[MX-5 Miata] How to leather wrap your dashboard

Thanks for checking out my video guide on how to upholster your Miata's dashboard. After reupholstering the worn out seats in my 93' LE, I wanted my dash to have a nice updated look also. I redyed my dashboard before wrapping it and fixed a few cracks that were in it. I also removed the slats on the upper defroster vents and replaced them with some black mesh screen. The piece of leather I used was 57" x 17" (145cm x 43cm) If you're looking to take on a project like this and need any help or have any questions that weren't outlined in the video, please feel free to leave a comment or message/email me, I'd be happy to help!
Thank you for watching and drive safe!
I purchased my leather from: www.redlinegood...
Check out this guide for detailed instructions on removing your dashboard: www.miata.net/...
Thank you to Miata.net member Anthony Meeks for creating that guide!

[@HouseholdDog]

You can tell you are a model maker. It's not just the miliput and the model paint. It's your imaginative use of materials and attention to detail. Well done. Looks beautiful.

[@CrogDogsGarage]

That's true, I've been into painting/modeling Warhammer 40k and some D&D miniatures for quite a few years!

[@OffthWall]

This is heavily impressive ! The result was beautifully clean as well !

[@ulyssesvazquez387]

slow and steady.. very good work for dii'er

[@BecauseMiata]

I can tell that you spent a lot of time working on this. Looks like it paid off...great job! Looking forward to seeing the door cards...your DIY videos are awesome!

[@MiataMods]

My god how awesome is this video! So much detail, very interesting to see every step of the wrapping process! Love the way how you positioned the mesh, very smart! Good thing you didn’t use hot glue.. a dash can get really hot in the sun and it would suck if the mesh would fall down 😛 Anyway, great video and thanks for sharing!

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Thanks! Yeah this Miata spent most of its life in Texas before I owned it, where it got severely scorched by the sun. Didn't want to chance it ever becoming that bad again :)

[@MiataMods]

You did a beautiful job man!

[@victorbode5400]

I know Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost my account password. I would love any tricks you can offer me!

[@lochlanabdullah5937]

@Victor Bode instablaster =)

[@victorbode5400]

@Lochlan Abdullah thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@tat2dfreak3]

Great DIY vids. I've had my 92 black hardtop for 8 years, my daily since I bought her, just getting around to adding some special things. Still all factory/original, outside usual maintenance, except I removed the CD changer, stereo, soft top and the wheels, I still have them tho. I have never had a car last more than 5 years, so I call her my lil black beastie. I'm not sure how she has lived this long with me for an owner, she deserves a lot TLC. That's my goal this year, may she live and fight on forever

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Thanks man, sounds like a sweet Miata. I've been itching to drive mine, got another 4-6 weeks until mud season is over and all the salt is off the roads :/

[@johnxanthinakis4577]

Very nice my dude!!!! Your attention to detail just killed me!!! That last bit of painting the edge of the leather cut-out on the sides of the dash has scratched every itch!!!! Great work man keep it up!

[@bason7286]

love your work, i got a 93 LE with 90k miles back in january so definitely gonna use ur vids to fix everything up :))

[@somethingmustwork2]

Still have the car? This video and your seat work are still helping!

[@CrogDogsGarage]

I do still have it, it's been stored in my garage the past year or two (didn't really need two cars on the road with the whole pandemic going on!) But I'm really itching to have it back on the road this spring!

[@joeldennis1]

Great video, the dash turned out awesome!

[@jessevoidswarranties8335]

Not sure if this help you out but I have been fixing my plastics around my gauge hood I see you have some of the same issues. I have found bonding to the plastic nothing works better or cheaper that super glue hardened with baking soda. Super strong sandable surface and zero wait time. When you put the mesh on the vents you wouldn't have that 20 minutes wait time. Check it out on a scrap piece if you need check out a video I believe is called "super glue trick the cops don't want you to know" by Stephan Cox. Pretty sure that is the name let me know I can find it if that isn't it

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Right on, I'll have to check that out. Never knew adding baking soda to super glue could strengthen it. I've actually got a crack on my gauge hood that I'd like to fix (I'm thinking of redoing that in leather as well) Thanks for the tip!

[@jessevoidswarranties8335]

Supposedly this is the method of repairing carbon fiber airplane propellers. I have never had an adhesive work as well for this kind of fix

[@jessevoidswarranties8335]

Amazing job man. I just picked up a 95 and love the content you put out thank you.

[@kurtteach1556]

Great video and nice work. Thank you for documenting the process for everyone. Your Miata is coming along very nicely. On a separate note, a word of advice, keep a close eye on the rear axle wheel bearings on your camper. Many of the small campers from that era were underrated on weight by the manufacturers, one particular Itasca model calls for replacing the rear wheel bearings every 12k miles.

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Thanks, and good advice on the camper's rear axle! It has one the "Death Axles" on it currently. It's just a half ton axle with a second rim that bolts onto the first, not even a true dually. Luckily my step brother is a Toyota nut and has a 1 ton full floating axle for me to swap it out with, once the weather gets a little nicer :)

[@petehanly33]

Fantastic work, looks brilliant, I got a crack in my dash last year so I'm probably gonna attempt this, thanks for the great guide

[@samsoncostales4831]

Looks great! Don’t criticize yourself too much.👍

[@rybalchenkofamily]

For those who want to do this. Use contact cement. Spray or brush on. DO not use spray adhensive. It will eventually come undone.

[@iamoutofideas13]

Dude, that's a nice looking dash. I hope it lasts another 20 years.

[@ThumpinV]

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing your project and your experience!!

[@standodge7687]

This is what I wanna do to my Silverado LTZ, Great video!

[@Thomas-cs3nr]

Very nice 👌 great job Greetings from holland 🇱🇺

[@CrucifiedinChrist]

That intro was badass

[@helmhurst]

Superb job mate. I wont be trying this anytime soon.

[@d1customzautorepair624]

Nice what’s the name of glue,add the link where I can find glue and material

[@charlesmcgehee3227]

Very well done. Thank you for sharing your work.

[@TechnoNut96]

What brand of contact cement did you use, and how has it held up for ya?

[@thomasingle1333]

Very nice work

[@praisemajola23]

great job ... hope everything goes well for you

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Thanks!

[@hmontalvo90]

how were u able to the leather? redlinegoods only sell custom made stuff

[@larrykrause2373]

Nice job. I have a 93 MX5 I'm currently working on. Working on mechanical first before the cosmetic stuff. But I got a used dash sitting in the garage and I want to get it leather wrap then switch it out with my cracked dash. I need to ask you this though, did you put the VIN plate on correctly this time? In the video you had it facing towards the driver instead of away. Just wondering if you did or not. Thx for the great info you gave, notes taken and video liked.

[@Nasser9]

WOW.. it must be hard filming while doing it i would like to do my charger dash too and this video was helpful

[@diverhose]

Wow, great video! Thank you so much!

[@kalczarobert]

Really awesome job you are doing, too bad i discovered you a bit too late i guess since i dont see you posting for past months. I really hope i hear more from you i did subscribe.

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Thanks! I decided to take a break for awhile. I had to put my dog of 12 years down not too long ago, and it had a really big impact on my life overall :( She always loved riding in the Miata, and hanging out while I wrenched on it, so it didn't quite feel the same after she was gone. I actually just got my Miata out of the garage the other day and took it for a spin. I have tons of stuff I need to get around to taking care of on it, so it's only a matter of time until I have a new video. I need to finish my quilted door panels so I think that'll be coming up at some point soon. I'm glad you like my videos, and appreciate you subscribing!

[@R1Custom]

Hello, what's the thickness of the leather?

[@heatherrrenea]

Very nice job 👏 👍

[@nunovalle6771]

Wow I love this man

[@rafeevans]

Helpful! Thanks.

[@feliperivad]

hey, I was wondering how everything has held up over the years? has the cloth began to come unglued from the dash? and is it still looking good, or has it began to fade/get ugly?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

It's held up really well, I had a small spot about the size of a quarter that lifted up by the gauge hood, soon after I reinstalled the dash, but a quick fix with a qtip and some adhesive got it back to normal. I also treat it regularly with leather conditioner, and any time it's parked in the sun I use a sunshade, so it still looks new really. I also used automotive grade leather so I think it's some uv resistance

[@feliperivad]

CrogDog's Garage did you have to take the dash off and unglue the cloth to fix it with the qtip? and where could I find automotive-grade leather? didn’t know it was a thing

[@CrogDogsGarage]

@@feliperivad I didn't have to take the dash back out luckily, the part that popped up was by the edge of the gauge hood so I just take to take that out and reglue it along the edge. Probably didn't get enough adhesive on that spot when I put the leather on. I got my leather from www.redlinegoods.com , it was pre-sized for a Miata dash

[@papergatorztv7087]

Do u know any videos that show how to wrap inside corners with leather? I’m having trouble with wrapping inside corners😫😫

[@ahcrx]

This is an awesome video. Where would you buy the leather sheets? Thanks

[@anthonymerc220]

Hello how much was the piece of leather?

[@heleneschubert5046]

Hey i have a question! The leather for the dash, i went to the site, did you just asked them to get a piece for your dash???

[@MalcomHeavy]

This is a great tutorial. The music choice is not great though. Lol. Sounds like a commercial for ED pills

[@skr84nj1022]

Shouldn’t the VIN be upside down from the way it’s installed, so it’s visible from thru the windshield?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

yeah it's quite possible I put it on upside down :)

[@ErichHaubrich]

Nicely done. Cheers!

[@migscaff]

Good job

[@harrisdoesthings]

How is your plasti-dip holding on your hardtop is it still good, do you recommend doing still?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

I actually just peeled it off the other day, it was starting to get pretty grungy. The spot where I parked my Miata all summer was under a tree so that didn't help with trying to keep it clean. It lasted well over a year, and wasn't peeling anywhere except one tiny spot in the corner of the rear window. It all peeled off in one big sheet haha. I'd like to eventually paint my hardtop, but I think I might plasti-dip it again in the meantime.

[@harrisdoesthings]

Great! I have a red hard top with a BRG car (go figure), I was only going to do the base color with no clear coat, but if yours has lasted a year I think that is well good enough for me! (black base color) thanks again!

[@CrogDogsGarage]

Nice, there's a BRG Miata with a hardtop in my area, love that color. I bet black would look awesome. Now that you mention it, might be a good call to avoid the clearcoat. Mine had a bit of tiger striping after I used the clear and it also gave the coating a bit of a texture which I'm sure helped it retain dirt and made it a bit harder to clean

[@harrisdoesthings]

Very interesting, I thought the clear coat would give it more resistance to the elements.. but plastidip is (relatively) cheap, so i'll try with 3 cans of black and see how I go! (:

[@alanmarklew6850]

Great job !

[@iternalwingz]

How has the glue held up so far? Has it been bubbling or peeling from the sun?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

I had a little spot about the size of a quarter that lifted next to the guage hood, but was right on the edge seam so it was an easy fix. It also happened only a week or two after I reinstalled the dash so I'm thinking it might have been a lack of glue in that spot. Haven't had any other issues so far. I do keep a reflective sun shade on the dash any time it's parked outside though, just to be safe

[@RonSavage01]

Link to the adhesive you were brushing on please?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

I started with this: www.amazon.com/00272-Original-Contact-Building-Material/dp/B00106ETT6 but switched to this spray adhesive: www.lowes.com/pd/3M-17-6-fl-oz-Bonding-Clear-Multipurpose-Adhesive/1160531?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-google-_-lia-_-133-_-glue-_-1160531-_-0&store_code=2291&placeholder=null&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8_Sa04Xf5wIVjYCfCh3lqA1UEAkYASABEgJMePD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[@Thom3302]

Hey i have a question

[@lbeezy7215]

U gotta put the dash back on an then do tha corners from inside tha car.....

[@heatherrrenea]

Anyone tried this on a infiniti fx35?

[@drdoc7508]

Exc Info! 🙂

[@davidhumby]

what adesive are you using?

[@CrogDogsGarage]

I recall using contact cement at first, but switched over to... 3M super 77 spray adhesive I think it was

[@davidhumby]

@@CrogDogsGarage thank you for your reply i will get some as iam having a bit of a struggle covering my audi a8 door panels with leather. a lot of curves and angles

[@ajmjbc8010]

Make more vids