I can't afford a new early dash yet, so I was wondering if the dash caps I see on the market suck like I think they might?
Any insight would be helpful....

I use them and they work and look great. No need to glue them either.

I have one and I think it looks fine. It isn't really noticable unless you're looking for it.

I have one too. As long as there are no giant raised cracks, they work fine. Hard to tell its even there from the casual glance.

I heard from other members on here that they were ok. I haven't seen one in person yet, but I'm going to try one in a month or two.

I installed one on my 75. Fit great and I think it looks good. I did end up using the tube of silicone that came with it. Layed a bunch of phone books on it overnight. It's been on for 2 years now looks as good as the day I installed it.

Installed my 2nd one a d looks great , I love them . Saved me a lot of money .

Are they textured plastic, or covered with vinyl?
Could you actually remove the real dash pad and install one of these in its place so as to not sit so high?

Are they textured plastic, or covered with vinyl? - Plastic
Could you actually remove the real dash pad and install one of these in its place so as to not sit so high? - It needs the dash pad.

These look pretty good. From a couple feet away, they look almost stock. Easy fix for ~$100.

Hard plastic , it goes over the existing one . Not possible to use as a replacement, no screws, no bolts to mount and too flexible to mount as a dash in my opinion .

Yes I have used them & don't glue or silicone them on. They fit nice & snug. It's nice to be able to just pop them off should the need arise.

There's one on my '75 and I'm not too far from you.
If you want to inspect it for yourself, you're welcome to swing by.

I've got one in the ST and you really have to look to see

Pic

Here is a closeup of the texture. Its a bit dirty but you get the drift.

Click to view attachment

Wow - kinda surprised to see the overwhelmingly positive responses here. I have had both a cap and an NOS dash on hand for years, but have not installed either. I bought the cap when dashes were NLA and found the NOS unit before I got around to installing the cap. Knowing that the dash is pretty valuable, I didn't want to install it until the car is nearing its final state, so I have done nothing. I think that I might put that cap on this weekend!

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Now I know I won't be mocked for sporting a cap.
Now I have the confidence to wear my hairpiece too

Click to view attachment

This is my dash cap. It has a more natural leather/vinyl grain pattern. It's 10 years old and still looks good.
Click to view attachment

I have one on my 75. Other than the difference in color between the cap & the ash tray, you can't tell it isn't stock.

The dash cap looks much more natural than your piece.

I did not know these were available NEW ............. how much are they ??

~$80-120. Usually on ebay.

Good old JCwhitney
http://www.jcwhitney.com/accu-form-dash-ca...id=d1860y1973j1

$68.15

The only thing wrong with them is that the ashtray is too far in when you use one.

So you must pull the ashtray out slightly to make it flush with the cap.

I just order my from jcwhitney only 68.00 free shipping .

Does everyone agree that the caps are all the same no matter where you choose to order? $68 from JC Whitney sounds like a great deal to solve a problem all 914 owners have at some point!

I do. I bought floor mats once, they came from a reputable mfg. Probably only one company making them.

Hell Yes! Thanks for that link.

Sooo..... Ashtray delete.....
I think it's been done.
Anyone? Or....
I guess there's a market for Elliot to make a miniature ashtray cover the same thickness as the dashcap. Think of it.
Gold....

Done . . . . but NOT with a cap.

I have one in my car and I love it, you wouldnt believe how bad the dash looks underneath. and i also keep the ashtray pulled out 1/8 inch to keep it flush.

I had mine recovered in vinyl, and we omitted the ashtray.

Nooooooooooo... really?

I've had bad experience with caps. Maybe it's the Planet Utah heat.

Here's the recover process. Not to difficult. I've yet to do one but I watched (and slept in a Holiday Inn Express with Scotty b one night):

Fill cracks with Mar-Glass. DA entire surface. Spray with uber good quality contact adhesive. Start stretching the vinyl. The pod is obviously the toughest place.

I got mine today from jcwhitney it was damage by ups .it does look good in the car.know I have to wait another week.that sucks

Please get us some shots of the JC unit. I am intrigued

Just send my back to jc .i have to way till next week.but it looks good

Hey, just put some rubber stops or cabinet pads behind the ashtray till it closes flush. Problem solved. I just tore off a badly covered dash, it fell to pieces when i removed it as it was probably 20 years old.. The cover wasn't fitted very well but if fooled me for about 3 weeks.

I have this great Idea of covering the dash and console in mole skin with large stitching (Like modern dashes in Aston Martins) Bet I could find a material that wouldn't be too expensive and it would look smart too