silvermilnec said:
rob_p said:
Looks very nice and I am also a fan of cocoa. (The anniversary boxster was one of my favs).
If you do end up trying to break it up a bit I would recommend wrapping the lower dash in alcantara. I did mine and it's quite a straightforward DIY job.
Maybe £20 on materials.
In my case I didn't have a full leather interior so I was trying to break up the black plastic a bit (albeit soft touch black plastic!). It worked a treat in my car.
rob I fancy wrapping my lower dash, do you have any links to 'how to do it" and how to get s good match to the alcantara head lining??
Cheers
Chris when I looking it seemed alcantara colour code 2002 was what many said was the closest match, but I saw this guys thread and code 9052 he said was the best match. I have cut and pasted his how to from the original site I found it on.
Alcantara fabric
Only buy authentic Alcantara if you don't want to worry about fading or other issues. Don't mess with microsuede or cheaper look-a-like products without understanding the risk.
There are 2 primary types of Alcantara -- panel ("pannel") or cover. Cover is thicker and meant for seats and what not. Don't buy it for recovering dash pieces as it has little to no stretch. You can also get perforated or non-perforated -- you only want non-perforated. Alcantara comes in 56" (w) rolls and you specify the length you want. 1 yard is enough for just about 2 full sets of lower dash trim if you don't waste.
There is only one distributor of genuine Alcantara in the US - Gulf Fabrics. Retailers order from them. You can also order direct but might find cheaper prices going through retailers (I did). I purchased from
http://overland-designs.com/product-category/alcantara/.
Alcantara 9002 (Anthracite) is a common color selection but is a bit darker than the Alcantara you will find as OEM in Porsches. Alcantara 9052 (Dark Charcoal) is the best match and spot on with the factory Alcantara as used on the shifter boot, shifter, steering wheel, trim, etc. However, it appears a shade lighter than the headliner.
Parts to re-upholster
You can either remove your factory pieces or source used ones. For the glovebox, you only need to remove the outer lid which can be done by removing several small torx screws on the furry interior liner of the glovebox. If you have clearance issues simply unlatch the "shock" that suspends the door. Also remove the locking/latch mechanism. Next to the glovebox is a panel that simply pops off. And on the Driver's side, the lower "knee" piece can be removed by pulling out the ignition and headlight switch trim and removing several screws on the bottom of the panel. Carefully unplug harnesses. With the full piece out of the car, you can further disassemble very easily.
After removal, clean each thoroughly with 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol or other solvent to remove dirt, grease, etc. from the surface. Repeat as needed.
Adhesives
All you need is 1 can of 3M Super 90 spray adhesive ($13-15) and 1 small container of contact cement ($5-$7). Both can be found locally at Lowe's/Home Depot or at a fabric/hobby store like Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's. You might also benefit from picking up some cheap disposable brushes (small) to "paint" the contact cement on edges of pieces. To help clamp around edges, I had an assortment of binder clips from work.
Cutting materials
A sharp pair of scissors for cutting big pieces of the material is helpful. A smaller, more precise set of scissors for trimming around edges is also recommended. Finally, a small razor blade or hole punch are useful.
Actual Process:
1. Find a clean workspace with plenty of flat open area. I used my outdoor patio table and put clear plastic sheeting and cardboard on top as excess glue might stick to it otherwise.
2. Lay out your piece of fabric and then place the trim to be recovered on it to try and measure how much to cut. Think about excess fabric needed to stretch to accommodate the contours of the trim piece. Cut the fabric and repeat the process for other trim pieces. Only caveat is that Alcantara has a "grain", so try and keep all panels oriented the same on the fabric so that when you brush it, up-down/left-right go will leave the same impression. You will understand when you get the fabric and run your hand or a soft brush against it.
3. With the fabric side down, spray both the panel to be recovered as well as the Alcantara backing with 3M Super 90. Strive for full/even coverage on the panel itself and go a bit lighter on the fabric backing. At this stage, just get the entire face of the panel and don't worry as much about the sides/back.
4. Working quickly, place the fabric on the panel and firmly press together, rolling your hands or similar across the entire face to get any air out. Within a minute or less the fabric will be very affixed to the panel. Be very mindful of how clean your hands are -- if you get adhesive on the fabric side of the Alcantara it will be very difficult to get out and may ruin the piece, requiring starting again at step 2.
5. Now, it is time to cover the sides/wrap around the back. Determine how much excess you actually need and trim the fabric. Starting at a corner, stretch the fabric to see if it creates wrinkles and how to reposition to avoid. Using either spray glue or brushed on contact cement, apply adhesive. If using contact cement, give it a couple minutes to really become tacky. With the adhesive ready, stretch the fabric over and pull in multiple directions to minimize/avoid any wrinkles. Continue doing this until you are done with the panel. Clamp as necessary/possible using the binder clips.
On the Driver's "knee" panel, you need to be mindful of the openings for the ignition and headlight switches. What I did was thoroughly spray glued and applied a single sheet of fabric over the entire face of the panel. The fabric should be taut over these openings. I then took a punch tool (you can just use a razor blade) and made small holes in the center of each opening and then made a series of cuts in the fabric to allow it to be pulled back into the openings. Same thing with screw holes on the back-bottom of the panel.
If you get a small amount of adhesive on the fabric portion, you can remove if you quickly dab with "Goof off" or "Goo gone" and pick at it with your fingernail.
The Alcantara is removable from your panel in the future. However, there will be a lot of adhesive on it which will be a PITA to clean up. Goo Gone is your friend. This might damage the underlying finish, I don't know. If you are nervous about this all and want to easily remove, you have a couple choices:
1. Buy spare pieces like I did. It doesn't matter if it is scratched or even a different color than your interior -- you are recovering it anyways!
2. Cover the portions to be recovered with 3M Masking Tape (Blue Painter's tape). Make sure there are no air bubbles in the tape. Then, apply the spray adhesive and fabric directly to the masking tape. This way if you need to remove in the future the adhesive mess will be on the tape rather than the panel. You will just need to clean up a bit of masking adhesive, which should be simple.
I can't provide commentary on advanced techniq
ld:
