can I get my binnacle recovered? options?

[91 zeee]

I've searched the forums here and the internet and cannot find where anyone recovers binnacles. Looks like there has been talk in recent years that DMC would build reproductions, but I don't see those either. Anyway, mine is cracked pretty bad, what are my options?

[Chris 16409]

Call DMC direct. They can recover it for you. DMC Midwest is a good option. There is an OEM binnacle on eBay currently.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/132040298361

[PJ Grady Inc.]

We also recover binnacles. You can see them here https://www.pjgrady.com/product/%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BFbinnacle-instrument-cluster-housing/
rob

[rickjames8]

My binnacle is grey, with no leather. It was like that when I bought the car, and it looks quite normal. Is this an aftermarket binnacle, or did someone remove the leather and just leave it bare? Either way, I think it looks really good.

[David T]

My binnacle is grey, with no leather. It was like that when I bought the car, and it looks quite normal. Is this an aftermarket binnacle, or did someone remove the leather and just leave it bare? Either way, I think it looks really good.

There was a similar thread not too long ago. Just Dashes can do it but they are not cheap.

[sdg3205]

There was a similar thread not too long ago. Just Dashes can do it but they are not cheap.

Just dashes will only do all three (glove box, dash and binnacle) and will charge you a mix fee for the grey. I have no idea how they don't have the code saved on file. They must assume every car is slightly different. Looking at around $3,000 for all three recovered. They actually strip and rebuild, it's not a straight recover.

[louielouie2000]

My binnacle is grey, with no leather. It was like that when I bought the car, and it looks quite normal. Is this an aftermarket binnacle, or did someone remove the leather and just leave it bare? Either way, I think it looks really good.

99% of DeLoreans came from the factory with plastic binnacles. (Except a few very early cars that had stitched binnacles and plastic steering wheels). It is only after the binnacles crack due to sunlight and heat exposure that some owners chose to cover their binnacles in leather or Naugahyde. This only became a commonplace fix about 15 years ago when the New Old Stock supply of binnacles was depleted. If you still have an original uncracked plastic binnacle consider yourself fortunate!

[sdg3205]

If you still have an original uncracked plastic binnacle consider yourself fortunate!

And protect it.

[Lou and "Boo"]

Try Russ88ttop over on Fiero.nl (pennocks
Fiero forum) he repaired and covered mine for about $100 shipped. Awesome Job :)

[91 zeee]

don't know why I had suck a hard time finding anything... this info helps a lot! Looks like I have some options now. Thanks!

[steve]

91 zeee Their is somebody in Richmond. Mine was done 1.5 year ago and probably the best I have seen for the recovered versions. Her Shop is in Mechaniscville.

My car Ashland at present and you are welcome to inspect. Price was about $125.00 done in black.

Steve

[rickjames8]

And protect it.

Standard Armor-All, or is there something better?

[NJP548]

We also recover binnacles. You can see them here https://www.pjgrady.com/product/%EF%BB%BF%EF%BB%BFbinnacle-instrument-cluster-housing/
rob

I saw these in person last month. I can attest to how great they look!

-Nick Pitello
16377

[louielouie2000]

Standard Armor-All, or is there something better?

The best thing you can do for your interior is to keep it out of direct sunlight and ensure heat does not build up inside the cabin. Use a sun shade and/or a car cover any time the car is going to be sitting under the hot sun for any period of time. Chemical sprays tend to just make your interior shiny and sticky.

[Iznodmad]

Call DMC direct. They can recover it for you. DMC Midwest is a good option. There is an OEM binnacle on eBay currently.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/132040298361

That eBay one is the same one that Ed B sold about a year or two ago on eBay. The photos are exactly the same as when he had it for sale. It has damage on the front and back edge and is far from a perfect specimine, despite being advertised as new condition. Just sold for $1280.

[Rich_NYS]

I'm genuinely interested to know why someone would pay 1280 for a NOS binnacle.

[David T]

I'm genuinely interested to know why someone would pay 1280 for a NOS binnacle.

Possibly the seller (under another assumed name) to try to get the price jacked up and wound up having to buy it!

[Rich_NYS]

Possibly the seller (under another assumed name) to try to get the price jacked up and wound up having to buy it!

That seems like the most logical explanation.

[louielouie2000]

I'm genuinely interested to know why someone would pay 1280 for a NOS binnacle.

If I had a very nice original DeLorean with a cracked binnacle I'd have no reservations splurging on a NOS binnacle. It's a centerpiece of the DeLorean interior- any time you are in your car it's in your direct line of sight. As Darren Decker would say, it's a cosmetic fetish. The recovered binnacles all have their pluses and minuses. Each vendor gets one part of the original look right while sacrificing another aspect.

For instance, the DMC vendors recovered binnacles utilize beautiful quality leather and gorgeous contrasting stitching, but they cover over the black insert that surrounds the gauge cluster. For me personally, I'd rather hold out and save my pennies to make sure my car looked correct. Everyone has their own priorities with their cars, though. I get the EFI people just as equally as the carb people and the concours folks as well. We all enjoy these cars in our own ways.

[Rich_NYS]

If I had a very nice original DeLorean with a cracked binnacle I'd have no reservations splurging on a NOS binnacle. It's a centerpiece of the DeLorean interior- any time you are in your car it's in your direct line of sight. As Darren Decker would say, it's a cosmetic fetish. The recovered binnacles all have their pluses and minuses. Each vendor gets one part of the original look right while sacrificing another aspect.

For instance, the DMC vendors recovered binnacles utilize beautiful quality leather and gorgeous contrasting stitching, but they cover over the black insert that surrounds the gauge cluster. For me personally, I'd rather hold out and save my pennies to make sure my car looked correct. Everyone has their own priorities with their cars, though. I get the EFI people just as equally as the carb people and the concours folks as well. We all enjoy these cars in our own ways.


I totally understand why someone would want a NOS binnacle, I just don't get why they'd pay $1280 for it.

IMO, paying that much would be unnecessary and poor risk-management. Unnecessary because I think NOS binnacles sell for less, poor risk-management because it's [what might be] one of the most prone-to-fail parts on the car. For half that cost, I've seen repaired/reinforced binnacles that might be indistinguishable from NOS....for <$300 I think I personally can repair/restore one that's indistinguishable from NOS.

If it has been determined that a NOS binnacle can be "preserved," I'd be able to make more sense of that price tag.

[Col Bennett]

If I had a very nice original DeLorean with a cracked binnacle I'd have no reservations splurging on a NOS binnacle. It's a centerpiece of the DeLorean interior- any time you are in your car it's in your direct line of sight. As Darren Decker would say, it's a cosmetic fetish. The recovered binnacles all have their pluses and minuses. Each vendor gets one part of the original look right while sacrificing another aspect.

For instance, the DMC vendors recovered binnacles utilize beautiful quality leather and gorgeous contrasting stitching, but they cover over the black insert that surrounds the gauge cluster. For me personally, I'd rather hold out and save my pennies to make sure my car looked correct. Everyone has their own priorities with their cars, though. I get the EFI people just as equally as the carb people and the concours folks as well. We all enjoy these cars in our own ways.

Haha. Exactly.

I'm actually the guy that bought the NOS binnacle on eBay. Goodness, I certainly didn't expect to spend so much on it, but I knew I had to go all-in if I was going to win the auction as there were a lot of very keen bidders. I was initially a little worried about the condition of it as the photos on eBay clearly showed a blemish on the front middle and some rippling at the rear edge. I reached out to the seller and he assured me that it was perfect and sent me some additional (albeit lowres) photos. I threw caution to the wind...

And goodness, I'm glad I did. I unboxed it this morning and it's absolutely flawless. No blemishes or ripples. The whole binnacle is in breath-taking condition. Kinda blew me away. NOS binnacles are as rare as rocking horse poo these days so I don't feel too bad about paying so much to get my interior near-perfect.

The existing orignal binnacle in my car looks great, but it's a hair discolored compared to the rest of the gray interior. I'm going to put my current binnacle up for sale in the next week or so on eBay to try and recoup some of the cost. I'm a little obsessive so I'm sure my existing original gray binnacle will be near-perfect for most people.

Thanks!

[Rich_NYS]

Haha. Exactly.

I'm actually the guy that bought the NOS binnacle on eBay. Goodness, I certainly didn't expect to spend so much on it, but I knew I had to go all-in if I was going to win the auction as there were a lot of very keen bidders. I was initially a little worried about the condition of it as the photos on eBay clearly showed a blemish on the front middle and some rippling at the rear edge. I reached out to the seller and he assured me that it was perfect and sent me some additional (albeit lowres) photos. I threw caution to the wind...

And goodness, I'm glad I did. I unboxed it this morning and it's absolutely flawless. No blemishes or ripples. The whole binnacle is in breath-taking condition. Kinda blew me away. NOS binnacles are as rare as rocking horse poo these days so I don't feel too bad about paying so much to get my interior near-perfect.

The existing orignal binnacle in my car looks great, but it's a hair discolored compared to the rest of the gray interior. I'm going to put my current binnacle up for sale in the next week or so on eBay to try and recoup some of the cost. I'm a little obsessive so I'm sure my existing original gray binnacle will be near-perfect for most people.

Thanks!


Congrats on winning the auction.....post some pics so we can enjoy the view!

[Col Bennett]

Congrats on winning the auction.....post some pics so we can enjoy the view!

Totally. 'll post some photos of it this weekend - standalone and hopefully on the car if I find some time.

[David T]

Totally. 'll post some photos of it this weekend - standalone and hopefully on the car if I find some time.

I can understand your desire to have an NOS binnacle but it is still 30 years old and susceptible to sun damage. In fact, because of it's age it won't take a lot of sun to damage it. Over time the plasticizers in the plastic dry up and the plastic gets brittle. At some point it can't pay to buy even a perfect NOS piece when you can have someone like Just Dashes make you a new one for less out of new materiel that will last longer. As for discolored, a little plastic dye and you can have a new looking interior if it isn't cracked. If you park the car in the sun always use a sunshade but even the heat is no good for the plastic or the foam backing in the headliner materiel. Time is going to catch up eventually with even the best NOS stuff.

[Col Bennett]

I can understand your desire to have an NOS binnacle but it is still 30 years old and susceptible to sun damage. In fact, because of it's age it won't take a lot of sun to damage it. Over time the plasticizers in the plastic dry up and the plastic gets brittle. At some point it can't pay to buy even a perfect NOS piece when you can have someone like Just Dashes make you a new one for less out of new materiel that will last longer. As for discolored, a little plastic dye and you can have a new looking interior if it isn't cracked. If you park the car in the sun always use a sunshade but even the heat is no good for the plastic or the foam backing in the headliner materiel. Time is going to catch up eventually with even the best NOS stuff.

Haha. You're far too sensible.

I'm determined to let nothing take the shine off my lovely new binnacle. Plus, I think it's got more chance of cracking with me over-hugging it at the moment than sunlight. My car is mostly original and as Louie mentioned, for me nothing quite beats an original binnacle. Plus, I've got a custom dash cover and window shade to protect it on sunny/hot days. I'm confident it'll be ok. I might hold on to my existing binnacle as a backup just incase though. Fingers crossed.

:woot:

[MikeWard]

I can understand your desire to have an NOS binnacle but it is still 30 years old and susceptible to sun damage. In fact, because of it's age it won't take a lot of sun to damage it. Over time the plasticizers in the plastic dry up and the plastic gets brittle. At some point it can't pay to buy even a perfect NOS piece when you can have someone like Just Dashes make you a new one for less out of new materiel that will last longer. As for discolored, a little plastic dye and you can have a new looking interior if it isn't cracked. If you park the car in the sun always use a sunshade but even the heat is no good for the plastic or the foam backing in the headliner materiel. Time is going to catch up eventually with even the best NOS stuff.


Haha. You're far too sensible.

I'm determined to let nothing take the shine off my lovely new binnacle. Plus, I think it's got more chance of cracking with me over-hugging it at the moment than sunlight. My car is mostly original and as Louie mentioned, for me nothing quite beats an original binnacle. Plus, I've got a custom dash cover and window shade to protect it on sunny/hot days. I'm confident it'll be ok. I might hold on to my existing binnacle as a backup just incase though. Fingers crossed.

:woot:

https://www.armorall.eu/en/products/protectants/gloss-protectant :thumbup:

[Col Bennett]

https://www.armorall.eu/en/products/protectants/gloss-protectant :thumbup:

Thanks Mike, but doesn't that stuff make your dash look like it's been dipped in baby oil?

[MikeWard]

Sorry, should have linked to the matt version: https://www.armorall.eu/en/products/protectants/semi-matt-protectant