Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I am currently working with a machinist on developing a stainless steel defroster vent for the 944 oval dash to cover those small cracks and hopefully stoping them getting larger.
The goal is to develop a one piece design with a inner edge that press fits into the factory defroster holes.
At this stage he needs a dashboard for precise measuring and further test fitment.
Does anyone have a spare dash in bad condition that you are willing to offer for this project ?? Best near Stoke-on-Trent.

Like this:

http://www.jageng.com/garage9/product_info.php?cPath=51_62&products_id=421

Yes but that is not metal and is straight cut ,to me it looks cheap and does nothing.
The one we want to make will be stainless and every hole will have an edge that will fit inside the factory holes.

Robert Budd makes something similar - have you seen it? Price is US$139.

Yes i know , same story , his is unfinished cold rolled steel also straight cut and you would have to ruin your dash by drilling holes to install it ,also too pricey for the quality.His works better for a recovered dash .
I am after a quality product with great finish.

With you. I think that RB's is better than Jager's though, if you are covering your dash?

Mine started to crack not long ago and now they are getting larger . I want to epoxy the cracks and cover them with this defroster trim.
From what i've seen most oval dashes start to crack at the vents. This is due to sun exposure over time but also from the heater. With a trim like this the process could at least be slowed down .
It's getting hard to find one without cracks and even if you do who knows how long it will last .A few more years and they will probably end up like the square dash .
And before going all out to recover it i think it's better to try a more wallet friendly solution , not only that but many prefer to keep their cars as stock as possible.

The oval dash will crack/split - ie not only around the vents. Mine had micro cracks in a few places, even on the top of the dial cluster pod.


I peeled off the original plastic and replaced it with motor spec black leather with the USA defroster trim (you can paint it to your colour choice). To do this properly, you have to remove the complete dash. The trim is secured thru' the dash - so yes, you have to drill - very easy to fit...

There is a YouTube vid of a guy in the States that replaced his 944 dash with vinyl in situ...

Dave

My 944S must have been lucky as it was totally crack free - shame I can't say the same for my Turbo.

Will be intersting to see what you come up with. Will it be bare metal or painted?

looking forward to seeing this. My dash isn't cracked but something on the vents is a nice finished touch. Brushed alloy would be nice..

progress is being made...
A final product it will be ready in a few weeks

It's finished and i love it ,makes a great adittion to my dash and ties in with the other stainless and aluminium pieces i have, can't wait to install everything.
I have two vents ,both were polished but one i brushed to see which i like better , although polished is super nice and stands out i think brushed is better suited for my car.

Looking very, very good! Satin black would be my preference and I suspect the price would scare me, but I am looking forward to knowing by how much

Cheers Rob