with weight.
does anyone know if the 86 style dash that has the metal strip along windshield edge could be used? . could this metal strip be fitted to earlier cars or is it part of dash?

[Jastx]

visit colorplus.com and see their product Soffner.

[TRE Cup]

an 86 style dash can be used (on 77 -85 models) with the metal strip BUT your defrost vents will not line up- they will be covered by the metal strip. So.. what to do? cut the upper dash steel panel and stretch your existing defrost vents so they line up OR mill the metal strip so you get some air flow.

i have never seen a leather dash that is warped come back into proper shape- the leather just keeps shrinking and twisting the base plastic and metal core

[Mysterytrain]

I wonder if both sides of the dash had been covered with leather if there would have been less twisting/warping. Woodworkers seal both sides of wood to minimize warping.

[scottb]

I haven't heard of anyone successfully reversing leather shrinkage on a dash. Jason Cullen here on the board sells re-covered dashes, and/or can re-cover your dash. Do a search...I think he posted on them once.

Good luck.

[rgrimm]

To clarify, you're saying your leather is not too bad (or maybe is), but the main problem is that the inner "core" of the dash is warped, typically along the leading edge, nearest the windshield?

At least, that's mine. Covering's fine, it just has a "ripple" that's in the hard inner core of the dash.

[lonewolf]

yes it,s the same
leather is fine but warped along windshield bottom

[aigel]

The only way to go is to replace the dash. I thought I am smart and I just take the leather off, as it is covering a vinyl dash. The dash underneath was pringled up beyond recognition. You couldn't save it. You have to face it, leather is about the worst dash material you could come up with. I bit the bullet and installed a brand new Porsche vinyl dash. Unfortunately that is a 1k affair these days. It makes the car look so much better. The dash is what you look at most, when you sit in your car. It will give you a good return though, if you ever sell, as most cars come with crappy dashes and your car will stand out ...

George

[lonewolf]

did you have to remove windshield to replace dash ?

[aigel]

On my 81 the windshield had to come out, yes. But the seal was leaking anyway, so I did it all at once.

G

[Brian 162]

I took my dash to a trim shop. He repaired the rust damage, replaced the studs, and re-covered the dash in leather. The finished product is amazing. I'm waiting to have it installed after my re-paint. Not sure of cost but cheaper than a new dash.

[1973911s]

I tried everything to get this to go back down, nothing worked.





Michael