Reupholstering W111 Coupe dash

[Todd Miller]

Took some time this week to work on the car's horrible dash. The upper leather on the right side was rotted and blown apart, the defroster wood bow was broken in half at the same location as the leather rot, and the upper wood bow had completely delaminated and the veneer had rolled away from the substraight like a window shade. The upper leather on the left side had been replaced at some point, and was "tan" like coffee with too much milk, and the defroster bow there was also broken in half.

It was my first time to take the dash apart this far, and it was an exercise in tedium and frustration. It's hard to believe that it was built in such a way.

I wrapped the outer area of both aluminum dash bolsters with closed cell foam, to replicate the rigid foam installed at the factory. It was very tough to get the leather, which hasn't been skimmed on the back to make it as paper thin as the factory leather, to work well for the inside curvature of both bolsters, and I wound up with some wrinkles on the right. But the final outcome is better than it was.

I wish I had the money to have all of the wood redone. I was able to steam and re-wrap the veneer for the right upper wood bow. I then clear coated both upper bows to match. I glued and clamped the broken defroster bows, and sadly, just painted them gloss brown, as they were missing most of their veneer. I re-installed them with 5mm wing nuts and fender washers, so that in the future, they'll be much easier to remove.

I'm still waiting on a final carpet sample, and that will be the next job.

[benznorthny]

When confronted with leather around curves etc., one must wet the leather in order to make it pliable and more flexible. Old upholstery trick.

[Todd Miller]

Thank you. I'd thought about doing that, but as this was my first time using leather, I was afraid it might stain or somehow damage it.

[benznorthny]

it wont damage or change material color. Just makes it more pliable to form onto surface. I've done that so many times in 24 years of working as an upholsterer.

[Todd Miller]

Thank you for the advice!