DIY: Mk. I Dash Re-Wrap

[idrivemyself]

Ask and ye shall receive!

As promised I got around to writing up a DIY for the dash that I re-wrapped in thread http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3115998.

**I am not responsible for any damage done to your dash, tools or work area. I am also not responsible for any personal injury which may occur while working on this project.**

Items/Tools Needed:
- 1 Pencil
- 1 Sharpie marker (Black)
- 1 Razor blade
- 1 Standard 12" ruler
- 1 Pair of pliers (Needle nose or regular)
- Heat gun (A hair dryer with a HOT setting should work too)
- Automotive grade Contact Cement (3M FastBond should work too)
- Glue Pot or some spray-type glue applicator
- Fabric Shears or sharp scissors
- 2 yards of medium thickness plastic film (Like you'd find on an overhead)
- 2-3 yards of fabric (Depends on whether you're keeping a pattern inline or not)
- A sewing machine and thread
- Several beverages for consumption (I prefer beer )

Step 1:
Set your dash on a table or comfortable work area and heat up an edge or corner section of the vinyl using the heat gun until the vinyl is hot to the touch. Then (using the pliers) grab the now loose, hot vinyl and continue to heat up the vinyl as you peel it off of the dash. Work until all the vinyl is off of the dash. It helps to use the razor blade and cut away sections of loose vinyl as you work. *WORK SLOWLY and be careful to NOT pull loose any of the foam as you go.*

Step 2:
Now that your dash is stripped down, take the thin plastic and start creating patterns from the panels on the dash. Make reference marks and lines on the dash foam showing where you want a seam or cut line to be. A general rule of thumb is, where there's a corner there needs to be a seam. So try to make your patterns sit as flat as possible on the panel surfaces. You should have anywhere from 6 to 10 pattern pieces when finished depending on how clever you can get. It honestly does not matter how many you have though, just how many seams you want to have and how little amount of sewing you want to do. *Write FACE on the front side of each pattern piece in sharpie.*

Step 3:
Lay out your fabric with the topside of the fabric facing downward on the table. Place each pattern piece on the fabric with the writing FACE on the bottom. So it'll be facing downward now . Make sure you leave 2"-3" in between each piece. Then trace out each piece onto the fabric using the pencil and place the piece aside. Next take the ruler and make each piece a 1/2" larger in circumference. That extra 1/2" is your seam allowance. On sections where you know there is an edge of the dash make the material 1 1/2"-2" longer for wrapping the material around to the backside. Then cut out the pieces along the new line you just made.

*Take a break at this point and consume a beverage. *

Step 4:
Sew together the pieces of the dash making sure that you trim off any excess seam allowance on the backside of the material. I recommend doing French seams (double reinforced) for strength and looks but single reinforced seams will work too. After properly sewing everything together check for fitments on the dash. Make any adjustments that you see fit until it fits properly.

Step 5:
Get your glue setup and ready. Start on the backside of the gauge cluster and apply glue to that panel making sure that glue does not get within 1/4" of your seams. Then apply glue to the backside of the fabric as well. Usually a lighter coat of glue on the fabric is best. Next glue down the fabric to the top part of the gauge cluster. *REMEMBER when you press down on the fabric IT WILL STAY GLUED DOWN and is very difficult to cleanly remove. Otherwise your foam may rip up and become damaged.* Continue gluing down your sections until the entire dash cover is on. Make sure that you leave the edges loose and not glued to the backside.

*Take another break and consume a beverage while the glue dries. *

Step 6:
After letting your dash set for a few minutes flip it over, showing the backside, pull the material edges around and glue it to the backside. Take this slowly working one area at a time. After you've finished wrapping and gluing the edges, trim off any excess material that may still be on the backside and anywhere else around the panel.

At this point you should now have a newly wrapped Mk. I dash. Sit back, let the rest of the glue cure, enjoy another beverage and admire your work!

This is how the dash that I re-wrapped turned out... Yours should now look very similar!

The French seams.

And finally everything is installed and the dash is back in!



Modified by idrivemyself at 10:59 AM 4-1-2007

[lyeinyoureye]

omg that is sweet!

[goofydug]

awesome, thanks for the write-up!

[lagmywagon]

thats some nice fabric work. I may just have to get some practice and save that extra mkI dash I have. sweet

[-teknien-]

keep your eyes peeled for a full editorial essay coming to your computer screen soon!

[cmoneyg60]

sweet write up

[idrivemyself]

Thanks guys, its yours to enjoy! And remember, be safe, wrap it up!

Quote, originally posted by -teknien- »

keep your eyes peeled for a full editorial essay coming to your computer screen soon!

You have an IM Kevin!


Modified by idrivemyself at 10:22 PM 3-12-2007

[Butcher]

And what glue do you use?

[Traffic Jam Zombie]

saved for future reference! Nice write up

[fullmetalrabbit]

wicked! you're a god among men!

[ONT-WRX]

People like you are the only reason i come on this forum, keep up the good work! and feel free to sell me anything burberry

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by fullmetalrabbit »

wicked! you're a god among men!

LOL!

I certainly can't say that I am. I'm just a simple upholsterer doing my job... But thanks, I'm glad you guys like my work.

[IronTrap]

i bet you could make some cash rewrapping these for people, plenty of old cracked dashes floating around to use.

[Yale12]

Awesome thread! You guys here in the A1 forums are pretty cool.

[wolfsburgman]

very nice

[idrivemyself]

Now everything is updated with the final pictures! Enjoy!

[knowtwodrugs]

Looks awesome. I love the head on the bedroom floor. My dad keeps a set of headers under his bed. Good write-up. I'm gonna have to try this out on my spare dash. Any recommendations for someone who's never used a sewing machine?

[water_wetter]

looks sweet, i knew i took sewing class 4 times for a good reason
gonna try this when i get a dupe dash

fyi i got 100 every time.

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by knowtwodrugs »

Looks awesome. I love the head on the bedroom floor. My dad keeps a set of headers under his bed. Good write-up. I'm gonna have to try this out on my spare dash. Any recommendations for someone who's never used a sewing machine?

Thanks!

Definitely get comfortable using the machine before you try to do any final sewing. When you do get to a comfortable point, take it slow and think before you act. That should keep you in the green! Best of luck!

[Rage In The Machines]

Looks great!!!!But I was wondering, can you just spray glue the fabric with one large piece, without stitching?

[LVMYGTI]

Thats so hot!!! I need to start practicing my french seams.

[water_wetter]

[QUOTE=idrivemyself]QUOTE]

wow! looks like my house, i like to sleep with my 8v at my bedside too!

[dubdaze68]

I guess it's time to shop for Faux suede and UV resistant thread...

I saw you did the visors too..Was that easier?

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by Rage In The Machines »

Looks great!!!!But I was wondering, can you just spray glue the fabric with one large piece, without stitching?

Yes and no. Yes, it is possible to take enough material and wrap the dash in that manner. No, it certainly wouldn't be an easy task considering that all Mk. I dash's have quite a few corners to wrap around. The material might take a considerable amount of coaxing to have it stay in certain places. A more flowing dash, say a Mk. III dash, would be easier to do in 1 piece of material. There would also be a lot of wasted material in the process. Whereas the way I have it done maximizes material usage.

Quote, originally posted by dubdaze68 »

I saw you did the visors too..Was that easier?

Oh yes, much easier!

If you're thinking about doing a set for yourself, make sure that you find a pair that have not been damaged by water. There's a fiberboard center in each sunvisor that likes to warp at the slightest drop and is a PITA to straighten out.


Modified by idrivemyself at 11:00 AM 4-4-2007

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by quincypunx77 »

wow! looks like my house, i like to sleep with my 8v at my bedside too!

Most definitely! My past girlfriend's will highly disagree but I've found that it's almost mandatory for me to have car parts in the bedroom. I sleep easier knowing that my parts are in a safe climate controlled environment and they make for great art too!

[dubdaze68]

Quote, originally posted by idrivemyself »

Oh yes, much easier! If you're thinking about doing a set for yourself, make sure that you find a pair that have not been damaged by water. There's a fiberboard center in each sunvisor that likes to warp at the slightest drop and is a PITA to straighten out.

Cabriolet and Scirocco visors don't have a solid center, would that be an issue?

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by dubdaze68 »

Cabriolet and Scirocco visors don't have a solid center, would that be an issue?

Nope, it should be fine. Just make sure that the visor isn't water damaged and you're golden. Unless you like making things harder than they have to be.

[dubdaze68]

finding cabby visors that aren't in some way water damaged is like finding Bigfoot having a sitdown dinner with the Roswell aliens...Not going to happen...

[idrivemyself]

Quote, originally posted by dubdaze68 »

finding cabby visors that aren't in some way water damaged is like finding Bigfoot having a sitdown dinner with the Roswell aliens...Not going to happen...

Well then just try to find the one's that are the least water damaged. Or just make sure that the core of the visor is in good condition, the rest will most likely be scrapped anyhow.

[chickenfriend]

Nice write up . Should be in the forum sticky.

[rdm1]

I tried wrapping with one huge piece. It basiclly impossible. I'm gonna do it like the OP with my moma doing the sewing.

[silentdub]

Nice white carpet.......cylinder head sitting on it. Nice.

[RATFINK]

very nice work

[88Jetta350]

[irishpride]

added to the DIY/FAQ section.