Removing the dash eyebroiw

@johnwrightphoto

It may depend on what make your Speedster is. Is it a CMC, Fiberfab, Beck/SE, Intermeccanica, JPS, Chesil, SAS (least likely), or a Vintage Speedster built car?

Either way I think there are several bolts on the back of the pad that extend through the dash and have a nut on the back attaching it to the front. Others more experienced will tell you for sure.

FF/CMC has 4 threaded studs that pass thru the dash and there are nuts securing it on the back of the dash.

I can tell you this , it's a pita to recover the brow and make it look good, it is well worth the cost to sent it out to Vintage Speedsters with a material sample and have then do it.

But, on the other hand, why not have a go at it?  

The tough part is making the beading.  To make it, go to a fabric/upholstery store and tell them that you want some 1/8"-3/16" upholstery cord (Jute cording.....Nylon cord (1 piece) will work as well).  Once in hand, figure out how long a piece you need to go end-to-end, across the top of the eyebrow or beyond, if you want to go to the end of the dash pad.  That is your trim piece.  Give yourself 4"-6" on each end extra.  This piece should be about 2" wide by however long you'll need and made from the same material (leather ($$$) or vinyl ($) as your interior.  NO SEAMS ALLOWED IN THIS PEICE.

Now comes the tricky part - you'll need a really good seamstress or quilter (but I really doubt that a quilter will sacrifice their $6,000-$8,000 sewing machine for something like this) to make the beading.  Lay the piece of upholstery material lengthwise, place the cording in the middle of it, lengthwise, fold one side over on the other evenly and sew along the cording (the needle should be 1/8" or less from the cord, depending on the width/type of the machine's presser foot).  When done, you should have a nice, evenly stitched piece of material, folded around the cord, stitched and made into a trim piece.  Put it aside.

For the eyebrow, vinyl is MUCH more forgiving than leather.  Cut a piece of material roughly 1"-2" larger than the eyebrow in each dimension and simply fold it neatly around the eyebrow, stretching (if it's vinyl) around the corners of the 'Brow to make it tight and wrinkle-free.  Once it is stretched to your satisfaction and brought in across the back (use scissors to trim off excess here and there to make it lie flat), simply staple it to the back of the 'Brow with a paper stapler with the foot swung back.  Avoid bunching up the material to more than two thicknesses because it'll hold the 'Brow out from the dash surface too much.  This 

Once the 'Brow is neatly covered, creases out and stretched behind the 'Brow material and stapled in place, position it back on the dash and the staples should hold everything together once it's up against the dash, but don't fully tighten it.  Slip the trim piece you made in place over the top of the eyebrow as an interface trim between the 'Brow and the dash and continue it along the dash bumper - you may have to cut a notch here and there in the "fan" of the piece to clear the screws that hold the 'Brow and pad in place.  Once everything is in place as you like it you can trim the ends of the trim piece after tucking the ends in at the extremes of the 'Brow and dash pad so that the ends of the material are hidden in a neat manner (be creative, here).  Go ahead and tighten all of the screws from the backside of the dash to pull everything in close and survey your work.  Everything should be even and neatly spaced.  If not, go back and make a few adjustments as needed.

That's pretty much it.  Good luck.

I used to have an old Pfaff commercial sewing machine for jobs such as this.  It was gorgeous and I loved it, but we sold that house and it was just too much to bring it here.  Broke my heart to give it to "Goodwill" but what'chagonnado?   If you get an upholstery place to make the beading for you you'll be WAY ahead of the game.  It's a trivial piece to make for them, but a major PITA for YOU!

Find your nearest Amish or Mennonite canvas shop. I have found their work in Trail, Ohio to be the best. Just had the Heritage seat redone--$125 and every stud, bead, and factory badge--Perfect.

......again send yours out to VS :~)

John lives in England!  The shipping, alone, would kill the deal.

BTW, John, there must be someone over there who has fabricated their own dash and might offer help.  Maybe a Euro-forum of Chesil or Speedster Clinic owners?

Anyway, my outline should be enough to get you going.

Good luck!   Gordon

IM's dash eyebrow with the extra stitching really sets their car off from a kit built car.

......again send yours out to VS :~) - Alan Merklin (AKA; Dr Clock)

I agree with Dr. Clock (keep it simple). Here is the eyebrow stitching on my 2015 VS... click on pic to enlarge. 

@Gordon Nichols

your outline is a detailed 'how to' Gordon. Thank you so much!

And thanks everyone! Good ideas and food for thought as always.

thankful

john

Jim (and Wolfie) - that double stitched (which is actually triple stitched) eyebrow cover looks like it must be easy to do, and once the material is cut to precisely the pattern you need, it is........BUT!  What really counts is the evenness (left/right) and pacing of the stitching and THAT is determined, good or bad, by the person running the sewing machine.  Like everything else, the set-up of the machine for the material used makes a difference in the length of stitch and whether the material ripples as it's going through the machine, but that person guiding the material through has to keep it wicked straight and stretched just right or your eye will catch a wandering line right off.  That, plus getting a 3-stitch-wide line centered along the edge of the eyebrow takes a ton of forethought to get the material pattern and stitch lines perfect.

Yes, Virginia, there is a reason why Gordon did a simple cord bead along his CMC Eyebrow.

True story:  We had been married for about 2 years when Kathy went off to Finland on a business trip for two weeks.  My 1946 Ford street rod was finally ready for the seats I had just finished re-springing, and I bought about 10 yards of some GORGEOUS, tan, leather-look Naugahyde.  While she was gone, I found a book on auto upholstery at the local library and decided on a button-tufted diamond pattern for the seats and backs.  Pushed all of the living room furniture off to the side walls, set up a table and her sewing machine (this was many years before she got into Quilting) and went to work.   Had everything done the day before she got back home. 

The seats were fabulous.  Really......Show winners all by themselves and really made the look of the car.   I was felling pretty good! 

When she got home and found out what I had done with her (made for fabric) sewing machine.....    At least I had gone out and gotten Vinyl needles for it and took my time with the stitching........

She.  Hit.  The.  Roof.

Ever since then, when doing any upholstery work, I used my trusty, old Pfaff that I got off a predecessor to Craigslist and rebuilt (parts are readily available on eBay).   I wouldn't go near her Quilting machines for anything.......Especially when the cost of a decent new one, these days, starts over $6 grand USD.  I could get most of a 2,110 for that!

Know Schu and I considered a sewing machine for vinyl and leather - we were told that you needed a walking foot sewing machine which instantly added a zero to the price.

Seems if the eyebrow were made of pine wood it would be simpler to cover --- even with a straight stitch.  The flexible rubber makes it much more difficult.

I get the whole DIY nature of this, but I'm with Al-- having VS do this would be way easier and cheaper.

VS's online parts catalog is really difficult to use.  I assume parts are priced each or is it a pair?  Like $150 door panels - must be a pair since a left and right aren't listed.  They don't even have a standard color chart.  Here's their eye brow - it doesn't look like Musbjim's though (no stitching).

Here's the VS door panels listed - I recall they had one with expandable pockets and then one with double zig-zag lines - is this a new 3rd version?  I like the expandable pockets.

Per panel,  available in pocket or flap design

VS would ought to have a representative on this site. They are non-exsistent.  Look what positive things come of Pat Downs and  Carey Hines being available and participating here!  Almost free press.

IMHO

It is very generous of Carey and Pat to volunteer all the information they do, to help out the hobby. Bravo  !    

One more time - The person (John) asking the original question about the eyebrow pad lives in ENGLAND!

While US sources are always attractive (especially for us living in the 'states), the taxes and shipping related to buying US stuff from the UK, not to mention a strong dollar forcing the prices of things they buy way up, push the prices for US-sourced stuff way up there.

Not to mention that he was asking about re-doing an eyebrow cover and this thread morphed into door panels sourced from VS and getting them to post more on here.  Really?   Come on, people!