Seat restoration link?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,993
Likes: 9
From: Gig Harbor WA
Seat restoration link?
Gonna tackle my '72 seats over the holidays. I have new foam and leathers. Plan to disassemble and repaint then rebuild. Is there a step-by-step "how to" somewhere out there?? I have the install kit and plan to get a good set of hog ring pliers. I may have a local shop do the foam/cover install, as I think its a PITA...
Thanks...
Thanks...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 8,575
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From: On an island surrounded by sharks Hawaii
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,305
Likes: 2
From: Lewisburg WV
thegazman
I recovered the seats in my 79 last year. The warmer the leather, the better. I used a hair drier to heat the leather in areas where I needed to stretch it to pull into areas that were tight.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,993
Likes: 9
From: Gig Harbor WA
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,023
Likes: 6
From: Austin Tx
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,993
Likes: 9
From: Gig Harbor WA
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Michael S. Palmer
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 141
Likes: 1
i did my seats this last summer. getting the metal frames right was fairly easy. I had to do a bit of MIG welding on the driver side frame. Putting the seat covers on is just ridiculous. My car is now a daily driver, so the seats are OK, but i would love to have a professional redo them someday, because the job i did is certainly not professional. I followed the link listed here, and it was handy. Still, tough job to do right, and there is ZERO room for error, which if this is your first job you are bound to make some errors.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,993
Likes: 9
From: Gig Harbor WA
i did my seats this last summer. getting the metal frames right was fairly easy. I had to do a bit of MIG welding on the driver side frame. Putting the seat covers on is just ridiculous. My car is now a daily driver, so the seats are OK, but i would love to have a professional redo them someday, because the job i did is certainly not professional. I followed the link listed here, and it was handy. Still, tough job to do right, and there is ZERO room for error, which if this is your first job you are bound to make some errors.
"zero chance of error" exactly what do you mean? Rips/Tears?
Thanks!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,352
Likes: 1
From: Westminster Maryland
I did mine last summer, first time doing anything like it. I was patient, and I sandblasted the frames, repainted them with a por-15 type stuff, then regular black enamel. I took the chrome parts and screws, polished them with a dremel, then painted them with rustoleum clear. The trick is to do one at a time so if you forget how it goes, you have one to look at. Mine came out great. I am now considering painting it myself, so I can say "I did it all" when asked about the restoration.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,900
Likes: 3
From: Nixa Missouri
This might help you decide. Trying to show you a before and transition to the after on my seat rebuild. Take lots of pictures of the rebuild. It helps when you put it all back together.
I had fun rebuilding my seat.
I had fun rebuilding my seat.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 809
Likes: 8
From: brewster NY
Not that hard of a job just takes time. Something that has already been said and can't stress enough is lay the leather and foam in the sun on a really hot day. I put the bottom on a drop cloth on my patio stood on top of the frame(to squeeze all the air out of the foam) and tucked the leather onto the frame. Made it a lot easier. Good luck
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
GPGG70 has done a very nice summary! I can only add that you might consider these reinforcement plates on the bottom frames. They prevent cracking damage in a high-stress area. Willcox has them.
I did not have the gonads to do the job. I paid to have it done.
I did not have the gonads to do the job. I paid to have it done.
Last edited by Paul L; Nov 27, 2008 at 10:17 PM.
