355 Leather shrink fix on instrument pod?

Two screws between upper and lower dash to left and right of “pod.” Hidden black Phillips head screws. Remove screws. Pod comes off. Unplug all wires, remove instruments and bezel. Remove old leather, have recovered in proper leathers reverse the above and reinstall.


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But first disconnect the battery.

 

You still have to remove it to work on it. You might be able to stretch it a little and then use some gel super glue to hold it in place. Regular contact cement probably would not be strong enough. Get the one with the brush.

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I tried.


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The pod, “binnacle“ material is a molded fiberglass. Plenty of staples are used as you can see in the photo. I would try applying Leatherique Rejuvenating Oil. Apply it a number of times and covered in plastic for a few days. Of note, leave the battery off and do not start the car or turn the key on with the binnacle removed. It will set an airbag error.

As far as adhesive, I’ve had excellent results with Scotch gray/green 1357 neoprene contact adhesive.

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Yes you should be good with Neatsfoot oil, to relax the leather if need be.

 

I had even more extreme shrinkage of the leather away from the edge. I removed the binnacle and put a wet cloth both between the fibreglass and leather. Left it for a day or so. Leather really softened up and stretched. Used a staple gun to re-attach the leather in position. Then covered it in leather conditioner multiple times. Not saying this is the best way but it worked surprisingly well for my circumstances.

 

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/safe-way-to-stretch-gauge-pod-leather.687470/#post-149468448

 

I have had excellent results on my 355 with Gliptone Leather conditioner. I had awful/visible shrinkage around the air vents and the Gliptone relaxed the leather to the point the shrinkage was not really noticeable.

I am not affiliated in any way.

 

I remember now, I actually used a contact adhesive to bond the leather smoothly in place first, so that there weren't any wrinkle or pull-marks. Then used the staple gun to secure it more permanently. When I was recovering/re-stretching the passenger airbag leather I noticed that the contact adhesive alone was not enough to keep it from wrinkling up and then tightening depending on the sunlight exposure and temperature. Stapling it once I was satisfied with the re-stretching sorted it permanently. Hope this helps all the budding amateur upholsterers out there.

 

Exactly why I recommended super glue. It sets fast and once in place it won't let the leather shift.

 

If you are using “super glue” (cyanoacrylate) then you are making a massive rookie mistake.

That type of glue is hard and brittle, and will simply delaminate after a relatively short time. It does not “give” as the leather naturally expands and contracts.

What you should use is a good quality solvent based leather contact adhesive which you can buy almost anywhere. That is what they used in the factory.

 

The contact adhesive was actually supplied to me by an OEM automotive trimmer (Volvo). In my case I think the 'glue only' would have been sufficient if the leather were new, but it was the best part of 25 years old at the time.