Any Seat Cover Replacement Guidelines?

[Lugnutt]

I just got in my new herringbone seat covers from Athey's and was wondering if there were any videos showing the best way to streatch and attach the new upholstry covers on? I've fixed all the springs and my cushions are in good shape so I'm ready to go. I'm sure I could figure it out eventually (I think) but if I want to do a really good job, I'm sure there are some tips out there from those of you who have done it before.

Please share your experience with me so I can end up with a good install.

Thanks,

[jhaymon]

guideline? get a heat gun and an extra pair of hands. if you have a good ceramic hair dryer that will work without the fear of burning the seats. dont let your wife know. mine almost killed me, but the seats are perfect.

[Lugnutt]

Originally Posted by jhaymon

guideline? get a heat gun and an extra pair of hands. if you have a good ceramic hair dryer that will work without the fear of burning the seats. dont let your wife know. mine almost killed me, but the seats are perfect.

Thanks for the advice. I used clamps to compress the bottom seat cushion while I hog tied it, came out nice and I didn't need heat or extra hands. The seat back was a little tougher. I found that setting it in the sun for a few minutes loosened the naugahyde enough to let it stretch into place. I had both my side springs broken so I ordered zig-zag spring material and made new ones. I also put a layer of 1/8" dense rubber over the lower seat springs before I placed the cushion material down to help tranfer the weight over more springs when I sit on it. I also had to add 1/2" foam to the areas of the seat covers that didn't have the padded herringbone inserts so it all came out flush in the end. It all came out nice. I'll see if I can upload pics if anybody is interested.

[1972RedNeck]

Originally Posted by jhaymon

but the seats are perfect.

That's all that matters.

[bobs409]

I never needed to use any heat with seat covers but maybe I'm the exception. In most cases, I can even pull the fabric with my fingers rather than using any tools. Even those that I added extra padding to didn't require these.

Best advice I can think of is to start in the middle and work outward when installing the hog rings. Occasionally look at the upholstery side checking for any wrinkles. An occasional thump on the upholstery side from your fist can help work it into position.

Another good tip is to make sure all your springs are good. This is the time to fix those so your not sitting 4 inches lower than normal. LOL

I recently did the seat in my wrecker and found a broken spring on the driver side. (typical area from sliding in and out) Got a good used one in a junkyard. I took one from a passenger side so I knew it would be good.

I find reupholstering seats a very rewarding experience! Something that can be done in only a few hours (less once you get practice) and you get to see your work everytime you open the door! I've done many so far; 66 Impala, 72 Chevelle, 66 Chevelle, 71 Chevy truck and lastly the 69 wrecker shown below.

Now car headliners.... I HATE DOING THEM!!!

[jhaymon]

never needed to use any heat with seat covers but maybe I'm the exception. In most cases, I can even pull the fabric with my fingers rather than using any tools. Even those that I added extra padding to didn't require these.

it depends on core material used. i usually cut my own pads because it's so much cheaper and i use a denser foamcore than lmc and yearone uses. i used a brothers reup set on a 48 not too long ago and it was hell, but the foam was super dense.

[cdowns]

i throw seatcovers in the dryer for 5-10minutes b4 trying to install to soften them up

[custom1970]

If you lightly spray the foam with a dry silicone it will allow the material to slide into place pretty good. Try "slapping" it with your hand to move it around. You may also want to add a little Dacron padding to the seats, unless the foam is new it probably has lost some of it's padding. A little dacron (white padding, similar to what a dog crew has inside it) goes a long way. I spray glued a layer over my foam and it made the seat look new. Not sure where to find it, got mine from my dad. BTW, he owned and ran an upholstery shop for over 30 yrs.

[Lugnutt]

great advice my friends, thanks. Everything went well but I did have a minor issue when I attached the seat back to the bottom. There was a gap between the two sections near the ends. I put the whole seat assembly out in the sun for about 10 minutes and massaged the warm fabric until it stretched enough to close the gap. I did apply some dry silicone before I started, but only to the metal frame parts. The dacron sounds like a good idea, wish I would have asked my questions earlier.

I bought my herringbone seat covers from Athey's and I couldn't have asked for a better fit. I would have paid extra though to have them include the 1/2" foam to the back side of the vinyl so it matched thickness with the herringbone inserts. It wasn't hard to do, just a little time consuming running around buying the foam and glue and cutting it to size.

Thanks again for all your input