What a Mess! -Dash and pod

[Mal81]

Today begins the last of my large interior restoration projects. A PO had covered the cracked dash and pod with a Coverlay brand product, which would be okay if you have a garaged car, I guess, but the problem with the coverlay and their ilk, is they're made by vacuforming thermoplastic, which warps in all sorts of not good ways in the California sunshine.

For not much more work, I think I can repair and re-cover the dash in leather. -At least that's what I thought yesterday, before I removed the coverlay.

[Mal81]

Does anybody recognize this little fella here? I found him disconnected behind the dash as I was removing it. It's coming out of the wiring loom that goes to the ignition switch. Key Buzzer? Factory alarm connection?

[honerboys]

hey I did a similar repair on the 84 - go to the link below and it shows how I did mine - it's still holding up pretty well - if the link doesn't work the thread was " did anyone tinker with their 928 today " - page 5 - I did have a dash and pod that was in better shape than yours - I don't know if the missing foam in yours can be filled - good luck

Did anyone tinker with their 928 today?

[Mal81]

Wow, that's scary. Every time I do something like this with the car, I always wonder if I'm going to find a pound of cocaine or an envelope stuffed with money. So far, all I've found was a woman's bra stuffed under the rear seat. The seats are so small, it was probably just some laundry that got away. [img]


Some evidence that it was once covered with blue leather over the top of the black vinyl.

[honerboys]

yea right....probably laundry - the interior of mine once looked very similar to yours - keep at it and it will come around

[Mal81]

Thanks for the peek, Honerboys. I have pretty much the same plan, sanding it smooth, and laying down the leather.

[stepson]

Originally Posted by Mal81

Does anybody recognize this little fella here? I found him disconnected behind the dash as I was removing it. It's coming out of the wiring loom that goes to the ignition switch. Key Buzzer? Factory alarm connection?

That's the connector for the ignition buzzer that tells there is a key in the ignition. Not used on a lot of Euros, I believe. But if the sensor is there, it would be on bottom of the aluminum cross-bracket shown in the first picture in post #4 on the right side of the steering wheel.

[Mrmerlin]

that connector will also power the reverse lamps,
so it should be connected.
its home is halfway between the steering column and the ignition switch,
it plugs in from the bottom.

Your in luck with the dash refurbish,
call 928 INTL and ask them for a good dash ,
its half price sale time now.
NOTE you must mention the half price deal to get it on all used parts dont delay ,
lasts from Thanksgiving to December 24

BTW what color are you looking for i have leather dash and console and armrests in dark blue,
needs cleaning had some mold on it might be able to make you a deal

[Mal81]

Hey Stan,
As it happens, mine is also dark blue. I've already redone the armrests and have a dash cover made, so will see how this comes out. If it fails miserably, I'd be honored to take you up on that deal.

[Mal81]

Just ran out to check, My reverse lamps are working with it disconnected. (manual transmission) Ill have took in the locations that you and Stepson mentioned once it's daylight again.

Thanks!

[Mal81]

I'm rethinking the bondo idea... I might try using some caulking. In addition to having similar elastic properties to the structural foam/vinyl, it can be shaped/sanded like body putty, and might be better absorbed by the foam. I've got a tube lying around and will give it a try on a section tonight and see how it looks in the morning.

[Mrmerlin]

I had the connector off on my 85 Euro auto and the reverse lamps would not come on unless it was plugged in

[928gene928]

Good luck with your dash recover. My 1980 leather dash has shrunk near the windshield and around the defroster vents. I purchased a new leather dash section from the interior guy in Detroit. It included a new sewn leather dash to match the old leather, a foam underlayment, and excellent instructions.
Have been too busy/lazy to tackle the job so far, but with cold weather on the way, it will make for a indoor winter project. The price was good, however: he doesn't charge much to do the recovering at his shop. I should have just sent it in to him, and got the job done quickly.

[stepson]

Stan,
That connector is and has always been unplugged on the Stepson (84 Euro AT) and the reverse lights work as well. I haven't and don't think the PO molested the wiring regarding this plug, but nothing much would surprise me regarding 84 wiring.

[Mrmerlin]

Oh it also made the tach PRND32 lights work when plugged in, this was on my 85

[Mal81]

I figure I'll be the last owner of my Porsche, so if it's switched and live, I might repurpose it to power my wideband o2 sensor computer and gauge. The setup I have now for it is less than ideal, and the o2 sensor would draw much less current through that circuit than the reverse lights would do

[Mal81]

Pre-formed structural foam would have been ideal for this job.

This morning, the caulk seems to be the ticket, not as much shrinkage as I had anticipated. So, I will carry on. This is the 15-year stuff, and about $4 a tube. I may be redoing this work in a year or two - we'll see if it holds up.

[Mal81]

Change in plan: Bondo. Caulk=too slow.

Dash with 3 passes of bondo

[Danglerb]

Practice is always good, but a still needs fixing much better shape dash is fairly cheap. OTOH I haven't decided how I want to fix mine, but as a former 240z owner I can't stand dash cracks.

[Mal81]

The goal of this job is limited to making a 'buck' that I can glue the leather to. It needn't be perfect, just smooth, strong, and reasonably close to the original shape. Still, I have the urge to paint it. - Must be the fumes from the bondo. Lol