advise on recovering seats??

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waterlife

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Jan 12, 2015
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Location
MARLBORO NJ
My Car
1972 Mustang Convertible
Thinking of redoing the seat in my 1972 . Any advice? Know of any good videos? I looked on u-tube but didnt find for 71-73

Thanks

Alex

 
Thinking of redoing the seat in my 1972 . Any advice? Know of any good videos? I looked on u-tube but didnt find for 71-73

Thanks

Alex
Alex,

I went to our local Tech College and took a course in auto upholstery. If you purchase one of the pre made covers out there they are pretty simple to put on just need Hog Ring pliers. I would replace the foam also they will look much better. Once you get the seat out and start to take it apart you will see where all the rings are crimped holding the wires in place to put the shape into the seat cushion and back. If you want to do a bang up job your would remove the old cover and foam and blast the springs and frame and repaint them. The seat tracks always need attention and will work great when cleaned and lubed.

There are little tricks to get the cover to slide on the seat back like putting pieces of polyethylene on the foam and then pulling out when the cover is on. You can get the material that looks like a feed sack, burlap, at your local upholstery shop or some cloth shops have it. With the new foam they will feel so much better. If springs are broken you can get from a parts car.

I think I have seen a video some where I will look for it.

Hey found a step by step at one of the parts suppliers.

http://www.cjponyparts.com/mustang-fastback-mach-1-seat-upholstery-1971-1973-installation-instructions/a/371/

David

 
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I did my own with some TMI Products '71-'73 Deluxe Sport Seat covers, foam, burlap, and hog rings, all purchased from CJ Pony Parts.

A couple of things that are important, and helped me out:

  • if you do both seats, do one first, then the other (to have a road map on how to put them back together)
  • strip down one seat, make repairs, clean, and repaint the seat frame
  • get a LOT of hog rings
  • hog ring the listing rods inside of the foam to the seat frames
  • put the seat cover in the sun before installing
  • use plastic bags (Wal-Mart, grocery store, whatever - you know which ones) between the foam and the seat cover to help them slip over and move around
  • get new hardware/fasteners as possible


I did my driver side seat bottom without using the plastic bags, and struggled for 2 days. I re-read an article on how to do this, and used a plastic bag - was done in an hour. I used the bags on the seat backs, and had both done after a few hours the next day.

You will not be able to remove the plastic bags - but don't worry, they're smashed in so tight between the new foam and seat vinyl that they don't make any noise or feel weird or anything. Don't sweat it.

You will wind up using a lot of hog rings that don't engage properly (especially on the listing wires to the seat frames) - if you have a lot, no worries. They're cheap, too - so just get more than you think you'll need.

 
Any pictures of the self-covered seats? Did you do front and back?

 
I don't have any "during" shots (I was having a rough timeof it and was kind of mad...) but here's the "before" (Well, "before" the seat was redone... but shortly after getting it back from the paint shop)

10156116_813754171968836_694599295_n.jpg


Here's the real "before:"

39320_148084911869102_8076701_n.jpg


And the "after" (before putting back in the sun and tweaking the covers to fit a bit better):

10176111_813754161968837_1895151243_n.jpg


1525735_813754195302167_810866967_n.jpg


Then all Hell broke loose and the Auto Hobby Shop closed (along with tons of drama) - so no pics or progress until after things got situated at home.

Here's one from the car show (after I'd gotten everything back together several months later):

attachment.php


The 3 creases where the side bolsters flow into the headrest area are still there, but less noticeable. I hadn't used enough Wal-Mart bags when I pulled them on... and I was frustrated because it's not the easiest thing to do. Don't get me wrong - it's doable with patience and the right techniques... but I have a whole new respect for people who do upholstery for a living. ;) :D Overall, I'm happy with how they came out - not 100% perfect... but I did them myself, dammit. rofl

I need more interior shots... and pics altogether.

 
... but I did them myself, dammit.
And that, Sir, is one of the defining statements regarding this website. Don't get me wrong - having things done at a shop is an option (or sometimes necessity) that must be considered. But the support and information that is provided on this site allows us to, more often than not, make it an option, rather than a necessity. Thanks for the pics and post, Eric!

 
They look awesome mister 4x4, and you likely saved a boat load of cash compared to hiring an upholstery shop.

 
Thanks, guys. ::thumb::

By "tweaking" I meant, put 'em in the sun (to let the seat cover material itself warm up) and massage the covers around to smooth out some of the smaller wrinkles along the seams. Also, if I may use the term "spanking" the cushions and bolsters (as most of the articles I've read liked using it) to break the tension between the cover and seat foam in the places where they're really tight on each other. Pushing the bolsters inward toward the center of the seat seemed to help as well. Those little wrinkles and puckers formed as the seams drug across the seat foam and some got stuck in-place before they should've (we're only talking millimeters here). Every time you spank, squeeze, or compress the seat foam inside the covers, a little bit of that tension will release, allowing the covers to "relax" and slip just a little bit more into the position they naturally want to be in.

Between the massaging, spanking, squeezing, and relaxing the puckers, this process almost sounds a little dirty. rofl

A couple of other thoughts:

Oddly enough, the rear seat back (upper portion) was the toughest to do. It's pretty much just a flat piece of metal frame, with a rectangular piece of foam, which looks deceptively simple... whereas the fronts and rear seat bottom parts were formed into the overall shape of the seats themselves. Getting the rear seat upper cover on turned out to be the toughest I think because being just a flat piece... there was less leverage to be had when pulling the seat cover over and around the foam. What I eventually had to do was get something (or someone) heavy enough to smash the seat foam thin enough to get the stubborn sections around the frame far enough to engage the hog rings.

There will also be some times when you run out of hands to hold the piece you're working on in the right position to get the hog ring pliers into the best places to fasten things.

The rear seat lower part is the most complex-looking, because of the center piece of foam going over the "hump" part, but it's not that bad - there's just no place to secure it like with the others having their listing rods. Once both outer cushions are in-place, tuck the center foam into place and work the seat cover itself from the inside out (get the center piece between the cushions fastened, then the center/tops of the cushions themselves, the wrap the sides around and fasten just like with the front bottom seat cushions). Make sure not to get the seat belt pass-thrus wrapped up inside of the frame and accidentally stuck down to something - it's easy to do while fussing with the center piece of foam.

I had ordered two burlap kits (they're cheap) because I wanted to make sure I had plenty in case I messed something up... yeah, I only used about half of what they recommended. I actually doubled up on the bottom cushions for the fronts. The biggest PITA with the burlap is getting the hog rings through them for the seat foam listing wires in securing the seat foam to the seat frames. What I did in attempt to help with this was to pick where I wanted to push the hog rings through, and made sure the foam was separated on either side of the listing wires. I used the burlap as a 'template,' to figure out where the hog rings and listing wires would intersect for good anchor points (there are not hard frame mounts for the listing wires, in other words - they mount wherever the listing wires would intersect the 'spring' pieces on the frame). Take the burlap, lay in on the bottom of the upside down cushion, and using a Sharpie draw the lines of the listing wires onto the burlap. When you lay it over the frame, you should be able to see where the springs will intersect with the listing wires (without having to hassle with the bulky foam) - having the lines will also help keep the burlap aligned if it shifts while you're playing with the foam. Since the burlap goes between the foam and the seat frame, make sure you make some slits through the burlap for ease of getting the hog rings and pliers through.

For every time I had to use the hog rings and pliers, I also used a sturdy hook to poke through the foam and burlap to draw both the mounting point of the seat springs and the listing wires in the foam as close together as possible. I figure I had about a 85% success rate doing this... after I'd gone 1 for 8 trying to do the same thing without using the hook and just feeling around with the hog ring pliers.

You also want the hog ring pliers that "spring closed" to help hold the hog rings in the tool until you're ready to compress them (I don't even know if they sell "spring open" hog ring pliers, but I don't recommend using them, as it was tough enough to get the technique down without having to keep tension on the hog ring while in the pliers as well).

When you pull your seats apart, make sure you keep and mark/indicate which positions your listing wires need to go back into the new covers - they don't come with new listing wires for the covers themselves. The foam pieces have them molded into the foam, so that's helpful. If some of your original listing wires are corroded or weak, just get some wire coat hangers, and cut new ones - cut enough fold the ends over, to prevent having sharp edges that can poke through the seat covers if they shift (but they won't once in-place and fastened... they'll be under some tension at that point).

When you have listing wires running through a flap/loop that needs to be fastened, find the appropriate attachment points on the frame, and make a couple of slits over the edge of the flap/loop so the hog ring can engage the listing wire directly. I wasted a handful of hog rings because of trying to do it "blind" (with the listing wire "somewhere" inside the flap/loop) and missing the listing wire altogether - having it exposed takes one more thing out of the complication. Not to mention, punching through the flap/loop in addition to the engaging the listing wire AND the frame fastening point [while keeping tension on the seat cover & foam and holding other things in-place] takes some doing as well. I made small "diamond" cuts at the fold of the flap/loop, so when you removed the material, you had a small square of material and a nice "triangle" window of exposed listing wire.

When engaging a hog ring, remember it will be under tension... even more so when someone sits in the seat. Always try to put it in a place where either a listing wire, plastic piping, or a finished edge/seam where more than one layer of material is engaged... to prevent ripping the material itself. The material is pretty tough, but any time you can get more than just the fabric itself to bear the tension, it's always better.

Wow... I didn't think that many thoughts would just come flooding out, but I kind of just went through one of those "re-living the process in my head" moments. ;) :D If I can think of anything else, I'll post it up as it comes.



... but I did them myself, dammit.
And that, Sir, is one of the defining statements regarding this website. Don't get me wrong - having things done at a shop is an option (or sometimes necessity) that must be considered. But the support and information that is provided on this site allows us to, more often than not, make it an option, rather than a necessity. Thanks for the pics and post, Eric!
No problem, Doc - thanks for the kind words.

In all honesty, some of the other guys who've done their own seats most likely spent a little more time researching, and were possibly a little less rushed and frustrated as I was, so their seats came out even better. But like I said, I'm happy with mine, I'd never done upholstery before after all - knowing now what I didn't know then, I'll do better next time, I'm sure. ;)

 
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Wow sounds like you were trying to push a rope, lol.

Upholstery is like anything else you have to do it over and over to learn the tricks. When I took the upholstery class at our Tech College the instructor brought in a Chevy pick up to show everyone how to take the seat apart, take all the seams loose to use the pieces for patterns, cut the new material and sew it together and put it back on the seat and back in the truck. He also did both door panels. The guy wanted the upholstery done in denim just like jeans are made from. He put new foam and padding in the seat also. He did this in one class of 4 hours and he does not do upholstery for a living, lol.

Did you turn the cover wrong side out to put it on?? Excuse the reference but it is like putting a condom on, lol. If you turn the cover wrong side out and then also use the plastic but we always got it out, it will go much easier. You always need another set of hands to hold and pull. I think they also make a spray that you spray the foam with to make it move easier also been too many years ago. The key to the hog rings is a really good set of pliers with longer handles. The very cheap ones are just that and do not work.

If you think putting the covers on is tough try using one of the sewing machines. I could just see that needle going through my fingers. They have knee or foot controls but it is like 0 to 60 in .1 seconds. I think the machines will sew 11" a second if you put the pedal to the floor. When the instructor did the truck seat he folded the denim like 20 times and the machine would sew right through it. I was lucky the car I was doing was a 1950 ford and most of the material was cloth. If you sew cloth wrong no foul just take the stiches out and do again. Not with vinyl or leather you end up with a bunch of holes that cause the material to tear or look bad. There are special attachments for the foot on the sewing machine that aligns the piping but keeping three pieces of material lined up just right and feeding them into this finger eating machine makes the heart race. Since the textile industry in the south closed up and went off shore there were lots of commercial machines available so I actually bought a Singer machine for $250.00 off craigslist. They are built like tanks and this one actually has an oil pan and oil pump and will never wear out. I have done some furniture also but I stick with cloth.

I bet if you had never seen a basket ball and someone told you to dribble it you would not do to good but practice with upholstery will make it seem like putting your clothes on.

David

 
Yeah - good points... and I'll bet that was a cool class to take.

Turning these covers inside out is not how I did it. The first set of listing wires for securing the cover to the foam/frame is right underneath the division of the 'headrest' and main seat body. You're already running into issues getting the cover to slide over the top of the 'headrest' at that point... and there are more listing wires on down the front of the seat back's main body.

Plus, the seat covers are [for the most part] open backed (hence the plastic snap-on panel). So, you really don't have any kind of "inside-out" to work with anyway (except the top portion of the 'headrest' area - which is just not worth it).

Not to mention, the vinyl materials that make up the seat cover itself are really not nearly as pliable (even after being in the sun for an hour) than denim. Each vinyl-to-vinyl seam of the covers are fair rigid - you can "stand" these covers up and they'll stay standing up. (ask me how I know ;) )

The "inside-out" trick kind of doesn't really apply to our covers... it'snot "inside-out" as much as just folding the sides up onto the top of the covers toward the center.

My wife worked from Wrangler WAY back in the day, and knows her way around sewing machines, and knows good ones from bad ones. We picked up an upholstery rated machine back in the '90s, and it's a beast... but I wasn't about to put her through the hassle of making a set of covers for the Mustang. Not even to the point of pulling the 'fake' comfort weave out and using something more comfort weave-like.

Besides, the Sport Seat version foam and covers are just so much better than the stock covers, yet still look stock. I'm not a big fan of the Sport R or the Sport Xs (with the grommets) - the seats are great with a little bit more bolster & cushion support... after that, it gets a little gawdy, IMHO. But - I'm thankful we have such the selection as we do from TMI Products. It certainly beats either having a set of the wrong seats traded in, or paying through the nose for an upholstery shop to duplicate the original stuff.

 
My sage advice to anyone wanting to redo their own seats "Don't"!

Or, on the advice of a Concours restoration friend, keep a bottle of

whiskey nearby 'cause your going to need it. The covers are pretty

much the same size but the foam is thicker and denser wherein lies

the problem. Working it in hot sun helps. When you remove the old

tie down rods don't mix them up.

So a lot of patience and sun you should be ok.

I kept the original Lambeth cloth seats, rear looks brand new as does

passenger, driver's shot. They may be useful someday if we do a full

restoration.

mike

mike

 
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