Dash replacement alternative
 

Has anybody tried one of these out?
PEL-PP-900626 Coverlay Dash Cover
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...verlay_911.jpg

Looking at a car and it's perfect, except I really don't like the leather on the dash or the headliner, but that's a different saga. I looked up dash replacement, and whoa, the only thing worse is replacing the headliner... If you took the carpet and seats out, couldn't you dye the headliner? Or do I learn to live with brown and tan? Tan isn't that bad, I'm just not sure if I'm crazy about the brown.

I looked into having my ivory headliner sprayed black by a long time friend that does Jag/Mercedes/Porsche/etc interior repair and he said he can't do a headliner. As far as the dash cap, some guys like to slam them but I really don't understand why. For under $100 and 15-30 minutes time you can have a great looking dash vs. $1000+ to repair/replace the factory dash? They work great but are only available in black. Several different companies make them, we deal with "DashTop", a slightly different design execution then PEL-PP-900626. Good luck with your project.
Regards,
Charles
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196193559.jpg

How that dash pad is installed? It need be glued or is a simply put over the old one and thats all.

These come in lots of colors. I had one on a previous car and it was very good WRT fit. Color was close, but not perfect. I chose to just lay it there and not glue it, but in my case [an 86] the larger def vent screwed it down tight anyway. 85 and earlier may need glue.

I've got one in my 83 911. They look sort of cheap- like a plastic dash on an old nissan or honda! It will do until I redo the original dash. it's glued in and does fit fairly well.

Why not cover with black alcantra?

They have vinyl spray paint in a variety of different colors that works very nicely on the dash covers. I don't have the brand name in front of me, but I can get it if you want it.

If done right, the plastic caps can look very good. It all depends upon the quality of the installation though...

-Wayne

The care taken on the rear edges being the most crucial?

When I bought my '72, it had a dash cap. The seller didn't inform me of course, and it was a while before I paid enough attention to notice it. So they're not so bad for the price. I bet if you put on on intending to keep it on until you bought a new replacement, the cap would end up being on for a long time.

Did he say why he couldn't do the headliner?

Actually, no. The front edge, against the windshield is actually more visible and harder to 'get right'. That's where it can ripple and it really shows.

They are made well enough that the rear edge fits very well.

I think the good ones (pelican's) fit and look very well; not like leather, but...

My '79 had a big gouge in the dash and it was an easy fix until I could get a new dash (which I never did).

I put one on my '79 928...spiffed it right up.
Didn't use enough glue at the windshield so it started to ripple in the hot summer, but a new dash was worth about half of the whole value of the car, so a no-brainer.

My '86 944 had the typical cracking on the dash and a plastic dash cover. Took a while to notice it, color and grain match was pretty darn close...

I'm glad the PO didn't glue it down - I'd get marginally better demisting if I took it off in the winter. Then again, maybe if it'd been fitted properly, it'd have lined up perfectly with the vents...

That's what I did with mine. No more glare!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1196449023.jpg




Cheers,
n.
_
http://nicolashunziker.com

I've got the plastic cover in my Targa, put in by the PO. I don't know what problems the real dash has.
On the other hand TargaFlorio did you do that covering yourself? If so any info on the process?

Looks nice.

Thanks

Jay

Jay,

I'm fortunate to have a two-piece dash (1968 Model). I bought the alcantara over the internet. I did the smaller dash piece (the one that butts up to the windshield) myself.

I had the other piece done professionally by a local upholsterer. I think I paid like 40 bucks or so.

Cheers,
n.

_
http://nicolashunziker.com

Thanks for the info.

Jay

The PO did my '85 in Blue Cap to match the interior. It's a close match but.......plastic is plastic. I have a local guy (So. Cal) whom I've used before on seats quote me $400 to cover it in blue matching vinyl with stitching to match the original. He says he could do it in leather but it wouldn't last. He also quoted me $400 per on seats in blue leather......I'm tempted. He's in the hood but does very nice work.

Scott

Scott - do you have a picture of the blue plastic dash cap? I have a blue leather dash (trashed) covered by what appears to be a plastic cap covered with yet more leather (which fits poorly and is very warped). So, I am considering removing that and trying a blue plastic cap until the budget allows for dash replacement. Thanks.