Carbon interior
 

Hey has anyone done a full carbon interior before? I’m sending out my center console and the middle dash plastics(radio surround climate surround) I’m also changing the shift knob and boot. Should I do more plastics in the car than that like near the door handles or vents? Or would that be too much. Attaching example pics of what I’m doing

Over the years I've gathered up all the factory carbon pieces that were offered for the Boxster (and there's a bunch). Basically, every black piece of interior trim can be found in CF.

I've discovered several things - first, they tend to fade and get dull over time with exposure to the sun, and second, some (dash end caps) tend to split and separate, again from sun exposure.

I have one specific car, a base 2000 model in Arctic Silver and Boxster Red that I have pretty well loaded with everything. I do tend to think it's too much.

With several of my cars I've gone with a CF steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake, with 987 Boxster CF door sill covers. Those pieces give a nice splash of CF without being overdone.

Where are you sending your pieces to get the work done?

Yes I’m sending out the parts I said I was doing. I didn’t want to go overboard that’s why I didn’t decide to send door parts or vents. My steering wheel will be suede to match the shift boot so no carbon there either just too expensive

It's really up to you. Some will like it, others wont. One thing I always have in my mind is resale no matter what car I am working on. Personally for me, CF just doesnt look good in any car. Never been a fan of how it looks. Just looks like gray fiberglass mat to me. But again, it's your car, do what makes you happy with it not a bunch of people on the internet.

I normally wouldn’t do this type of change but my plastics are peeling and looking faded. I don’t really want to spray paint everything so I’m doing the carbon, 200$ out the door is a good price to see if I like it.

Speaking of interior anyone know a good way to restore this plastic fade on the hvac?

Plastidip!

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Idk about you but idk if I would want to plasti dip around the AC and heating controls

Have you thought about dying it? Here's what I did to mu center console, I'm happy with the results:

986 Forum - for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - Search Results

Click on the "dyed my plastic interior parts" in search results. It's the only way I know to send you directly to my post.

Wipe it down with mineral oil.

You can dismamtle the ac unit quite easily, paint the face plate, and then reassemble

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What’s everyone think of this interior? Minus the steering wheel. Specially the alcantera lower dash. I would like the alcantera gauge cover but that seams hard to do with the seam

The whole thing just look like chaos. Too much going on, different material, colors, textures. Just looks like things are out of place. Take the ashtray cover. It stands out cause it isn't wrapped also. Nothing really complements the pieces next to ir or around it.

But to each his own

Yup. What Sti-986 says. And absolutely not to pick on you at all, but there is waaaay too much going on in that interior.

You're using at least five (that I can see) different interior themes.
Carbon Fiber
Alcantara
Yellow trim
Silver (aluminum look) trim
Whatever you're doing with the diamond pattern on the seats

It all screams 17 year old kid with his moms credit card at the accessory row at AutoZone. If you're a 17 year old kid, I'll give you a pass. But otherwise it's way too much.

Since you asked, here's my thoughts...
Get rid of anything yellow in the interior.
The diamond stitch in the seat? Nah. It's just another distraction that doesn't fit in.
If you're gung-ho on the Alcantara, the diamond pattern is especially distracting. One or the other. Not both.
Too much carbon fiber that is too much a contrast with the rest of the "upgrades".

Trying to put a good looking interior together is tough. It's too easy to go way overboard. The ones I see that look best to my jaded eye are usually no more than a primary theme (like leather) and something that compliments it in lesser amounts, like maybe a bit of alcantara, or carbon fiber, or a touch of color - like yellow thread on black leather.
If you're going to try contrast with material, again two - the leather, alcantara, diamond patterns, floor mats are all too much mismatch.
Your eyes should flow through the interior, not jump from thing to thing.

I'm sure I'm too much of a Porsche traditionalist, but it looks like your trying too hard to mix custom mods that I'd see on an Asian market tuner car into the more traditional interior of a Porsche. I think with what you're trying to do, less is more.

But like we say around here - it's your car - you do you. :cheers:

I agree on too much going on. I like the yellow stitching alittle but diamond pattern is a no for me my seats will stay stock. Stock floor mats. I 100% wanted a carbon center console and radio surrounds since mine is faded and has to be repainted it was that or attempt to repaint black but that’s my backup I think the alcantera looks nice on shift boot and the parts along where your leg sits on center console just not ash tray. I’m just on fence with lower dash since it’s on the fence of just too much but I have so much left over fabric that’s why I asked opinions. I’m not trying to pimp my ride just reviving old parts but in an experimental way

There's nothing wrong with experimenting, that's the only way you can see what actually works and doesn't work.

I'm working on the interior for one of my projects now. It's Metropol Blue - a dark navy blue, almost black. I'm integrating plaid inserts on the seats. Plaid inserts are very traditional Porsche material in the 70s-80s.

The challenge I'm facing is to integrate anything else. I have alcantara GT3 seats - nope. Alcantara doesn't work against the navy leather. I've tried using Boxster Red with the blue. The colors look good together, but I haven't figured out how to make them work in harmony in the interior. You can't just pull a blue trim piece and replace it with a red one. I have some carbon fiber pieces - nope. It starts to make everything busy looking.

So I feel your pain. You just have to try it and see what works and doesn't work and go from there.

This doesn't always work, but it could give you some ideas. If you have a friend who is good with photoshop have them do some mock ups.. It's beyond my PS skills, but if someone is good in PS it would be easy for them to recolor, carbon fiber, etc things in pictures to give you some ideas at least.

Current state, still need to fix up the shift knob and boot

Not my taste but I will say this....

You have done a great job so far. Too many times I see people do things like this and they dont take the time to align things. You did great with making sure the lines matched up.

The one down side to doing things like this...it really shows the things that really need to be done too, they stand out so much more.

But, good job so far. All that matters really is what you think.

So what stands out to you now? i am open to suggestions, the entire carbon job was only 150$ so if i dont like it in the future i can repaint a nice OEM black. I did order a new alcantera shift boot to match the rest and a new aftermarket shift ball out the door for 30$ its crazy what the other knobs are going for. I am not the biggest fan of the ball shifter i think itl look out of place but i cant justify 300$ new shift knob

Things like the buttons (convertible top button), shifter, ebrake, hvac console. The carbon just makes the oem items stand out cause they are glossier (is that a word?).

It is a hard thing to do with so many different pieces and tones. It's the photographer in me that notices it. Dash being a matt finish, switches being glossy, other parts scratched, different materials, etc.

Again, it isn't my taste, but I do think you have done a good job at what you have done so far.

Ahhh, you've suffered from the dreaded fate of warped carbon fiber wrap! I agree that I think you've done a very nice job. CF wrap is hard as **************** to do on curved surfaces and not have distortion of the pattern.

For the shifter, is easy to adapt aftermarket jdm shifters (including weighted shifters which are really nice feeling) to our shift blade. You need only a good dremel or drill bit that is 3/8" to elongated the channel on the shift knob to an oval. It takes about 10 minutes to do. I have done it on 2 knobs and love them. I don't have a boot anymore but it wouldn't be hard to for the leather to the underside of the shifter knob after it's been installed.

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Its actualy hydrodipped and clearcoated so it wont fade in the sun, and i did buy a ball shifter i just have to cut it up to fit, its black with color match yellow pattern. just waiting for my shift boot to come in, first one was defective

The cf is hydrodipped? Did you diy or have someone else do that for you?

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I had a local guy who normally does hardhats and guns do it. way cheaper than vinyl wrapping and its consistant no folds or cuts like vinyl, up close it actually looks like real carbon since its dipped and clearcoated it has some depth 200$.and lifetime warranty

Just finished boot and knob

I think you should use carbon fiber for that. I've found a 991 GT3 carbon fiber at RSC that's are looking very good to me. Hope will try next month

Where did you get this done? Would love to get my center done