car bra's . . . good protection or not?

[Fisher, Scott]

"Michael Gough" <mdg3369 at mac.com> wrote:

>Same with dash covers, I don't get people putting them on new cars with
nice
>dashes. They just make the dash look ugly, you might as well enjoy the dash
>wile its not cracked.

I'm completely with you when it comes to cars that have good dashes.  If you
live where it's very sunny and you are worried about the long-term effects,
you can always put a towel over the dash when you park the car outside.

On my '83 CGT, however, the dash looks like a dry lake bed, because nobody
did this for the first 15 years or so that they had the car (and I haven't
done it since because, well, it's pointless now; I counted something like 30
major cracks in the vinyl).  I've thought for some time about ways to cover
the dash but haven't done anything -- vinyl, Alcantara, wood, sheet aluminum
with black crinkle-finish, etc. etc. etc.

I know that most of the popular British sports cars have dash caps: cast ABS
plastic units of the same shape and texture as the original, but sized to
slip *over* the original dash.  You glue them in place and from most angles,
the best ones, applied carefully, are almost invisible -- I've installed two
or three over the years.  Is there anything like this for 4000/CGT series
cars?

Barring that, does anyone make a soft fabric protective cover that might
look less awful than the 30-odd cracks in my car's dash?

And barring even that... is there any interest in patterns for a roll- (or
cut-and-sew) your-own dash cover?  I have given a modest amount of thought
to laying down 1/8" foam or fabric batting (just to cover the surface
irregularities and give it a nicely upholstered finish) and making a cover
out of vinyl or alcantara.  My wife's hobby is quilting, and for many years
the two of us designed 3D stuffed animal toys for craft fairs, so we have a
fair amount of experience prototyping 3D patterns.  I may just get out an
old sheet for the test run, cut and pin it to size, have Kim make up a
prototype, and then figure out the best way to install it.  If I do, I'll
let the list know.

--Scott Fisher
  3 cars with good dashes/1 car looking like it needs grout