Is this a defect?

What??????

Ferraris don't have DEFECTS....they have character!!!

The glue has failed....take it out and reglue it....LOL!

 

Most of the dash is fibreglass, and not very smooth in finish, so the glue over time lets go.....

Also prone to have been cut short, some of the vinyl or leather lets go from contraction....I have a little gap right at the windshield base. More trouble than it's worth to fix it.......


Yours may not be so bad...

 

I have the EXACT same defect on mine, an '87 September build. I think the gals in pattern and stitching were in a bad mood about being back at work after the month long vacation and weren't paying attention to what they were doing.

I took the console out and noticed the vinyl was cut a little short so there is no fix except to have the console completely refinished. I don't think it's shrinkage, it's just bad craftsmanship. Oh well.

-F

 

From the picture it would see you have enough fabric to cover the spot, you will have to re tention and glue from behind... not sure how easy / hard the removal of the center piece is? I would like to know as i want to get my clock fixed - it runs slow.

 

Ah, the joys of older cars!! Be careful if you try to fix it. I can guarantee you, from experience, that a job like that, once begun, will end up leading to a complete rebuild of the entire car, including an engine-out service and full body re-spray of the car. It is unavoidable. Ask me how I know --- been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.

Seriously, unless it drives you so crazy that you can't stand it anymore, just leave it alone for now. Once you start playing with it, you will never be satisfied until the dash is redone. You could, if you wanted, carefully lift that little section with a thin instrument, like a dental probe or pick or something like that, put a little glue under it, and carefully try to press it back around the bezel of the clock, as a temporary fix. But I assure you, once you start playing with it, you will never be happy until the entire interior has been torn out and redone.

p.s. Several years ago, I started doing an oil change, filter and tranny fluid change on the 308. Decided to pull the wheel well out and look at the belts. Before I knew it, I had pulled the engine, changed all belts, hoses, fuel lines, pulled the gas tanks, did a minor rebuild on the engine, entirely cleaned the engine compartment, rebuilt all 4 brake calipers, had the seats redone with new leather, installed a new starter, had the alternator rebuilt, stripped the headers and had them Jet Hot coated, rebuilt the carbs, did a full cam timing, installed an Electromotive ignition system... and that's just what I remember off the top of my head. Oh, and I did change the oil, filter and transmission fluid. So beware that attack of "Shipwright's disease."

 

Uhh... choke, snort, raising hand to object, grpfuzznit... DAMN!... nevermind... He's right, guilty as charged.

glad to know I'm not the only one admitting this mental illness!!!

Rick

 

It's very easy to remove that center piece, the black vinyl material is easy to match. It looks crappy. Get it fixed, IMHO.

I had the same issue on my 328 at the time I bought it. Sport Auto removed the console and sent it off to an upholstery place for re-glueing. That solved the problem.

Mine also had some material shrinkage around where the radio blanking plate is. When the car was at Symbolic in San Diego for some other work, their upholstery guy redid that console, radio blanking plate and the coin tray in new black vinyl (matched perfectly). It may have cost me $100 for the whole job and came out like new.

 

Had the same issue. I just removed it, washed it to very clean, and re-glued with CA. If you can't clamp into place during gluing, insert a small spray paint cap top about the same diameter and glue it up from underneath. I haven't had a problem with mine yet (about a year since)...should be fine for a while. To be concours, you will need to remove and replace the vinyl with adequate margin for stretching.