Recent 86 944 buy - follow-up interior questions

[RWPrice]

I picked up my 86 944 about two weeks ago. While waiting to get belts/water pump done, I'm thinking about some other issues:

1) As expected my dash is cracked in several places. I'm looking at a Coverlay dash cover. I couldn't find much comment, but wondering if anyone has any experience with these. I won't be doing a restoration, just a nice driver, so a dash cap should suffice. I'm trying to determine whether my dash is equivalent to their medium brown or dark brown.

2) My driver's seat has a lot of surface finish wear and a 1 1/2 inch split on the back (not a seam split). I'm looking at Leatherique to recolor one or both seats, but know nothing about their repair materials. Open to any suggestions.

[jcommin]

Dashes only came in 2 colors: Black or brown. There are plenty of posts on dash repair/replace. OE dashes are No Longer Available so your choices are: find a good crack free (almost impossible to find) used one, repair it, cover it (coverlay) or send your dash out to be repaired/recovered from vendors that this type of work. The price point varies so the choice is up to you.

There are also posts on seat repair. kits are available or you can have it done from serval places that reupholster. Again, price point varies.

[RWPrice]

Thanks. I've ordered a Coverlay dash cap. They appear to look decent, and this is not a "restoration" project.

As far as seats, I've used a franchise service for a Cayman called Fibrenew. They did a fabulous job on the usual rubbed spot on the driver's seat back bolster, but a full seat would be a challenge. I have experience with Leatherique and was just looking for some alternatives. I'll report on results.

[OK-944]

I applied a rubbery material called "Sugru" to my dash cracks. An improvement for sure - but do look at John Jefferies recent writeup regarding his 924S - an amazing dash job for sure! Somebody had previously written up a procedure using Sugru and applying pressure with a textured piece before the Sugru dried - to match the surrounding dash area. Not sure how to find this writeup but maybe someone else can chime in.

If your proposed leather seat rehab does not work, you may consider going to vinyl...and for this I'd suggest getting in touch with Kyle at Only944. I just reupholstered the front seats on my '87NA with Kyle's kit...and although it takes a bit of time and patience...I got great results.

[RWPrice]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I applied a rubbery material called "Sugru" to my dash cracks. An improvement for sure - but do look at John Jefferies recent writeup regarding his 924S - an amazing dash job for sure! Somebody had previously written up a procedure using Sugru and applying pressure with a textured piece before the Sugru dried - to match the surrounding dash area. Not sure how to find this writeup but maybe someone else can chime in.

If your proposed leather seat rehab does not work, you may consider going to vinyl...and for this I'd suggest getting in touch with Kyle at Only944. I just reupholstered the front seats on my '87NA with Kyle's kit...and although it takes a bit of time and patience...I got great results.

Thanks. I'm not new to cars by many decades, but new to 944s. I'm going to give the dash cap a try and will report. The suggestion for the seats is a good one.

[Fast Freddy 944]

You can order a dash glue on pad kit, you have to know what you are doing for the install. Sue at ASM in Dallas can re-do your seats!

[RWPrice]

I ordered a dash cap and, for the short term, an inexpensive, sew-on steering wheel cover. The driver's seat cleaned up remarkably well with Lexol. It'll be fine for a while.

I test fit the dash cap and it's a perfect color match and an excellent fit. Will be doing final install in the next week or so when I'm not rushed with other work.

[Fast Freddy 944]

Originally Posted by RWPrice

I ordered a dash cap and, for the short term, an inexpensive, sew-on steering wheel cover. The driver's seat cleaned up remarkably well with Lexol. It'll be fine for a while.

I test fit the dash cap and it's a perfect color match and an excellent fit. Will be doing final install in the next week or so when I'm not rushed with other work.

That cleans it up nicely! My local shop has a few dash caps for my 951, ill get one later. The gluing issue might be a chore, but the results are great!