dash board idea
 

I have cracks in my 126 SE dash board,California car what a suprise! was wondering if I could remove dash (I know that a big job) and then wet form quality leather on it dry it cement it on and have it dyed to macth my seats, bet it would look pretty cool........
William Rogers.....

well if your willing to do all that you can find nice dashes for like 50 dollars

I was actually thinking of the same thing to cover up cracks.. cover it with leather.

When I was in Jakarta, Indonesia there was a 1984 280E Auto that had a full leather interior.. as in headliner, dash, door trim, seats, console, you name it.. just like a brand new S600 :)

I think it would work well and it's fairly easy to do even for a novice. Just "fill-in" the crack so the leather doesn't hammock in the hole. You'd also have to buy a lot of cow hide to keep the dash seamless. Have you ever wet-worked with leather like this?

intruder

Iv'e done a number of small projects ,the leather I used was undyed or treated ,it formed very well after being soaked in warm water.I think taking the dash out would be the hard part......
William Rogers......

William,
did you do this?
If so, how did it tourn out?
Was the dash as difficult as you expected to remove??

I had a small crack on the dash of my old 420SEL near one of the speakers and I asked my mechanic to recommend a vinyl repair person. This guy showed up at my house repaired the crack on the dash plus one on the door (different color) and was gone in less than 30 minutes and $80. You couldn't tell there had ever been a crack and when I sold the car 2 years later you still couldn't tell. I would say an vinyl upholstery specialist could do a great job with alot less work, but your idea sounds pretty cool too. Post some pics when completed, I'd be interested to see how it turns out.

As far as the time goes, it shouldnt take that long. One day, I was getting my brake pads changed and I saw a W126 at a neighboring shop. So, I see the guy yanking and pulling out the dash and he was done in about 10 minutes. Then the tech remarked to his friend that he charges 5 hours just to do what he did in 10 minutes. Make sure you remove all associated nuts and bolts. Maybe, someone can post a diagram. I saw that there were some that are really in hard to get places. Also, it takes a lot of pulling and yanking to remove the dash.

still planning on trying the project,just met
a leather craftsman so that should be a help.........
William Rogers..........

i replaced the dash on my 300SD. the thread and pics are still floating around the forum somewhere. Do a search using my username. Also, i have a *halfway* complete how-to write up on how to get it out if your interested.
Ryan