Seat Dying
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 616
Likes: 2
From: Sedalia MO
Seat Dying
I was wondering...If i buy aftermarket seats that are not the same colour as my current seats I assume I can dye them, but would the dye hold up. Could I clean them as I do my current seats? Yes, I know i can buy new foam and covers, but I can buy other seats for far cheaper and more modern.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,461
Likes: 361
From: Monson MA
Jim back in a day when I was young, I had a 1961 corvette and at 17 years old I did a lot of work on the car. I did dye the seats with a spray dye. The dye held up very well, even with repeated wipe downs. I never scrubbed it nor did I need to. I am now doing a complete restoration on a 1968 and will be dyeing the seats as well as other components back to the original Dark Orange color and I am not thinking twice about it. Just do your prep correct, I mean clean it good and clean it again. Use the correct primer from the same company and for that dye. You should not have issues under normal use. Good luck with your project.
Peter
Peter
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
The answer to your question is "Yes", if you use the right product and prep the seatcovers properly. SEM ColorCoat in liquid form can be purchased at many local area paint supply stores for pro body shops (NOT your local auto parts store 
). And, if you don't have spray equipment, you can buy an inexpensive PreVal gas/bottle sprayer that will do the work just fine.
Clean the seat covers well; but I would NOT just soak them in soapy water. The scrim foam (channel foam) built into the seats may disintegrate when doing so, if it hasn't already. It would be best to use a sponge with dish detergent and water (1/4 cup detergent per half-gallon of water) to dislodge any and ALL old protectants, dirt, and crud.
Then do several wipe-downs with plain water to dampen the sponge to assure that all detergent is removed as well. Let dry completely, then shoot two light, covering coats of SEM on the seatcovers. Some folks believe that an 'adhesion promoter' should be shot on the surfaces before the dye. But, I like to do a LIGHT wipe-down with lint-free cloth and lacquer thinner, just before shooting the dye. Works for me.
Good luck
). And, if you don't have spray equipment, you can buy an inexpensive PreVal gas/bottle sprayer that will do the work just fine.Clean the seat covers well; but I would NOT just soak them in soapy water. The scrim foam (channel foam) built into the seats may disintegrate when doing so, if it hasn't already. It would be best to use a sponge with dish detergent and water (1/4 cup detergent per half-gallon of water) to dislodge any and ALL old protectants, dirt, and crud.
Then do several wipe-downs with plain water to dampen the sponge to assure that all detergent is removed as well. Let dry completely, then shoot two light, covering coats of SEM on the seatcovers. Some folks believe that an 'adhesion promoter' should be shot on the surfaces before the dye. But, I like to do a LIGHT wipe-down with lint-free cloth and lacquer thinner, just before shooting the dye. Works for me.
Good luck
Last edited by 7T1vette; Jul 7, 2014 at 09:22 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,206
Likes: 365
From: The Motor City
*
If maintaining the OE look is important to you, you can make your faded old seats look modern by having them reupholstered with original Corvette seat fabric from SMS Auto Fabrics in Portland, WA, and have Al Knoch sew them up with fresh new foam, and by having them add the correct cross flags. You've got options... and, decisions. A good problem to have.
Dave
Dave
Racer
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 383
Likes: 4
From: Charlotte NC
I just went through this with a set of nice tan leather seats that needed to be black to work for my car. I used the SEM Classic Coat, SEM leather prep, and SEM soap. The project turned out great but took me over a month to complete and was tiring. I would not attempt again.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
I'm not sure why it took that much time. Remove seats (1 hour), clean seatcovers (2-3 hours), let dry, mask stuff you don't want dyed (30 minutes), wipe down w/lacquer thinner (10 minutes), shoot twice (1 hour), let dry (30 minutes...SEM dries quickly), reinstall (1 hour).
It could be done it in one full day...two at the most.
Obviously, if the seatcovers need some repair, they would need to be removed from the seat and sent out for those repairs. That would take some more disassembly time and "wait" time; but that's not relevant to the time it takes to dye the seats.
It could be done it in one full day...two at the most.
Obviously, if the seatcovers need some repair, they would need to be removed from the seat and sent out for those repairs. That would take some more disassembly time and "wait" time; but that's not relevant to the time it takes to dye the seats.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 383
Likes: 4
From: Charlotte NC
Waiting for good weather definitely slowed me down some. But that said, disassembling 1970 seats at least requires removal of hog rings to access the locking mechanism. I disassembled each seat and components, removed sliding lock mechanism, and cleaned thoroughly with SEM soap and let dry thoroughly. No sense painting over dirt or wet leather. Once they were dry I prepped them and laid on multiple light coats of black. It was a color change (as OP describes) and I preferred not to slather on a thick layer of paint. Once the main color was on I had to try to work it into the grooves in the material and in the piping. When you touch the seat, these areas show right through. These seats were done for a show car not a "Fast-N-Loud" flip and I wanted to take the time to do them right. In the end the results were great but it probably would have been easier to recover. The resulting finish is smooth and even with good coverage.