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Topic originally created by Bill Mihalic on February 11, 2012 12:59 AM and viewed 4188 times in the old forum.
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Originally posted by Bill Mihalic on February 11, 2012 12:59 AM
After reading about mouse hair in this forum and FerrariChat, I decided to order material from HVL ("Henk van Lith") in the Netherlands. I did not do a lot of personal shopping around. Based on the web site comments and Mr. van Lith's claim that his material was made using the original machinery and the original craftsman, I went that direction. He also claims that the formulation has been modified to give much higher fade resistance and abrasion resistance.
The shipment arrived a couple days ago, and I'm very pleased with it, although admittedly I don't have a good basis for comparison. The appearance is very much subject to the viewing angle and the light source. If you look at it head on, with ambient light, it looks very black and you do not see the grain. If you look at it at a sharp angle, with the light source in front of you, it has a slight gray-ish tinge and you can clearly see the grain. It took a while to position everythig so the grain would come out in the photo below. My original mouse hair in the area shown is completely "bald."
Mr. van Lith was a pleasure to deal with. All our communication was by e-mail, and he responded to all my questions almost immediately, with text, attachments, etc. I have also been talking to him about interior leather, and he has been equally helpful on that, even contacting Ferrari to confirm which leather my car had originally. His e-mail is [email protected] and his web site is www.carinteriors.nl
The material was not inexpensive, but I wanted originality. Besides, I imagine the installation will be the big cost. I ordered 4 running meters (the roll is 1.4 meters wide), based on Mr. van Lith's estimate. Seems like a lot to me, but we'll see. The price was $162 euros ($210) per meter, and shipping was about the cost of a meter.
I'm not aware of any trim shops in the Detroit area with mouse hair experience. Can anyone tell me -- should a good classic car trim shop be able to handle this job, or does it take special expertise? Also, should I consider doing the dismantling myself and just taking the dash and console pieces to a trim shop?
Regards,
Bill
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Originally posted by Mike Meehan on February 11, 2012 1:36 AM
Hi Bill , I think you made a wise choice as I have heard nothing but positive remarks about the HVL product. Any good trim shop should be able to do the job but make sure they follow the grain directions. The dismantling process is complicated and tedious. I did mine myself along with covering the smaller pieces that did not require stitcing . It was not too difficult .If you are not going to take it apart yourself I would not let my car be the first C4 the person works on. It is not a standard kind of job . Respond if you need help with the disassembly process. Good luck, Mike
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Originally posted by Ian Levy on February 11, 2012 2:10 AM
Hi Bill
I agree with Mike about not letting your C4 be the first that your chosen trimmer undertakes.
The dismantling is a bit of a pain but like Mike, I did it myself & also covered the easy pieces myself.
Looking at your material I would say mine has less grain than yours.
I used Evo-Stik Timebond which is not a contact adhesive but gives a little time to position the pieces .
The trimmer who did the rest of my work also used this adhesive.
If you do it yourself you can check out switches,instruments etc. & you might find stuff in there that needs your attention.
Good luck
Ian L
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Originally posted by Bill Mihalic on February 18, 2012 4:56 AM
Mike and Ian-
Thank you for your good advice. I re-read your exchange of posts from a few months ago, and they will come in very handy when I start the dismantling task.
It would be very helpful, though, if you could tell me the best order of dis-assembly. Which dash or console part comes out first, second, etc.?
Also, does the console "ski-slope" need to be removed in order to remove the shifter boot?
Thanks again.
Regards,
BIll
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Originally posted by Mike Meehan on February 19, 2012 1:58 AM
Hi Bill , good luck on you project. I am sure Ian can correct me if I misspeak. As best as I can remember. Seats out, small pieces under dash and glove box, "A" pillar covers,remove gauges[ note that they have major harness connectors so you do not have to pull each bulb] , side panels, then dash top [ 3 nuts one on each far end and 1 under the cowl\scuttle. I put in a new ski slope so that question did not arise but I think you can do it with a lot of patience. If you are very careful you should be able to remove the decorative grommet on the shift boot and glue it on the new material. Good luck, Mike
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Originally posted by Chuck King on February 19, 2012 1:59 AM
Bill: I have a parts book that shows the console and dash in blown up views if it will help, send me your Email address and I will send you copies. The dash comes apart starting at the cover trim around the emergency brake lever and move foward removing everything to the windshield. Be sure not to force anything, if it does not come apart easily there is probably something still holding it that is hidden. My Email address is ([email protected]) and my web site is www.ferraridoctor.com Chuck KingComment
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