928 Pod / Dash overlays

[Baenzi]

Has anyone purchased the Dash / pod overlays that are on Ebay?
What do they look like and would anyone recommend.
Thanks

[Baenzi]

I need to search better, found older post.

[MPDano]

Yes, from what I have read in the past. Don't do it!

[Fabio421]

They don't look great but not too bad if done correctly. They tend to seperate in the heat and get warped easily. To stop this from happening, you have to glue every inch of the cover. If you ever try to remove it the original dash substrate will come off with it and your dash / pod is trash. Go with leather if you can.

[american-kiwi]

they dont last in the heat...warp real bad!!...better to have it recovered

[JhwShark]

I installed last year, no issues at all in installing...

Since the leather had warped and split pulling away from the base as well as compromising the vent grills from staying in their place I went for the overlay. I did remove all the leather to make sure it would fit, it wont if you don't, so no issue if I need to pull it out. I cleaned the surface before I installed to allow for ultimately refurbishing it properly when the $$$ are available to use; the prefered option.

fits very snug slight separation in the corner by A-post but you can't see this from the cabin only if you look close when you are getting in or out.
I did not use any glue as it could bind at the glue spot as well as warp where you do not have contact to the dash. I also had to dremmel the opening at the key (slightly) to assure a nice smooth starting process.

While the Pod was off I refurbished the spedo gear which had just failed and cleaned the blue circuit element with the eraser.

I also installed a diode connected to the driving lights and the bright lever so I could flash oncoming traffic without having my headlights up and on. This is a great feature needed on the US models.

I live in the SF Bay area and we get some heat, I park on the street/driveway use reflectors in the cabin when parked and do not see warpage yet...

I bought from 928Intl. they give lots of silicon but I will use it elsewhere, maybe on the hatch where I recently found some water seeping through at the rear end bottom causing some high humidity in the cabin (bad for the electronics...) as well as water in the battery pit.
Jon

[JK McDonald]

The 928 that I brought back to life came with it’s original dash covered in black leather. Like many southern cars exposed to too much sun, the leather had pulled away along the windshield defrost vents and several deep splits could be seen in the underlay/cushioning material.

I found that most of the available dash-cap manufacturers seemed to describe the quality of their vinyl products (thickness, durability and length of warranty) to be pretty much the same. After some investigation I wondered if they all were from the same source and just sold under different brand names. There are several really good write-ups on this site that discuss the pros/cons of repairing or recovering the 928 dash with leather. It can help considerably if you print out and read over everyone of them prior to taking on this project.

One word of caution – although quite the undertaking, I do feel that you will not be happy with the end result if you try installing the dash-cap without removing the instrument pod and dash assembly. Once removed, the dash can then be properly prepared and the new dash-cap trimmed up for the best fit. Carefully remove all the plastic defrost vent inserts and be prepared to use a couple of large “C” clamps with an assortment of short boards wrapped in soft towels to hold the dash-cap down securely while the silicon adhesive cures. I cleaned the original underlay/cushioning material surface several times, filled in the cracks with a malleable plastic repair material then applied a drill/wire wheel (I know, I Know) to roughen up the mounting surface. So far the silicon adhesive included in the dash-cap kit seems to have done a good job of holding everything together for over two years with no complaints. I had 1st tackled all the typical 928 mechanical problems well in advance of the appearance issues – but I felt that once the dash in Miss Purdy was restored my car ran better and immediately doubled in driving pleasure….

[Baenzi]

Were you happy with the general appearance when you completed the job. I am having a problem replacing a soft surface with a ridged surface. Did you paint to flat spec's or was overlay prepared for you? My dash and pad are removed now.

[JhwShark]

I am pleased with the appearence of the Black overlay. I did not paint it. My old leather dash was brown and the pod is black...so I left the plastic as is -- Black. I can cope with the hard appearence...it does not impact the drive.

Though my center console is original leather as is the glove box, the black does not conflict. Of course I prefer to have a nice refurbished leather dash but I can do with a nice smooth looking dash (plastic) until I am able to restore it. I also need to refurbish the seats...hardening leather and degrading padding.
Jon

[tlsmith1999]

I have not repaired my dash yet, but I do have one question.
If you have the dash out of the car, and have to remove the old leather/vinyl to install a dash cap kit, why don't you just buy a few yards of vinyl and recover it properly?
I know it is more expensive if you want a leather dash, but vinyl is probably cheaper than the dash kit.

I have replaced the vinyl on the upper door panels, the trim surrounding the rear hatch, and the tool cover. None of these were difficult to do. The next area I am going to do is the headliner and the rear quarter panels.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by tlsmith1999

I have not repaired my dash yet, but I do have one question.
If you have the dash out of the car, and have to remove the old leather/vinyl to install a dash cap kit, why don't you just buy a few yards of vinyl and recover it properly?
I know it is more expensive if you want a leather dash, but vinyl is probably cheaper than the dash kit.

I have replaced the vinyl on the upper door panels, the trim surrounding the rear hatch, and the tool cover. None of these were difficult to do. The next area I am going to do is the headliner and the rear quarter panels.

Exactly what I was thinking. Your not gonna want to remove your dash after it's back on. This is one of those "Do it Right the First Time" things. I would go a step further and buy one of Robs "Classic9" Vinyl or Leather Dash kits.

For $229 and it has a the correct stiching on it. This is totally worth it.

Classic 9 Leather Shop: Dashboard, Leather Console Panel Covers Porsche Automobiles

[JhwShark]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Exactly what I was thinking. Your not gonna want to remove your dash after it's back on. This is one of those "Do it Right the First Time" things. I would go a step further and buy one of Robs "Classic9" Vinyl or Leather Dash kits.

For $229 and it has a the correct stiching on it. This is totally worth it.

Classic 9 Leather Shop: Dashboard, Leather Console Panel Covers Porsche Automobiles

Great input. Since I have leather I choose the $100 overlay for now and I did not have to remove the dash to install, only the Pod. The underlayment was very degraded as well and I removed all of it. The overlay looks great...for now. If I had to remove the dash out of the rig I would have done it with the proper stuff...

Dano, Thanks for the link to Rob's, when the time is right I can get the glove box and dash kit in leather and I will most likely redo the center console for a uniform appearance. I wonder if they have leather to match for the rear quarters and seats as I will do them at the same time? (I did not look close at the site yet)

[MPDano]

Yup, Leather option for the dash is $319. I got my Carpet Kit and Cassette Cover from him and his service is great. Rob is one of those Vendors it's a pleasure to work with.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by JhwShark

I wonder if they have leather to match for the rear quarters and seats as I will do them at the same time? (I did not look close at the site yet)

Rear Quarters are $249 Vinyl $399 Leather.

Seat Kits are **GULP**. You need to see for yourself.

Classic 9 Leather Shop: Seat Reupholstery Service Kits

[tlsmith1999]

I would highly recommend Rob also. I got my carpet kit, and the vinyl door panels from him. He has been very helpful.

[dmbolej]

If you are interested, I have a new leather dash for a 1982 Porsche 928 for sale.

Dean

[j.faria.gomes]

Hello,
does anyone know if this 'all leather' interior is right?

(the speedometer etc pod has also leather)

this is a 1979 car

the guy that is selling me the car says it was an extra at the time but i coulnd't find information that supports that

anyone?

cheers

[JK McDonald]

I realize this is an old thread discussing the Pros/Cons of "Dash- Caps". I've seen both some pretty nice results and a few that didn't turn out very well at all. When I initially bought Miss Purdy it was dead in the water with all the typical 928 issues so I wasn't sure of my long range plans.

The POD looked reasonably good - but the leather covered dash, the leather on the "A" pillars and glove box door had shrunk down considerably. I decided to install an "ACCU-FORM" brand dash-cap and recover the "A" pillars and glove box in some black leather from an upholstery shop. There is a slight glare from the camera flash but in normal light it's plenty close enough for government work.

My dash project description is laid out above. After 12 years it still looks nice and except for my old radar detector mount between the defrost vents there isn't a mark on it. Of course Miss Purdy lives inside a garage, I use a windshield sun screen during any extended stay in a parking lot and I treat everything with conditioner a couple times a year.

A Dash-Cap worked out well enough for me. Here are some photos - Michael