Leather wrapped dash

[doktormane]

Hi guys,

I remember seeing photos of two TJs that had their dash covered in leather. I remember loving the look and it would be a great way to hide imperfections and damage to the dash.

Now, I know what a Jeep is and I know the idea of a leather covered dash will make some of you laugh but I just want to see if any of you did this to your TJ. I would love to see some photos.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Wrapping the dash with leather would be too expensive for my blood but there's not a thing wrong with leather which is durable and looks great. It's certainly a tough material, afterall cowboy saddles and boots are made from leather.

 

[Chris]

Don't do it. Every leather wrapped dash I've had in any high end car (BMW, Porsche, Chevy, etc.) has always had issues.

The glue that holds the leather down will come undone when exposed to the hot weather over time. It's not a question of IF it will happen, it's WHEN it will happen.

Bad idea if you plan on keeping it a long time.

 

[Rollin20z]

Don't do it. Every leather wrapped dash I've had in any high end car (BMW, Porsche, Chevy, etc.) has always had issues.

The glue that holds the leather down will come undone when exposed to the hot weather over time. It's not a question of IF it will happen, it's WHEN it will happen.

Bad idea if you plan on keeping it a long time.

True......but same as most things. No matter how expensive it/they are. Never as nice after a while or enjoyable once you had them a while as they are when they are new. It just comes down to whether you want to have something that you think is nice and you can enjoy more now and not worry about later which may never come. Or just do the regular standard way and make yourself believe your happy with your decision and end up regretting it later on.

Life's too short to worry about stuff that can be replaced or what may happen. Don't mean to knock anyone's belief's, that's just mine I guess. And I guess that comes from wife and I had made plans retiring,relocating and relaxing when she turned 49. Why? because she wanted to before 50 is all. Well 3 days before her 47th B-day hello Glioblastoma and with surgery(emergency on her bday) and all treatments (8 months worth) they had available then. 8 1/2 months she was gone.

So that's why I say and believe you should enjoy what's in front of you now and what makes you happy now. Future plans are over-rated.

 

[Rollin20z]

Hi guys,

I remember seeing photos of two TJs that had their dash covered in leather. I remember loving the look and it would be a great way to hide imperfections and damage to the dash.

Now, I know what a Jeep is and I know the idea of a leather covered dash will make some of you laugh but I just want to see if any of you did this to your TJ. I would love to see some photos.

And to answer your question.

So.... since you said.

I remember loving the look

I'd say wrap the hell out of it however you want.

 

[qslim]

Don't do it. Every leather wrapped dash I've had in any high end car (BMW, Porsche, Chevy, etc.) has always had issues.

The glue that holds the leather down will come undone when exposed to the hot weather over time. It's not a question of IF it will happen, it's WHEN it will happen.

Bad idea if you plan on keeping it a long time.

I've done leather-wrapped dashes before (to be clear, I didn't do it, I paid a skilled & talented Cuban craftsman a LOT of money to do it) and they turned out great. BUT, these were cars that stayed in the garage when they weren't being driven, and when they were being driven it was on a road (sometimes even a track). The thing I love about my TJ (and I'm still new to the game) is that it's designed to take a bit of a beating. I wouldn't want to shy away from using my TJ for some rough off-road fun for fear of messing up my sweet leather dash.

If my wife put her feet on my leather-wrapped 6-series dash ('79 633, not a new one) I'd throw her out of the car. Wanna kick your feet up on the Jeep's dash? Go for it!

 

[Chris]

I've done leather-wrapped dashes before (to be clear, I didn't do it, I paid a skilled & talented Cuban craftsman a LOT of money to do it) and they turned out great. BUT, these were cars that stayed in the garage when they weren't being driven, and when they were being driven it was on a road (sometimes even a track). The thing I love about my TJ (and I'm still new to the game) is that it's designed to take a bit of a beating. I wouldn't want to shy away from using my TJ for some rough off-road fun for fear of messing up my sweet leather dash.

If my wife put her feet on my leather-wrapped 6-series dash ('79 633, not a new one) I'd throw her out of the car. Wanna kick your feet up on the Jeep's dash? Go for it!

If you keep them in your garage and don't let them sit outside in the hot sun exposed to the elements, they will usually last a long time.

I've had a lot of misfortune as I was buying used cars (so who knows where they were parked) and the leather always started coming off for some reason or another once I bought it.

They look damn good when they are new, but as they age, they look dingy.

Another thing is that leather shrinks and "adjusts" over time, so that's another reason that the leather wrapped dashboards don't usually look good after 10+ years.

Of course most people don't own a vehicle that long, so this may just be a moot point.

I know on my Corvette the leather dash was nothing but a nightmare.

 

[qslim]

If you keep them in your garage and don't let them sit outside in the hot sun exposed to the elements, they will usually last a long time.

I've had a lot of misfortune as I was buying used cars (so who knows where they were parked) and the leather always started coming off for some reason or another once I bought it.

They look damn good when they are new, but as they age, they look dingy.

Another thing is that leather shrinks and "adjusts" over time, so that's another reason that the leather wrapped dashboards don't usually look good after 10+ years.

Of course most people don't own a vehicle that long, so this may just be a moot point.

I know on my Corvette the leather dash was nothing but a nightmare.

You should have gone for ostrich skin

 

[Hound Dog]

I have a leather wrapped chopper. I used contact cement to adhere it. It is garage kept but has blasted down the road in its fair share of storms. It is still holding.

My Towncar dash is leatherbut it stays clean and dry.

If you flat out abuse your jeep like I do, I would not recommend it. But really if you are wrapping in leather you probably take care of it. Sun and occasionally getting a sprinkle are not going to hurt it.

 

[AndyG]

It would be a better idea to run over a cow in your TJ. Leather wrap the whole front end.

 

[Paparock1]

If you do decide to wrap it use 1300L. Its expensive but well worth it. Apply to the back of leather and to the dash. Let it dry until you can touch it. It will be dry but a little tacky. Then lay the two pieces together. Dont get it crooked because once its down it takes MEK to get it off.

Take pics if you do it

 

[Fouledplugs]

The new Wranglers are using leather wrapped dashes. They dont wrap the knee bolsters, which I think breaks it up nicely.

If you do pull the trigger, post some pics. I know I’m not the only one that would want to check it out.

 

[89grand]

Of all the vehicles to consider doing this on, a Wrangler seems like one of the worst choices.

It seems the polar opposite of asking what off road tire to use on their Bently GT.

 

[doktormane]

Thanks for all the replies. There are definitely lots of opinions but has someone here done it to their TJ and if so, can you post photos please? I remember seeing some photos in the past but I did not save them

 

[EzPeezy]

Of all the vehicles to consider doing this on, a Wrangler seems like one of the worst choices.

It seems the polar opposite of asking what off road tire to use on their Bently GT.

KO2 is always the answer for a Bentley

 

[mrblaine]

Hi guys,

I remember seeing photos of two TJs that had their dash covered in leather. I remember loving the look and it would be a great way to hide imperfections and damage to the dash.

Now, I know what a Jeep is and I know the idea of a leather covered dash will make some of you laugh but I just want to see if any of you did this to your TJ. I would love to see some photos.

Any thoughts as to which parts you would wrap? The pair of bezels, center and cluster are fairly flimsy to wrap so you would need to give some thought to how thick the leather is for those two. Are you going to do the speaker grills on the sides? If so, what are your plans for the grill section?

I have zero heartburn over you wrapping it to make it your own. I like it when folks step out of everyone else's box and do things their own way. If I were doing it, (not that you should) I would pick one of the high quality pleather fabrics. There are some newer ones that are very high quality, are nearly indistinguishable from leather, very easy to work with, and the stretch factor makes them much more likely to be installed without puckers and wrinkles.

A few things since I worked with my buddy for many years helping him from time to time restoring little British Sports cars. Heat is your friend. He always had a heat gun fired up to warm (not roast) the leather and pleather to help it stretch around and over problem areas. He also used a water thin super glue that worked on plastic to hold down some of the tucks in tight places on the back side. Get some very sharp scissors for snipping the folds that show up to get the back side flat so the bezels will go back in place easily and a few single edge razor blades.

I agree with the use of a high quality contact cement for upholstery. He used a commercial grade in a spray pot that was semi repositionable at first tack, and then locked in solid after a bit in case he needed to lift a corner and move it around to get rid of a wrinkle. I always enjoyed wrapping stuff in vinyl and leather. Have fun with it and make it yours.

 

[mrblaine]

It would be a better idea to run over a cow in your TJ. Leather wrap the whole front end.

When I worked in the oilfield, one of the deckhands quit and went to work driving a semi delivering drill stem and such to the locations. He was running a load at night and there was a big black Brahma bull on the road. He hit it dead center and lost his life to that particular bull fight.

 

[Ericict]

If you do decide to wrap it use 1300L. Its expensive but well worth it. Apply to the back of leather and to the dash. Let it dry until you can touch it. It will be dry but a little tacky. Then lay the two pieces together. Dont get it crooked because once its down it takes MEK to get it off.

Take pics if you do it

THIS^^^^ It will not come off if applied in this fashion. Only thing to add is use the back of your knuckle to check for tackiness. Less oil on your finger in this location. This is how we install glued down parts on aircraft.

 

[AndyG]

When I worked in the oilfield, one of the deckhands quit and went to work driving a semi delivering drill stem and such to the locations. He was running a load at night and there was a big black Brahma bull on the road. He hit it dead center and lost his life to that particular bull fight.

Livestock , Elk, Great Pyrennees, Deer., Any large animal . They can be lethal.

I know of an older man that hit an elk in something like a Miata...it ruined his health .... He was never the same.

 

[MallCrawlOnTons]

Hi guys,

I remember seeing photos of two TJs that had their dash covered in leather. I remember loving the look and it would be a great way to hide imperfections and damage to the dash.

Now, I know what a Jeep is and I know the idea of a leather covered dash will make some of you laugh but I just want to see if any of you did this to your TJ. I would love to see some photos.

I have a pic of a leather wrapped interior in a tj. I’ll find it when I get some time later today.