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Original covering center dashboard and top dash ?

Xte

Freshman Member
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Hi,

during the process of my complete AH BJ8 MK3 restoration, I'm going to begin the restoration of my centre dashboard and of the top dashboard but I don't know where to find the black covering to redone the centre dash and the top dash. I'm looking for black covering with the original grain. Do you know where I could find that .
Thank you for your help ...
 
Take an original piece to any automotive upholstery supply store. Try to get material that stretches both directions in order to help make smooth end corners.

Doug
 
I personally have not found a supplier with the correct grain pattern.

After a 10 month random search during extensive business travel in the late 1980s, I finally found the exact pattern in Massachusetts at a supplier that specialized in Fords (especially Model Ts). After having redoing the console, dash, door panels, door arm rests, front of the quarter panels (waffle pattern was retained), and rear seat support frame in the late 1980s, I recently went back to order some additional material to replace the back side of my original seat-backs and was told that the supplier had discontinued the pattern (after at least a 30 year run).

100_0276.jpg

(Seats, Console Cubby Top, and waffle quarter panel are Original)

I agree with Doug, the only way to get close to a correct grain pattern is to search with a swatch of the original. If you are into an extensive restoration, I personally would buy enough material with an acceptable pattern to redo all eye-touching panels (dash, console, door panels, arm rests and front section of the quarter panels). This may be a major effort, but I found very DIY with a very small amount of use of your wife’s sewing machine (door panels and front panel to retained waffle pattern on the quarter). I believe this effort will provide your car interior with freshness along with consistency of color and pattern.

Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
Thanks Douglas, Bob and Ray for your advices ...
I will check what kind of vynil cover I could find in the shops around me ... I suppose It will be very hard to find the original grain ....
 
Bob_Spidell said:
Try these guys:

https://www.heritagetrim.com/

They come highly recommended--haven't used them myself, yet--but supposedly can be hard to get ahold of.
I believe a 3 man operation. Phone calls are limited so they can get work done. I've had a coupld of emails and phone calls these past two weeks with "Tony" who answered all my questions. Pricing needed explaination and he assisted me in thinking if I wanted original vinyl or go for the better wearing leather and colors.

The dash top for a BJ8 is $295.00 This includes the wood. I currently have two used ones that I might not be going to use since I'm going with all new interior.
 
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