Hello,
I have a nice driver 2001 coupe with 90k. The seats are light oak, and worn. No rips, but rather wrinkled and the cushioning is flattened. I want to "renew" both seats (although like most folks, the passenger seat is like new). Looking into buying the foam and covers but am concerned about finished appearance for a DIY. I am pretty good mechanically, but never was a seamstress. So, do you think it is reasonable to expect a very good appearance from a DIY renewal with new covers and new foam? I watched C and S corvette video and it seems doable, but Lisle's end product was very wrinkly. He said that is normal but after a day in the Florida sun it smooths right out. That has me nervous.

Also, the cover prices seem to be all over the place from 250-1500. I am sure you get what you pay for, but can anyone shed light (from actual experience) on the difference in quality among the various price points? Does one type wear better than the other? Are certain ones better fitting?

A lot of questions, but I am cautious about investing time and money since once you start there is no return. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat offline. I could sure use some experienced advice.

thanks

 

If you're set on re-upholstering, then I'd get a local upohlsterer to do it for you. It's not diffficult to do, but easy to mess up, and a few wrinkles will really make it look bad.

Just so you're aware though, at $1,500, you're getting close to what a nice set of C7 seats would cost. c7 seats are far, far superior in every way to the c5 seats, and imo, look similar enough to the c5 that they don't look out of place. There are a ton of threads on here on installing them.. they drop in with no problem, same mounting holes, and you get full power (seat back, lumbar, etc) with trivial electrical work. You'll also have to swap out the seat belts for c6 belts, but that's a trivial, 10 minute job.

I have a set in my car , happy to post pics if you're interested.

 

I redid my drivers seat on my car when I got it. It was the best thing I ever did.

I have 30k miles but had several issues.

#1 the foam on the bottom was toast.
#2 both seats needed the bushings fixed as the rocked.
#3 the bracket was not broken but it was worn.
#4 the springs were cutting into the foam.
#5 the leather was just starting yo show sone lines but no damage.
#6 the cover for the controls were broken.

I ordered the parts and rebuilt the seats. I added burlap under the foam on both seats. I ten used a lot of leather conditioner yo restore the covers to nearly new looking condition.

The C&S video is good and it is that easy. You will need hog rings and hog ring plyers. I have done sone seatvwork in the past and these are the easiest I have encountered.

The real key is put burlap between the foam and springs. Even on the passenger seat. It will make the seats hold up lingers and look better.

This is not rocket science.

The one concern I would have is if you replace one cover to get the new one to match. Yes you get what you pay for on covers.

So many C5 drivers seats sre yoday just because the foam is cut through by the springs. It loses its shape.

 

Both C&S and Corvette America (now Topflight) have excellent videos. When I redid mine the first time, I paid a highly recommended local upholstery shop $400 to install new foam and skins. I delivered seats, foam, and skins, so no removal or installation in that $400 fee. I was not impressed. Wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere. I’ll be redoing the driver’s side again soon, and will watch the videos and try it myself. Then I’ll at least have a bit less to complain about.

 

The trick to removing some wrinkles is to use some upholstery stuffing in these spots. But even factor new seats have wrinkles.

 

 

I changed the seat cushion foam in the driver seat and added 1/4” thick jute over the wire mesh. Instead of hog rings, I put it back together using aircraft grade zip ties. The zip ties made things a lot easier because they help draw the pieces together. I took my time and it turned out just fine.

That said, new covers may present additional challenges. In that case, I would be inclined to be particular about the supplier. Cry once.

 

Most likely you can do the work and get it looking very good, but I always let the pros handle things I was not quite sure about. The point about just getting a set of very nice C7 seats is a good one - they are much more comfortable and supportive than the stock C5 seats.

 

Look the seats are easy to do and even with repairs I had less than $200 in the whole deal. Hog rings are much easier to use and will bet tighter. The plyers are at harbor Frieght.

Now if you really want C7 seats that is fine but they are more work and greater cost. They also look a bit odd in the older cars. Good seat just different.

 

Many of you have suggested to get C7 seats. I would be open to that, but as I indicated my interior is oak. Most people I see doing this swap are swapping black for black, or red for red. I don't think they make c7 seats in oak. So to me doing this swap would require recovering with a custom color hence sending the cost through the roof.

 

balck and red are the ost common, but do a little research, the c7 seats had a TON of options, I'm not sure that they weren't available in oak.

edit-- here, I saved you the trouble. Here's one on ebay for $999 in oak:
2019 15 - 19 Chevy Corvette C7 ZR1 Passenger Leather Power Seat #0045 Z9 | eBay

btw, black seats in oak interior would look (in my opinion) pretty dammed cool. Go on reddit in the photoshop sub, post a pic of your interior, and ask someone to change the seats to black -- you can post a "bounty" of like $5-- typically you get the pics and then pay for it if you want.

 

the reason I like the c7 seats over the c8 seats is that the c7 seats really just look like an evolution of the c5- same style, similar look, just much, much better. Again, just my opinion, but they match the c5 look and style very well.

 

I DIY replaced skin and foam on my driver's seat when I got the car 14 years ago. It wasn't a big deal.
I did not know anything about using burlap to support the foam at that time. Nevertheless, the job still looks okay today, some 30K+ down the road.
There are 2 seatback skins, one for the bolsters and one for the center. Both of them go on easily.
(In my case only the bolster was needed, and individual parts were available OEM.)
The seat cushion required cutting holes for the controls. Getting the placement correct was a little nerve-wracking.
Heat is key to stretching the leather a little while fitting it,. As the leather cools, it tightens and this helps avoid wrinkles. A hair dryer works somewhat, but steam is much better if you have something to deliver it.
Good luck with yours!

 

This should hopefully be a one-time fix so do it right and bring it to an auto upholster. I try to do most of my own maintenance and mod work on my Corvettes but over the years I've learned that having proper tools is the key to how easy or how difficult the job is.

Back in 2012, I installed a new set of seat foam and new Vette Essentials leather skins. Although I got the job done, I was not happy with the finished job so I brought them into a local auto upholsterer who removed them and reinstalled them. I was really curious as to how they upholstered the seats and he let me watch them work. After removing the new skins and seat foam, they installed automotive rubber burlap material over all the exposed seat wires and sharp edges to prevent the springs and edges from cutting into the new foam. After installing the foam, they then placed the seat frame onto a table and used cables to stretch the leather over the new reinforced seat and seat foam. The machine they used looked like a medieval torture device as it had hooks that pulled the leather tight. While stretching the leather and securing it to the seat frame, they also used a steamer to smooth out other smaller wrinkles.

I've now used this particular local shop for two sets of C5 seats and one set of custom C7 seats which BTW are available in the C5 FS section.

2012 Vette Essentials



2023 Top Flight Automotive



Leatherseats.com C7 Seats:

 

what you like is what you like and nothing wrong with it.

My here is he just wants to fix what he has and not spend a lot of money.

As for me I just like to keep original just my thing.

 

Good Day. I think i bought my 2004 Commemorative Z06 seat covers and foam padding from West Coast Corvettes. I bought it new and it now has 131,000 miles on it. Still in great condition.
if I remember correctly; $1,000 to $1,300 for leather and padding. Don't do it yourself. IMO. I had mine done professionally. I Think it was $500 for the install. Stuff and labor do cost money, especially when it's something "special". I was 69 years old at the time. I've been a car guy since I was 7 years old, and have owned many. Just my thoughts. I'm happy with the way I had it done. Good Luck & Best Regards.