Suede or Leather dash??

[Blitzeclips]

Hey guys I've run into a fork in the road on my current project. My dashboard is completely custom fiberglassed, I am planning on a two tone interior. The top portion of the dash will be painted high gloss red to match the exterior of the car, while the lower half of the dash will be a creme color continued throughout the back panels. I am going for the luxury/custom show look, thus my color of choice. When I say creme I am referring to the off-white you see BMW's, Jaguar's, and Mercedes wrapped with in their interior. Almost like an eggshell/creme white.

Anywho, I am COMPLETELY TORN between what type of upholstery I want with this.
Either SUEDE or LEATHER. I like the suede because it's a dull vs. glossy looks when combined with the top painted portion of my dash. But I also like the leather because it goes with the luxery theme to come extent.

So, what would you guys like? Help me think of some pro's and cons to each material incase I overlooked it. Thanks again and I appreciate everything guys. Please, no bashing you OEM guys.

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

suede can get messed up easily and is not allowed to get wet...since its white I would go with leather so you can just hit it with some soapy water to clean it with.

 

[Locke]

Agree'd. Since I doubt this is a show-only car, it will get stained or dirty in a short time. Leather not only blends well with materials already in the vehicle, but is easy to clean.

I do have to say, Suede would be nice. Unique.

 

[redeclipse7782]

Good luck driving around with a red dashboard, you will have a ton of glare on your windshield once the sun hits it. There is a reason car companies only use certain dull non-gloss colors for the dash. i would do the top of the dashboard black and the lower half leather.

 

[FasterImage]

Leather, suede is a real pain

 

[Gee-Es-Tee]

Guys,

Just wondering if there is actually anyone out there who specializes in reupholstering leather to our DSM dashboards and consoles? I am moreso a member of the Porsche enthusiast community and there are a number of people out there who releather dashes, steering wheels, and whatnot. My GST dash is hideous (well, not hideous, but gross) and wondering if releathering is an option. Anyone out there?

Thanks

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

Guys,

Just wondering if there is actually anyone out there who specializes in reupholstering leather to our DSM dashboards and consoles? I am moreso a member of the Porsche enthusiast community and there are a number of people out there who releather dashes, steering wheels, and whatnot. My GST dash is hideous (well, not hideous, but gross) and wondering if releathering is an option. Anyone out there?

Thanks

I remembered seeing this pic in the gallery and the dash definitely looked like leather. This is the member so maybe you can PM him.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/member.php?u=31237

 

[Gee-Es-Tee]

That leather work is beautiful. Thanks for the great reply! I PM'd him... I hope I can do this myself.

Any other pics out there? Anyone else do this mod?

 

[Locke]

Wow, that leather dash is beautiful.

Most automotive upholstering shops could handle something like that.

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

Wow, that leather dash is beautiful.

Most automotive upholstering shops could handle something like that.

Yeah, it sure is beautiful but the question is how much would they charge do a job that nice?

 

[kingjust]

I remembered seeing this pic in the gallery and the dash definitely looked like leather. This is the member so maybe you can PM him.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/member.php?u=31237

Damn, I want that dash, with my gauge pods molded into them, that would truly be official!!

KJ

 

[snowborder714]

Wow, that is beautiful!

 

[kahl23]

Hey guys, thank you very much for the compliments on my interior. Can you do this type of interior? Not really. You not only need a special sewing machine to puncture two or more layers of leather, but you also need a lot of expertise. For those reasons, I'd suggest going with a professional upholstery shop. My interior was done by Stitchcraft Interiors in Longbeach, California. They did a really great job, as you can see. Boosted, the answer is it costs a lot, but I think it's worth it. Kingjust, they actually made a custom three gauge a pillar mount for me in leather, it is really cool. There are some other pictures in my gallery and if any of you have any questions, please PM me.

 

[Blitzeclips]

Hey man I love the dash but something about it looks off to me. Maybe it just looks beefier because they stretched the leather over your original OEM stuff...

Check out my custom dash build around this section. I am reaching the stage where I need upholstery and paint done.

I am going to try finding a stretchable leather, then upholster it myself. Worse comes to worst I can just rip off what i put on and take it to a leather shop.

How much did that upholstery cost you? If you don't mind me asking..

 

[kahl23]

The OEM stuff was ripped off before the leather went on. I think what you're referring to is the fact that the dash isn't one piece of leather. The reason for this is that on a complex curve (like our dash) it's very hard to get thick leather to lay down nicely. Generally what happens is you get ripples in the material. Since the dash is such a big piece, it's very hard to get all of these ripples out. That's why they use multiple pieces of leather and stitch them together. In addition, I think it looks really nice, but that's just my personal opinion. As for price, expect to pay around $4,000. Let me know how the dash turns out.

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

As for price, expect to pay around $4,000.

Holy fcuking shit!!! WTF WTF $4000? WTF WTF That's insane..

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

That interior above is truely nicely done.

$4000 is a lot though, My clean title, 95 5speed GSX beater was only $3000.

ballllllinnnnn

 

[kahl23]

Haha, remember that's for the entire interior, not just the dash.