I have recovered mine. I consider if to be far superior to a vac formed hard
plastic overlay that is the traditional repair. Getting the correct (adequate
stretch) vinyl may be a problem for others.
I filled in the cracks in my dash pad using body filler and sanded to dash pad
to remove the minor upwards curl of the old dash skin next to the cracks.
Covered the dash with 1/16 or 1/8 inch thick neoprene foam,glued in place with
contact cement. Use of the thin layer of foam gives the dash a soft feel.
Finally I sprayed glue on the foam and wrapped the vinyl around the dash pad.
The key to this is using a vinyl that stretches easily. I used a relatively
thin stretchy vinyl that we (at my previous employer - mfg of OEM convertible
tops) used for convertible boot wells. The vinyl wrapped easily around the
dash pad with out wrinkles or grain washout. Allow the new vinyl to extend
about 1 inch past the exposed edges of the dash (glued to the underside of the
dash pad) to trap the edges of the vinyl - contact cement will loose its
strength at elevated temps and the vinyl edge could otherwise begin to curl up.
THe fact that the dash pad is virtually flat is a major advantage in wrapping.
THe added bonus was that the grain of the vinyl that I used matched the grain of
the original crash pads (therefor I did not have to rewrap these parts).
After 7 or 8 years the dash top still looks like new.
Potential negatives: First the vent trim will compress the foam and sink down
about 1/8 inch (this would not be concours) when you attach them from the bottom
of the dash. I prefer them to be a bit more underflush. Second, anything that
lays on the dash a long time has a potential for compressing the foam. I use my
tonneau cover aggressively (top stays down for up to a month at a time for a
daily driver) and I have a small depression from the zipper seam at the very
front of the dash about 1.5 inch long by about 1/32 inch deep.
|