savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Hey all,

Going to put alcantera on my dash I think...have done leather upholstery before to some degree, but I've never done alcantera....can it be worked to contour the curves seen in picture or do pros cut the alcantera into two pieces, stitch, and then glue them down?

I don't sew, so I'm hoping it can be done in one piece?

All help appreciated,

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jv350z

iTrader: (6)

Alcantara

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Thanks, I guess I was losing the war on alcantara......since I can't even spell it.

350Z_Al

I managed to wrap that piece in a fake suede material similar to Alcantara that had very little stretch. I wasn't able to source Alcantara, so I picked this stuff up at a local auto upholstery shop.

If you've got experience wrapping panels, it can definitely be done.

Where are you getting Alcantara from?

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Getting it from an online vendor....there's lots of them, just make sure the roll is 54" wide and the blend ratio is right (see wikipedia), color fastness of 5, that's the real stuff. Anything less wide is a fake (ebay alcanatara for instance).

Love your car by the way. If I only do my dash panels I think I only need half a yard...if you want to split a yard (a little over $100 p/yard) I'd do that with ya. I'm debating wrapping some of my rear hatch panels as well, but that could be the cheaper stuff for what I have in mind. Onyx Black is the black you want...deepest black there is.

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350Z_Al

I've already got a good stockpile of the stuff I used. I think I have another 3-4 yards... This stuff cost me $75 a yard I think.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Ok no worries, just had the thought that if you wanted to redo it in the real fabric that we could go in together to help you out.

Pretty sure I'm going to go ahead and do this, as well as a few more panels, just dependent on some other matters that haven't resolved yet. Otherwise I'll have the time to tackle this.

$75 for the pseudo-alcantara? Is that the material from eBay? If so how do you like it compared to the authentic material? Curious how the richness of the blacks compare, as I saw the eBay material as well, but after seeing real alcantara in person the black is an instant "yep...that's beautiful and what I want"...but out of curiosity I wonder how close the imitation gets just as a matter of learning.

The real stuff on a dash looks its best when theres an overcast day or shadow on the dash..a deep rich black that is a very supple color with a hint of soft texture...in bright sunlight the material looks a little rougher...a little dustier...but it wipes off in a heartbeat, so dust isn't an issue at all. Not sure how the copycat fabrics look regarding lighting and dirt.

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350Z_Al

It's not the eBay stuff, it's from a local upholstery shop. I'm not sure what brand it is, they sourced it for me. As for comparing to Alcantara, I'm not sure, I've never seen the real stuff in person.

dcains

iTrader: (15)

FWIW, one of my Alfa Spider's has genuine (the Italian stuff) on the door panels and the center panels of the seats. It looks and feels very much like suede leather, and isn't stretchy at all, much like real suede. I think just about all of what you see advertised as Alcantara simply isn't, and it's just a textured fuzzy fabric. Fine for what it is, and it's likely better for many applications, but it's very different stuff.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Wow there mr auto awesome...nice to have Spyders and a Z. You're right of course about the "alcantara" on the net....almost all of it is fake, not that that makes it bad per se. Fake truth....bad...fake alcantara...not so bad.

I'm still in sourcing/deciding mode on which fabric to use for the dash, but I really think it's going to be real alcantara. I've got some other wants in terms of other pieces to cover that I'll have to practice with first I think...or learn how to sew. Going to look pretty good though once it's done....in fifty three years.

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