2005 262 Dash Makeover

[Dannyljr]

The wood dash on my 262 was in better shape than a lot I've seen. Until this winter when the clear on the glove box started cracking really badly. Well, my OCD got the best of me and I decided to try my hand at wrapping it. This was my first time wrapping anything, but if I have any advice it would be get a heat gun and bring your patience.

I've finished the project and couldn't be happier with the results. The best part is I have less than $25 invested in it and probably 6 hours of time with disassembly, wrapping, reassembly and labeling.

This is fantastic! Where did you purchase the wrap?

[kbloom72]

The wood dash on my 262 was in better shape than a lot I've seen. Until this winter when the clear on the glove box started cracking really badly. Well, my OCD got the best of me and I decided to try my hand at wrapping it. This was my first time wrapping anything, but if I have any advice it would be get a heat gun and bring your patience.

I've finished the project and couldn't be happier with the results. The best part is I have less than $25 invested in it and probably 6 hours of time with disassembly, wrapping, reassembly and labeling.

This is fantastic! Where did you purchase the wrap?

Thanks Danny! I bought it on Amazon - VViViD XPO Black Carbon Fiber 5ft x 1ft 8yr Car Wrap Vinyl Roll with Air Release

[anthonyangelo6]

Finally finished the dashboard. Here is how it looks now. I went with the original wood look (High Glossy Wood Grain Vinyl Wrap@Amazon) instead of the Carbon Fiber (VViViD XPO Dry Carbon Black Vinyl Wrap@Amazon). Biggest effort was in reconnecting the LEDs & Switches, the other panels were much easier (I just took copious pictures of the connections before removing). The wrap is very stirdy (thicker than the Graphite). The other difficult pieces were the side panels which were hard to unscrew.

[AsLan7]

Looks amazing aa6. Thanks for posting those.

How did you get to those screws on the side panels off?

Btw, Now you need a center steering wheel cap.

[anthonyangelo6]

Under each arm rest there's a big rectangular access hole. I reached under there and painfully (and blindly) unscrewed the 3 nuts on each of the panels. I used my samsung phone and smart watch app to look under there and visualize the nuts (they were not solid metal, just some lightweight bent metal sheet type round nuts, and some were squished and had to use locking pliers on them). I replaced them all with proper stainless nuts. I also had some stripped threads, so I drilled out the screw and replaced it (screwed it in from the front and used a nut to secure, then used wood filler to smooth it out and sanded before I wrapped). It was a labor of love, but worth it to me in the end.

[AsLan7]

Under each arm rest there's a big rectangular access hole. I reached under there and painfully (and blindly) unscrewed the 3 nuts on each of the panels. I used my samsung phone and smart watch app to look under there and visualize the nuts (they were not solid metal, just some lightweight bent metal sheet type round nuts, and some were squished and had to use locking pliers on them). I replaced them all with proper stainless nuts. I also had some stripped threads, so I drilled out the screw and replaced it (screwed it in from the front and used a nut to secure, then used wood filler to smooth it out and sanded before I wrapped). It was a labor of love, but worth it to me in the end.

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Very cool. Appreciate the advice for the site members here.
If you have any other tips and tricks please post them.

Again great job!

[groberts4]

Wow kbloom, that looks fantastic! The wood on my '06 262 is cracked around the edges and I knew it would be almost impossible to find replacement parts. Now I don't need them - I'm going to wrap mine just like you did. I'm not looking forward to pulling everything apart though. For the switch labels I'm going to try typing them up, sizing them, and printing onto a single sheet of clear plastic. I think.
PS: I "wrapped" my aging speaker covers in gray grill cloth that's the same color as your dash wrap. They're going to look great together!

PXL_20230424_225811554.jpg

[thmw]

I have same issue on my 2003 - 262 and love the work many of you did with the wrap. I'm mechanically minded and do my own maintenance but not familiar with wrapping process and details. Kbloom mentioned needing a heat gun which left me wondering about the process. Any advice about the overall process of how to successfully execute the wrapping/finishing process? Or links for a guide?