Leather Dash Repair

Faheem

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So I got given this dash for free, it's got extended leather on the dash, my aim is to restore it at some point in the near future.

With the current leather having shrunk so much is this job doable or would I have to replace the leather on the dash?

I'm in no rush and if the job is too complicated I may scrap the dash completely.

IMG_20170610_134448.jpg


IMG_20170610_134436.jpg


Theres no damage to the leather it just appears as though it has come apart over the years.
 

Stevo7682

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Take the dashboard apart take off right and left sections then you may well find the leather will pull back into place then you just need to get trim adhesive and stick it all back down .
 

Devon Z

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Take the dashboard apart take off right and left sections then you may well find the leather will pull back into place then you just need to get trim adhesive and stick it all back down .
Agree with that, maybe get some leather cream to make the leather suple again, the leather may have dryed out and shrunk because it's not been fed over the years. I have extended leather and treat the dash top regularly with a leather cream and uv protection.
 

Faheem

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Cheers guys, that is good to know. I probably won't be doing much to it for a while but will refer back to this when working on it in the future.
 

g8jka

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Firstly you need to take them parts ofF the dash. It may have shrunk too much to get it back completely to where it was originally but you should be able to repair it to some extent. Use a hairdryer to make it more supple and you should be able to stretch it better. I used carpet contact adhesive to stick mine back down.

If you do swap it, don't forget to swap the VIN numbers over on the dash so it matches the car. The front panel will come off by undoing the screws and can be swapped over.
 

Faheem

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@g8jka Hi, thanks for this, which front panel do you mean?

In regards to the vin, it's risky business because you only really get one shot at it, that's partly why I've left it to one side for now.

Edit: Also curious about the metal bar under the dash, are they the same structure with the facelift / pre facelift. I'm tempted to sand it down and paint it with some silver paint if the structure is the same. Yes, no one can see but it feels good knowing that the bar is rust free.
 

g8jka

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The part where the VIN is on is the front trim piece, this can come off in one long section by undoing the screws underneath. You don't have to touch the VIN sticker itself, its a very easy swap.

Here we go, my dash stripped down. Most things unscrew but there is a couple of clips on the speedo pod which may break I can't remember how to get them off. Once it's stripped you can repair the leather. The panel at the bottom of the pic holds the VIN sticker, unscrew it from underneath and screw the original back on. Don't try and peel it off as you will probably wreck it.

 

Low Rider

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You could go in a different direction by fitting this. Available in different colours
Screenshot_2017-06-12-23-35-48-1.png
 

g8jka

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I fitted the speedo pod cover from that pic above, but with standard black stitching. Mine was to far gone and wouldn't stretch back enough to cover the pod so I had to replace it. That wasn't too bad to fit but I wouldn't like to try and fit the other parts. @bertiejaffa has done his whole interior and it's quite a big job replacing it all.
 

Low Rider

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I fitted the speedo pod cover from that pic above, but with standard black stitching. Mine was to far gone and wouldn't stretch back enough to cover the pod so I had to replace it. That wasn't too bad to fit but I wouldn't like to try and fit the other parts. @bertiejaffa has done his whole interior and it's quite a big job replacing it all.
Still in bet it looks great after all his hard work
 

Stevo7682

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I can vouch for that as i am halfway through doing it all ( yellow stitching) 2 hockey sticks and dash pod top not too bad to do but im in the middle of the passenger side bit ( many angles much difficulties)
 

Low Rider

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I can vouch for that as i am halfway through doing it all ( yellow stitching) 2 hockey sticks and dash pod top not too bad to do but im in the middle of the passenger side bit ( many angles much difficulties)
I look forward to seeing your completed dash Steve
 

bertiejaffa

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Thanks G8jka

Doing the entire thing from scratch takes time and effort - I have done 2 of them now - both of them started off as basic dashboards and I had to strip back the vinyl to take the them back to their plastic and then retrim them using new stitched leather... Its a frustrating, time consuming job but not too difficult if you take your time.

At the end of the day it is very difficult to get it factory perfect and you always know the bits yourself that you arent happy with but everyone else seems to be reasonably impressed with them.. you can see the work on my links below...
 

Faheem

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@Stevo7682 I recently did a pair of hockey sticks that were green when I bought them, did the conversion to black with some leather dye, finished product looks okay but it is a little too shiny for my taste.
IMG_20170606_180959.jpg
 

NZ00Z3

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[QUOTE="I'm in the middle of the passenger side bit ( many angles much difficulties)[/QUOTE]

I found that if you get the stitching of the passengers side curve glued first to the edge of the plastic curve, then the rest just fell into place.
 
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