Buddy Bucket Frustration

[C10_ustacould]

So, I went to a local upholstery shop to get a quote on assembling my buddy buckets, what a shocker! The frames have been blasted and painted, and I have new foams and covers... The guy wants $600 to $700 just to assemble the seats! I called a few other places and they all said they were backed up at least 2 months, and one place said bring them next winter. So, I guess I am going to buy some hog ring pliers and hog rings and see what happens, should be interesting to say the least!

[Tuff Gong]

Let me know how they turn out. I'm thinking of doing the same thing when I order my covers. $600 is out of line just to put the covers on if you ask me. Do you have to still put the new foam on the frame?
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[C10_ustacould]

I was figuring $150 maybe $200, but not $600! lol Almost crapped myself when he said it. My foams are still in the boxes, but they just slide on there not rocket science. Th part I am worried about is getting the covers on tight and straight, and not ruining the covers by hog ringing them incorrectly. I'll keep you informed of how it goes.

[Southcity]

If you are able, place the covers in the sun for awhile to soften them up, easier to apply them this way. Hope you can post some pics along the way and good luck!

[chevypoint]

You should be fine, its not that hard. Put your covers out in the sun for a hour or so to make them more ply-able. Then slide them over the foam and start pulling them tight with the hog rings. Here is a video I found that shows the basic steps to recover a seat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk_a41hEoFQ&feature...

[Sammy]

Sounds high priced. Around here to just pull a cover is about $75 n for buckets is $150. For double that to have a custom cover done. Guess there they are not needing work around here some are still hurting for cash. Yes, and turn around time is a about week too.
Good luck.

[OhioDan]

Got mine done for $300.00 . Took about a week. I thought the price was great? But what do I know?

[C10_ustacould]

Originally Posted by OhioDan

Got mine done for $300.00 . Took about a week. I thought the price was great? But what do I know?

You know enough! They look great!

[leddzepp]

I had new foam, new covers made and installed, frame detailed, etc. Show quality seats. $500, and am very happy with how the shop did them.

[ole dollor]

OhioDan those seats look great, can you tell me what they came out of. ole dollar needs new seats,and i thought about going the bucket seat route . i need something that has a thin back and a comfortable bottom. the thin back would give me more room between the seat and steering wheel.

[ole dollor]

BucksSS, i know what you are talking about on the price of recovering seats, it looks like the price has gone sky high, i priced a bench seat in ole dollar, and it was about $500.00 , like you i almost fell over. i know things are getting high, but that much for a bench seat + the material DANG....

[OhioDan]

ole dollor

To be appsolutely honest, I don't know what my seats are out of. Bought them at "Cars and Parts" swap meet here in Springfield,Ohio a couple of years ago. I think they're out of a Dodge? Had them recovered and the frame blasted and painted. Guess what, they're not Dodge seats anymore. They're GMC seats now.

[MrSchaeferPants]

Man, around $600 just seems ridiculous, and if other shops are backed up, I guess it's just a niche profession that allows them to charge whatever they want. All that work that was already done and they just had to assemble and cover, so 1-2 hundred in material to cover, shop supplies, and what 400 in labor for probably an hour or two of work? Maybe this is a profession I need to get into

[C10_ustacould]

Originally Posted by MrSchaeferPants

Man, around $600 just seems ridiculous, and if other shops are backed up, I guess it's just a niche profession that allows them to charge whatever they want. All that work that was already done and they just had to assemble and cover, so 1-2 hundred in material to cover, shop supplies, and what 400 in labor for probably an hour or two of work? Maybe this is a profession I need to get into

I already have the covers, new foam, and the frames have been blasted and painted. All they need to do is assemble them... just some muscle and hog rings! lol I thought it was ridiculous! I talked to a shop in near by Pensacola and they said $50 per hour and should take no more than 4 to 5 hours, so that is $200 to $250. I think I can stomach that.

[MrSchaeferPants]

Oh ya I must have missed that. Jebus man. Maybe when the time comes I won't redo my buddy buckets, just sell them and put the money towards some buckets, and I can fab my own console.

[CG]

You really should do it yourself. I did my first set a couple of years ago. Just checked out a few threads showing how people did it. Went down to the Co-Op (farm store) and picked up a hog ring pliers and a box of hog rings. Waited for a sunny day and did it out in my drive way. Its definitely not rocket science, and when you are done you can say you did it your self and you have one more skill under your belt.

Now if you had to make the covers yourself from scratch I can see the problem.

[shawno72]

I had these done for $300 out the door. I am lucky enough to have a friend that does powder coating so that I got done for free. Ask Too Much Stuff about these, my same guy did them for him and he installed them himself.

[cdowns]

i've seen plenty of tradesmen who resent the hell out of people coming to them furnishing thier own parts wantin them installed when they are tryin make a living at by selling those parts. so they jack thier prices sky high to compensate for you screwin them out of thier profits

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by cdowns

i've seen plenty of tradesmen who resent the hell out of people coming to them furnishing thier own parts wantin them installed when they are tryin make a living at by selling those parts. so they jack thier prices sky high to compensate for you screwin them out of thier profits

I have seen that as well.

[C10_ustacould]

Originally Posted by cdowns

i've seen plenty of tradesmen who resent the hell out of people coming to them furnishing thier own parts wantin them installed when they are tryin make a living at by selling those parts. so they jack thier prices sky high to compensate for you screwin them out of thier profits

@cdowns - are saying you feel I screwed my local business owner by buying a product that he is incapable of replicating? Or are you saying that he probably feels this way?

I wanted factory correct '68 covers (material and style) for my truck and I don't know of any local shops that can provide that service. However, board member "truckseats" can, and at an affordable price, so I went with him. Seems to me that any amount of work that yields a profit would be a good thing, and that the profit margin should not change based on parts being provided. Just my opinion.

[cdowns]

i am simply saying that is the way many tradesmen feel about customers supplying thier own parts
many have the feeling that they want to do the whole job parts and labor from thier shop


did you ask this upholstery guy his feelings and policys before purchasing and supplying parts??

[CG]

Originally Posted by cdowns

i am simply saying that is the way many tradesmen feel about customers supplying thier own parts
many have the feeling that they want to do the whole job parts and labor from thier shop


did you ask this upholstery guy his feelings and policys before purchasing and supplying parts??

I understand what you are getting at with this. Im in the copier printer business and sometimes people buy parts and ask us to install them. If I put the parts in and I didn't supply them, and there is a problem with the part down the road they will come after me even though it was a problem with the part not the install.

Plus we like to make a little money on the part itself =)

[68shortstep]

CDowns is pretty much right.

Years ago, before I got all this gray hair, I used to install vinyl siding, among other things, & had one of the two or three largest remodelling companies in the area.

For an example, the siding I used I paid about $ 55 - 60 a square wholesale for, plus the (expensive) accessories. Could buy the cheap $$$ cr@p product at lumber yards all day long for $ 32 - 35.

People would say: "I'll provide the siding, & you just have your guys install it......"

My reply was usually something like: "No problem; my materials & my labor, the job is (an example) $ 3500. Plus you get a warranty on the workmanship. Your materials & my labor, the job is $ 3500, and no workmanship warranty. You decide."

I wasn't angry ......... I just didn't want the hassle & added liability exposure, & a possibly sorry-looking job upon completion (& the damage to my reputation) from using the cheap stuff.

Can't remember of even one homeowner who saw the logic in using "his materials."

[long69]

like it or not your describing a little known trait as greed, plain and simple.

[leddzepp]

Normally I would just have an upholstery shop do everything. But if you want the factory patterned scroll seatcovers, they cannot make those, and you have to supply them. I went with houndstooth inserts on my seats beacuse the shop could make those from scratch.