I recently purchased new seat foam, seat covers and install kits for a 1971 Corvette. When I took off my old seat covers they had been "glued" to the foam. No connecting wires had been used from the cover thru the foam to the seat frame.

As a result I do not know which wire size is correct. Does anyone have a chart that shows the wire length that goes thru the foam for each connecting hole. I can estimate but if a wire lenght size chart is available that would really help

Thanks

 

Hi Don,
I've not seen a list as you describe. Perhaps the seat cover installation video from Al Knock would be of some help to you.
Regards,
Alan

 

This for 1972 seats

Avner

 

Very nice diagram well done

 

That's a pretty useful chart, avner.
I think of Romeo Engineering for carpet sets, I didn't think about seat covers.
Regards,
Alan

 

hey do you think they are the same for 71? I'm saving that pic for when I do mine soon..

 

Look on the far right hand side where it says 1970-78 Seat installation Kit.

cc

 

duh.. thanks.. I was wondering what Alan was talking about, Romeo Engineering, I didnt see that either.. its been a long weekend, been in my engine compartment for 3 days..lol

 

The instructions worked perfect, Thanks

Is there a trick to get the s clips onto the bottom edge of the seat cover?

 

This is what I did,
Put the leather and the foam in the sun for 10 to 15 min
Then put down a drop cloth and place the leather face down
Then put the frame on top of the foam
then stand on the outside of the frame, this will compress the foam
Then squat down and tuck the clips in.
It worked for me, honestly i don't no how else to compress the foam.
I liked it better when the foam was shot, I am 6' and felt more comfortable when I sat deeper in the car.
Good Luck

 

How do you get the S Clip onto the edge of the seat material. They are very tight and I do not wnt to tear the fabric or bend the clips open to much. There must be an easy way to get them on?

 

Hi Don,
As I remember I spread the 's' clip a bit with a screwdriver to get it over the lip of the seat cover and then squeezed it closed again once the clip was in place. I think I also started one corner of the clip first and kinda 'wedged' it on at an angle. I didn't try to push it on straight.
Regards,
Alan

 

I find that if you get a pair of needle nose vice-grips and hold the turned out lip of the clip and slip a narrow flatblade screwdriver in the narrow side and pull apart slightley then it will go over the edge of the cover. I spent two hours trying to get the clips on before I tried this and it took 10 min. to do the second seat.
To be clear about this the vice grip will be pointed to the inside of the seat and the screw driver will be handle down-blade inside the clip. I was very upset with the cliips till I did this.

 

If you buy the connecting and listing wire kits from any distributor you can use the chart to see which size goes where.

I just did my seats and if you follow Turbojets advice it will make all the difference in the world. Heat the covers up specially if your using the all leather covers. The object is to compress the foam into the cover not pull or force the cover over the foam. You will for sure tear your cover - I know from experience. A 200 pound helper standing on the frame worked for me. This also helps when installing the S clips.

A final note - the instuctions and videos advise you to use the old worn out seat foam as a templet to make your cuts in your listing cloth - No good. Align your new cover on your foam make sure your good and centered and stick a sharpie through the center holes on the seat bottom and the center holes on the seat back to mark the listing cloth where to cut. Install your center listing and connecting rods. For the rest of the seat insert your listing rods and stick a wire (cut coat hanger) through the holes, keeping the cover as close to the foam as possible and eye up where to make your incision then immediately install your connecting rod.

This will prevent you making too many cuts in your fragile listing material and keep your cover centered and in the correct position on your foam

O.K. this worked for me good luck and be patient.

 

I snap one end of the "S" clips to the the wire that goes on the underneath of the seat cover. Then I tie a long loop of dental floss to the other end of the "S" clip. I do this to all the S clips. Then I feed each dental floss strand through a corresponding hole in the seat foam. I make each dental floss strand about 2 feet long, so its easy to feed each through the foam. Then I place the foam up close to the seat cover and pull the "S" clips up into the foam. Next I lay the seat frame on top of the foam cushion and now pull each S clip through the foam to clip it onto the frame wire. Done this for two pairs of seats.

..........Thanks for the tip about sitting on top of the frame to compress the foam! Never thought about that. On the Al knoch video his worker just uses muscle power in his hands and lower arms to pull the seat covers over the fom. It's a really tight fit and you can see the guy's muscles really ripple out as he manhandles the covers over the new foam. I don't have that much arm power, but I've about 220 pounds of butt power!!!

 

Question(s) for the experts... I recently installed a set of seat covers with new foam from Al Knock (looks really nice). I will say that it was somewhat hard for me to get the seat clips through the foam (the holes were all in the wrong place)... and it was very tight... The clips are also shorter than the ones for the 1971 on the Romeo Engineering Diagram above. Is it normal for the holes in the foam to be incorrect for the clips? Also, are the clips for the 1969 seat indeed shorter than the 1971 and later? Thank you for your help. (I am worried I have the wrong size clips and/or have 1970 foam... I did make it work and it does look ok.. I just don't want it to fall apart on me under stress)...