Dashboard Rehab - Cover vs. Re-Cover?

[OK-944]

Wanting to rehab the mildly cracked dash on my '87NA - but not wanting to have my car out of commission for too long while I tackle this project...I am considering the following:

One (most expensive) - look for a core upper dash, then purchase the upper dash cover kit from Classic 9, strip and re-cover the core dash, then switch this dash out with my current, cracked dash as time permits.

Two (most time consuming) - purchase the above mentioned Classic 9 kit, remove my car's upper dashboard and have at it.

Three (least expensive, least time-consuming) - purchase a dash cover from a place like CoverLay, and with this cover the existing (still installed) cracked dash.

While I like the idea of option one the most, as this would allow me to take my time and do a good job while still being able to drive my car until I switch the old dash for the re-covered one, plus the completed dash would look and feel more or less "original," I am very tempted by just going with the Coverlay approach of option 3...quick, relatively inexpensive, and from what I gather a very decent looking product.

My concern about going with the Coverlay approach is that this might actually detract from the value of my car (even when compared to that with my current, cracked dashboard) when it comes time to sell it, plus I might end up disappointed by the "non-original" look and feel of the covered dash.

Comments? Thanks!

[walfreyydo]

Option Four: Fix it yourself through this method (cheap and seems to be fairly easy)
https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/850961-diy-early-dashboard-restoration-megathread.html

[jcommin]

This topic is like the tide - it waxes and wanes. The answer is: It depends
It depends on the overall condition of the remaining interior
It depends on budget
It depends on how long you intend to keep the car
It depends on ones skill set

Probably others.

There is no wrong option - it just depends.

[OK-944]

Agreed...it depends.

My latest thinking is that I'll likely go with the upper dash cover from Classic 9, prepare in advance as much as possible, block out some time, then strip and re-cover the original dashboard.

At any rate...thanks for the feedback!

[Monkey Wrench]

I'd cover it with leather. Get the leather wet first them pull it tight so it conforms, then when dry glue it on.
the plastic aftermarket dashboards that I have seen are cheap garbage. I still have one that I ordered for a different car, it turned out to not be worth using. Maybe there are good ones out there, but buyer beware, some are just plastic junk.

[jcommin]

Classic 9 recovered my dash on my 83 in 2006. It was one of the first early dashes recovered. They re-did my seats and steering wheel. I spent allot of money on this: the seats and wheel have held up well. The leather on the dash has shrunk a bit but nothing has cracked. I like their work. I made the investment because I'm the original owner and have no intention of selling the car. Clarks Garage has a "nice how" to remove the dash. Not for the faint of heart - nothing difficult, just time consuming. Take lots of pictures and bag/label every bit. Be prepared for the "while I'm in there" disease: Good time to change light bulbs,

Another option is buying a dash from Porsche. There is a recent post on this.

[OK-944]

I've removed two dashes on these cars and yes indeed - its more than a little picky and time consuming! Thus my (short lived) motivation to find a core dash to rehab to minimize the "downtime" for my car. But this would mean that my original dash would then become a mere "leftover" of this process, which does not sit well with me...so I will do my best to plan ahead and use my current dash for this project.

[Peter Graham]

Our 951/944 Turbo has a few minor dash cracks emanating from the vent openings: yesterday I picked up a JB Weld LeatherWeld kit (#2310, $21 from NAPA) in order to attempt a quick and more-easy 'form' repair. The LeatherWeld compounds are air-dry rather than heat-dependent. From what I understand, it would be very expensive to attempt a large quantity/area of repair, requiring many kits. I am without a clue as what to expect but I can report back after I attempt the first repair...

Peter

[djnolan]

These guys are pricey. From reading the fact they use a improved vinyl and foam formulation which greatly extends the life of the dash I'm thinking for my car that lives outside that it might be durable enough to be worth doing

https://www.justdashes.com/faq/

Merry Christmas

[salayc]

Originally Posted by djnolan

These guys are pricey. From reading the fact they use a improved vinyl and foam formulation which greatly extends the life of the dash I'm thinking for my car that lives outside that it might be durable enough to be worth doing

https://www.justdashes.com/faq/

Merry Christmas

Ask them for their lead time. That might make your decision easy.

[tk_008]

I just sent the one from my 77 911 out to them. It's currently around 6 months but I'm in no hurry.

[OK-944]

Kind of kicking myself that I didn't do the dash while I had my car up on the lift during my 18 month rebuild/rehab. The dash just didn't feel important at the time as I was prioritizing mechanical stuff - although I did recover my seats - which means that the dash now just stands out more in contrast!

[VOTS89]

I redid mine years ago and it's still looking good. I used some quality patio furniture material from a local fabric store and some contact adhesive from Weldwood. My original dash had cracks but wasn't all that bad. That adhesive is really sticky, you can't let it come in contact with itself.

At that time, the cost to have someone else do it was too high when compared to the value of the car. The values are going up nicely but I still think this is something that can be done at home as a DIY project. There are videos and how-to's on doing this job.

VOTS

[OK-944]

Vots89 that looks great! Very curios about the "quality outdoor furniture material" that you used for this...and how you went about cutting this material and gluing it on. Did you need to remove the dash to do this? Did you peel off the old vinyl covering or just glue the new material directly over the existing dash?

[VOTS89]

The material was a quality, UV resistant vinyl with a leather pattern. I live in Phoenix, I asked for something that could stand up to our summer weather and this is what they recommended. It's made for outdoor patio furniture.

I was replacing my windshield so it was a good time to remove the dash to work on it. I don't think I could do this job with the dash in the car.

I did have to peel off the existing layer of vinyl on the dash but it came right off. Underneath is a thin layer of gray foam that was perfect for gluing new material to. I had to fill in the one crack I had, I used JB weld and then sanded that down. Gluing the new material to the dash wasn't hard. I started on the top of the dash and then just kept working my way down the front of the dash face.

I simply draped the material over the dash and kept applying glue with a brush as I went. I did not cut out a pattern of material to work with, I just had one piece and worked my way around the dash frame. The material was very easy to work with/stretch/manipulate.

The defroster vents in the top of the dash are covered with the finishing panel from Classic9Leathershop. The dash isn't perfect, it has a couple of flaws but they're almost impossible to see. It turned out better than I thought it would and I'm thrilled that it's held up, I recovered it seven years ago. I keep it clean, I use a sunshield when parked outside and I have a dash cover.

My advice to anyone that wants to try this is to buy some some material and practice gluing it to a contoured/compound surface. Don't go cheap on the material and use the Weldwood adhesive, it's what the professionals use. Here's a few more pics, anyone can do this. My next project is to recover the seats, I hear Only944 has the best replacement covers.

VOTS

[OK-944]

Thanks for all the details and photos...much appreciated!

And I can vouch for the great quality of the Only944 seat upholstery kits - here are my seats after stripping and recovering with the "Cork" color. I also added Only944's seat latches for a bit of "bling."



Took a bit of work and patience...but I like the results and so far they've been wearing great!

[VOTS89]

Yep, those look great. I'll be thrilled if my seats turn out as well as yours.

VOTS

[jjeffries]

VOTS89, that’s nice work.

The lasted, i.e., post 85.5 dash looks easier to recover than the early, 924- onwards style.

Classic9’s vent kit is very cool and solves a major conundrum. I’d think their recovering kit would be way more useful in vinyl than leather, for the shrinkage reasons mentioned above.

You’d really have to think that if Porsche AG saw a sufficiently compelling case to reproduce and sell (or buy from a vendor and resell) the 924 - early 944 dash, the later version could also bring in some incremental Euros to their admittedly already-overflowing coffers and help those who wish to preserve them remain brand-loyal. I think they’d fit all the way through 968, no?

John in Vermont, have you asked Porsche Classic if a new >85.5 dash is in the cards?

Best to all,
John (in Conn)

[OK-944]

Hey John! Nice to see you here again!

I did speak with Steve at 944Online awhile ago about new 85.5+ dashes from Porsche...and he seemed to think that there was something in the works, but very pricy I recall - and I'd rather DIY this if possible...most likely with a vinyl cover kit from Classic 9.

Then again, I could go the route that both yourself and Vots89 each did so well and create a cover from scratch - but I'm not sure if I'm quite up to this level of skill...unless I can find a reasonably priced core dash which would allow me to really take my time to help ensure that I get things right, while minimizing downtime for my car.

[924RACR]

Very nicely done, Vots89. I agree, this dash looks much easier to DIY than the early square dash...