Bucket Seat Skirt Repair - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:05 AM

I bought a "well used" set of 71-72 bucket seats with all the brackets from a swap meet for a really good price. I knew they would need repair, so I decided to tackle it. I thought I'd post some of the process pics incase they could be useful to anyone trying this themselves.

Here's some pics of what I started with. The frame on the left has already been stripped and blasted. The frame on the right, well... needed a bit more work

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:06 AM

The first process was to drill/grind out the spot welds to remove the skirts. Once I got them off, I made a template based on the original so I could make a couple of new ones.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:06 AM

Once I got the sides made, I fit them up with clecos while I made the front. The front is a little more involved.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:08 AM

I made a straight piece the same height as the sides and wrapped it around and fastened it using clecos also.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:09 AM

Then I made a pie cut on each side in order to get the proper angle on the front piece. The measurements in the pics are very crude, but luckily you don’t have to be exact on this.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:12 AM

So then I needed a filler on the bottom to make the front match with the sides. So I bent up another piece of sheetmetal to fill the gap and welded it to the bottom of the front. Here’s some pics of the three pieces by themselves.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:12 AM

Then I fitted them all back on and spot welded them to the frame.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:13 AM

The next step was to make some hoops to attach the hog rings to for the upholstery. I cut some sinuous springs and welded them on the inside in approximately the same place as the original hoops.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:14 AM

Then I cut some seat springs and painted the frame and skirts. Now they’re off to the upholstery guy and I’ll post some finished pics when I get them back.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 11:20 AM

Hopefully this will help anyone that is thinking about giving it a shot. It's not really hardcore metal work, so anyone with a welder and some time could do it.

Plus it'll be covered in the end, so it's good practice for anyone just starting out.

Good luck!

BB72CHEVKT · 12-04-2012, 11:39 AM

They look great. I have a pair with bad skirts but do not have those skills.

**Classic Heartbeat** · 12-04-2012, 01:05 PM

Great job! and Great wright up. Hopefully this will save a few bucket seats in the future.

WES

BMERDOC · 12-04-2012, 01:12 PM

Nice job! Really good work. I think its the first time I've seen someone post seat repairs even though I've heard about so many that needed repair.

LUCKTRUCK · 12-04-2012, 02:11 PM

Good Job!

It's great to see people saving parts that would most likely otherwise end up in the trash.

With good quality original truck parts getting hard to find, we need to salvage what we can. Not only parts but trucks too.

If you do not have the skills, try it anyway. You will gain the skills.

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUCKTRUCK

Good Job!

It's great to see people saving parts that would most likely otherwise end up in the trash.

With good quality original truck parts getting hard to find, we need to salvage what we can. Not only parts but trucks too.

If you do not have the skills, try it anyway. You will gain the skills.

Yep I agree. It's always nice to reuse old GM parts, especially since they don't reproduce these seat frames yet.

**special-K** · 12-04-2012, 10:07 PM

This is an excellent thread for FAQ. Thanks for sharing. What a great contribution to the site.

midniteblues · 12-04-2012, 10:29 PM

give yourself a big pat on the back that was nice work! I'll be looking forward to seeing the final product

**29od1** · 12-04-2012, 10:55 PM

Thanks guys for all the compliments! It's always nice to share work and ideas with fellow enthusiasts.

BMERDOC · 12-20-2012, 11:36 PM

I bought a pair of buckets tonight that are a little crusty. I'm gonna pull the foams off and see what I can do with them. Thanks for the walk through!

**29od1** · 01-23-2013, 08:56 AM

I got my seats back from the upholstery guy so I wanted to post some pics as promised. They came out as good as I could have imagined.

I got the new vinyl covers from Tim - (Truckseats) and the new seat foams from Frank - (PICKMUP). Both are good guys to deal with and both are vendors on the forum.

**29od1** · 01-23-2013, 08:59 AM

Installed pic.

midniteblues · 01-23-2013, 09:19 AM

[QUOTE=midniteblues;5740358]give yourself a big pat on the back that was nice work!

do it again and say atta boy!! they look factory fresh! and ready for another forty yrs.

if you wouldnt of had the photos too prove most people wouldnt believe what you started with.

**cericd** · 01-23-2013, 10:21 AM

Wow. Those look terriffic. Congrats on a job well done.

**Cash3481** · 01-23-2013, 10:25 AM

David,

What great, quality work, you produce there my friend.
I appreciate all the assistance you gave me doing my seats as well!
Although it took a while for you to get them back from the upholestery guy... it was worth the wait. Thanks for contributing to the board.

Mike

teeitup · 01-23-2013, 01:20 PM

SWEET David, you did AWESOME!!!!!

12-04-2012, 11:05 AM	#1
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Bucket Seat Skirt Repair I bought a "well used" set of 71-72 bucket seats with all the brackets from a swap meet for a really good price. I knew they would need repair, so I decided to tackle it. I thought I'd post some of the process pics incase they could be useful to anyone trying this themselves. Here's some pics of what I started with. The frame on the left has already been stripped and blasted. The frame on the right, well... needed a bit more work Attached Images Last edited by 29od1; 12-04-2012 at 10:47 PM.

12-04-2012, 11:06 AM	#2
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair The first process was to drill/grind out the spot welds to remove the skirts. Once I got them off, I made a template based on the original so I could make a couple of new ones. Attached Images

12-04-2012, 11:06 AM	#3
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Once I got the sides made, I fit them up with clecos while I made the front. The front is a little more involved. Attached Images

12-04-2012, 11:08 AM	#4
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair I made a straight piece the same height as the sides and wrapped it around and fastened it using clecos also. Attached Images Last edited by 29od1; 12-04-2012 at 10:50 PM.

12-04-2012, 11:09 AM	#5
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Then I made a pie cut on each side in order to get the proper angle on the front piece. The measurements in the pics are very crude, but luckily you don’t have to be exact on this. Attached Images

12-04-2012, 11:12 AM	#6
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair So then I needed a filler on the bottom to make the front match with the sides. So I bent up another piece of sheetmetal to fill the gap and welded it to the bottom of the front. Here’s some pics of the three pieces by themselves. Attached Images Last edited by 29od1; 12-04-2012 at 01:31 PM.

12-04-2012, 11:13 AM	#8
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair The next step was to make some hoops to attach the hog rings to for the upholstery. I cut some sinuous springs and welded them on the inside in approximately the same place as the original hoops. Attached Images

12-04-2012, 11:14 AM	#9
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Then I cut some seat springs and painted the frame and skirts. Now they’re off to the upholstery guy and I’ll post some finished pics when I get them back. Attached Images

12-04-2012, 11:20 AM	#10
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Hopefully this will help anyone that is thinking about giving it a shot. It's not really hardcore metal work, so anyone with a welder and some time could do it. Plus it'll be covered in the end, so it's good practice for anyone just starting out. Good luck!

12-04-2012, 11:39 AM	#11
BB72CHEVKT Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hideaway, TX Posts: 4,950	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair They look great. I have a pair with bad skirts but do not have those skills. __________________ 71 Suburban 350/700R4 Project Trixie 72 CHEVY,Highlander,SWB,396,T400

12-04-2012, 01:05 PM	#12
Classic Heartbeat Project Junkie! Fishing Poor!! Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Olympia,Wa. 98512 Posts: 10,766	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Great job! and Great wright up. Hopefully this will save a few bucket seats in the future. WES __________________ On-line catolog Classic Heartbeat Pickup Parts WEHEPP@comcast.net Call us Toll Free (888) 338-2502 Like Us on Facebook No appointment necessary. 72 BB Chevy Custom Deluxe / Custom Camper 67 I-6 (Soon to be 5.7 LS1) Panel 68 BB Chevy Short Bed 72 6.0 LQ9 Short Bed Chevy 4X4 Olympia's fastest growing truck parts supplier. Olympia's home for Wayward Chevys

12-04-2012, 01:12 PM	#13
BMERDOC Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Richmond,Va Posts: 2,934	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Nice job! Really good work. I think its the first time I've seen someone post seat repairs even though I've heard about so many that needed repair. __________________ Nick Carter 1967 C10 Short bed Fleetside Project Cheap Thrills! 2WD C10 Modern/Performance Alignments Easiest Alignment Ever!

12-04-2012, 02:11 PM	#14
LUCKTRUCK Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: new jersey Posts: 610	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Good Job! It's great to see people saving parts that would most likely otherwise end up in the trash. With good quality original truck parts getting hard to find, we need to salvage what we can. Not only parts but trucks too. If you do not have the skills, try it anyway. You will gain the skills. __________________ LUCKTRUCK

12-04-2012, 10:07 PM	#16
special-K Special Order Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 85,851	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair This is an excellent thread for FAQ. Thanks for sharing. What a great contribution to the site. __________________ "BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~

12-04-2012, 10:29 PM	#17
midniteblues Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: strausstown pa Posts: 3,394	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair give yourself a big pat on the back that was nice work! I'll be looking forward to seeing the final product __________________ 81 camaro 355 4/spd 342 posi my first love. 67 swb step 454/4spd ott 373 posi 4/7 drop. 2000 s10 zr2 little blue truck that never gets stuck. '74 heald super bronc vt8. tecumseh powered moon rover.



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12-04-2012, 10:55 PM	#18
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Thanks guys for all the compliments! It's always nice to share work and ideas with fellow enthusiasts.

12-20-2012, 11:36 PM	#19
BMERDOC Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Richmond,Va Posts: 2,934	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair I bought a pair of buckets tonight that are a little crusty. I'm gonna pull the foams off and see what I can do with them. Thanks for the walk through! __________________ Nick Carter 1967 C10 Short bed Fleetside Project Cheap Thrills! 2WD C10 Modern/Performance Alignments Easiest Alignment Ever!

01-23-2013, 08:56 AM	#20
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair I got my seats back from the upholstery guy so I wanted to post some pics as promised. They came out as good as I could have imagined. I got the new vinyl covers from Tim - (Truckseats) and the new seat foams from Frank - (PICKMUP). Both are good guys to deal with and both are vendors on the forum. Attached Images

01-23-2013, 08:59 AM	#21
29od1 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 1,050	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Installed pic. Attached Images

01-23-2013, 09:19 AM	#22
midniteblues Registered User Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: strausstown pa Posts: 3,394	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair [QUOTE=midniteblues;5740358]give yourself a big pat on the back that was nice work! do it again and say atta boy!! they look factory fresh! and ready for another forty yrs. if you wouldnt of had the photos too prove most people wouldnt believe what you started with. __________________ 81 camaro 355 4/spd 342 posi my first love. 67 swb step 454/4spd ott 373 posi 4/7 drop. 2000 s10 zr2 little blue truck that never gets stuck. '74 heald super bronc vt8. tecumseh powered moon rover.

01-23-2013, 10:21 AM	#23
cericd Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Texan, back in TX Posts: 2,155	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair Wow. Those look terriffic. Congrats on a job well done.

01-23-2013, 10:25 AM	#24
Cash3481 Loves all GMC trucks Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Columbia Mo Posts: 4,435	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair David, What great, quality work, you produce there my friend. I appreciate all the assistance you gave me doing my seats as well! Although it took a while for you to get them back from the upholestery guy... it was worth the wait. Thanks for contributing to the board. Mike

01-23-2013, 01:20 PM	#25
teeitup Just like to part out trucks!! Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Meriden, Ks-North of Topeka 10 miles Posts: 27,395	Re: Bucket Seat Skirt Repair SWEET David, you did AWESOME!!!!! __________________ 67 Chev swb stepside 4x4 283 4 speed SOLD 72 blazer 4x4 4 speed Cheyenne 72 GMC swb 4x4 fleet 4 speed, original paint 1958 Cameo (one of 1405 built, it was my dads) 2020 chevy Apex 4x4 crew cab 1969 Z28 with the 302 1980 chevy swb 4x4 1964 chevell Malibu SS 1976 K20, sold new originally out of my dads chevy dealership Members that I've met, over 200 probably closer to 300 in the 12 years I've been on this site, everyone I met "It was a pleasure"

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