Seat upholstery question

[PeteG41]

Hey guys quick question, making a list of goodies I’ll need to get. I’ve been trying to find new upholstery that matches what my 73 Mach 1 came with. I have code GA, which is black Mach 1 knitted vinyl. The only thing I’ve seen that is close is this set with NPD. I love the look of my original seats, and while these are similar, it’s still different. Any advice?

 

[kcmash]

I used the TMI covers for mine and I am happy. BE SURE to order the seat medallions too and install before putting the covers on the seat frames.

kcmash

 

[PeteG41]

I used the TMI covers for mine and I am happy. BE SURE to order the seat medallions too and install before putting the covers on the seat frames.

kcmash

Yeah these TMI covers were the closest I could find. Not the end of the world but I do like my Black/gray with the gray buckets inserts. Probably a dumb question but can I reuse the medallions on my 2 seats? And if not where do I go about getting replacements.

 

[CarCrazy73]

I used the TMI covers for mine and I am happy. BE SURE to order the seat medallions too and install before putting the covers on the seat frames.

kcmash

 

[CarCrazy73]

Hey guys quick question, making a list of goodies I’ll need to get. I’ve been trying to find new upholstery that matches what my 73 Mach 1 came with. I have code GA, which is black Mach 1 knitted vinyl. The only thing I’ve seen that is close is this set with NPD. I love the look of my original seats, and while these are similar, it’s still different. Any advice?

If you’re looking to go OEM look I would suggest looking at SMS upholstery. They sale the OEM material. Find an upholsterer in your area to refinish. You’ll pay a little more but you’ll get the factory fresh look. I went this way on my vinyl with cloth inserts. Good luck!

 

[DaveMT]

Several months ago, I purchased the TMI Sport-II seat upholstery from NPD for my 73 Mach-1, which is also code GA. The Sport-II from TMI has the increased bolster thickness on the seat and the back. It is nearly identical to the factory upholstery except for the fact that the padding that I had to purchase with the Sport-II material is much thicker. I do love the way the seats feel now. The only big drawback is that I'm much closer to the steering wheel and my head is much closer to the roof with the seat adjustment all the way back, and I'm only 5' 8" tall. I fabricated some homemade seat extensions from some 1-1/2" x 3/16" steel bar stock which moved me farther away from the steering wheel and thereby also increased the distance slightly from my the top of my head to the roof. I also purchased the curved hog ring pliers and 500 hog rings from NPD along with all new burlap and listing rods. The total cost was $1656.21 and all in all, it was not that bad of a project even though it was my first time reupholstering anything. It took more time than I expected but it came out nicely.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Yeah these TMI covers were the closest I could find. Not the end of the world but I do like my Black/gray with the gray buckets inserts. Probably a dumb question but can I reuse the medallions on my 2 seats? And if not where do I go about getting replacements.

Yes, you can reuse your medallions.

 

[PeteG41]

Several months ago, I purchased the TMI Sport-II seat upholstery from NPD for my 73 Mach-1, which is also code GA. The Sport-II from TMI has the increased bolster thickness on the seat and the back. It is nearly identical to the factory upholstery except for the fact that the padding that I had to purchase with the Sport-II material is much thicker. I do love the way the seats feel now. The only big drawback is that I'm much closer to the steering wheel and my head is much closer to the roof with the seat adjustment all the way back, and I'm only 5' 8" tall. I fabricated some homemade seat extensions from some 1-1/2" x 3/16" steel bar stock which moved me farther away from the steering wheel and thereby also increased the distance slightly from my the top of my head to the roof. I also purchased the curved hog ring pliers and 500 hog rings from NPD along with all new burlap and listing rods. The total cost was $1656.21 and all in all, it was not that bad of a project even though it was my first time reupholstering anything. It took more time than I expected but it came out nicely.

Those look awesome!! I couldn’t go with the extra padding being 6’5, I would probably be tasting the steering wheel. I think my padding is in okay shape, but being the original covers they are fairly worn out.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Those look awesome!! I couldn’t go with the extra padding being 6’5, I would probably be tasting the steering wheel. I think my padding is in okay shape, but being the original covers they are fairly worn out.

I'm also 6'5", and wound up with the TMI Sport Seats - not the SSIIs. They look a lot closer to stock, but have better bolstering. My biggest problem isn't the steering wheel as much as the headliner. I did remove the 'bumpers' between the upper and lower sections, which laid the seats back a little further and gave me the extra inch of head room I needed to stay out of the roof.

I did it myself as well, and have a much healthier respect for those who do upholstery. The few listing rods I wasn't able to save got replaced by some extra thick coat hanger wire, as well as I used plastic grocery bags to help slip the covers on (rather than silicone spray).



The crinkles eventually [mostly] came out, but at least they were symmetrical.





Hope this helps!

Yes, you can reuse your medallions.

IF you can get them out intact, that is. I ordered new ones from OMS.

 

[PeteG41]

Yes, you can reuse your medallions

I'm also 6'5", and wound up with the TMI Sport Seats - not the SSIIs. They look a lot closer to stock, but have better bolstering. My biggest problem isn't the steering wheel as much as the headliner. I did remove the 'bumpers' between the upper and lower sections, which laid the seats back a little further and gave me the extra inch of head room I needed to stay out of the roof.

I did it myself as well, and have a much healthier respect for those who do upholstery. The few listing rods I wasn't able to save got replaced by some extra thick coat hanger wire, as well as I used plastic grocery bags to help slip the covers on (rather than silicone spray).

View attachment 65509

The crinkles eventually [mostly] came out, but at least they were symmetrical.

View attachment 65510

View attachment 65511

Hope this helps!


IF you can get them out intact, that is. I ordered new ones from OMS.

Yeah those look really well done. I think we might have the same car to an extent! Mine was originally the pewter silver, or what’s left of it. My headliner is currently deleted, so that’s okay. I feel like I sit pretty low in these seats right now, and while I feel like the foam padding is in decent shape it might actually be fairly shot underneath the cover. I put this question in a separate post, but do the seats just unbolt from the track? Seems very easy. The po swapped them to keep the wear even and I would like to put them back how they are supposed to be

 

[Mister 4x4]

Yes, the rails bolt to the seat bottoms, and it shouldn't matter which side they go on. The 'new' seats in mine were actually the 2 best out of 4 seats I had between mine and a parts car - I have no idea which was the driver or passenger seats, since the releases are in the middle.

 

[DaveMT]

Those look awesome!! I couldn’t go with the extra padding being 6’5, I would probably be tasting the steering wheel. I think my padding is in okay shape, but being the original covers they are fairly worn out.

Thank you. The added height was the only thing I did not like about the upholstery. But they are very comfortable. I seemed to struggle more reupholstering the seat part of the rear seat. The back part of the rear seat was quite easy. I had to wait for a very sunny 80+ degree day and let the seat upholstery heat up in the sun to allow it to stretch sufficiently and even then, it was quite a bear to get it stretched around the seat frame. Also while the original upholstery was off teh frames, I cleaned them up real good and sprayed them with gloss black Rustoleum so they looked new.

 

[PeteG41]

Thank you. The added height was the only thing I did not like about the upholstery. But they are very comfortable. I seemed to struggle more reupholstering the seat part of the rear seat. The back part of the rear seat was quite easy. I had to wait for a very sunny 80+ degree day and let the seat upholstery heat up in the sun to allow it to stretch sufficiently and even then, it was quite a bear to get it stretched around the seat frame. Also while the original upholstery was off teh frames, I cleaned them up real good and sprayed them with gloss black Rustoleum so they looked new.

Luckily my back seat is in pretty great shape, besides needing a pretty thorough cleaning. Seat upholstery is definitely on my list, although its at the bottom slightly above paint. Doing "free" things right now to build up my motor/tranny rebuild fund.

 

[MKSpeedlab]

If you’re looking to go OEM look I would suggest looking at SMS upholstery. They sale the OEM material. Find an upholsterer in your area to refinish. You’ll pay a little more but you’ll get the factory fresh look. I went this way on my vinyl with cloth inserts. Good luck!

SMS Upholstery is pretty much a perfect match except for the comfort weave. Theirs is good but its not perfect. I got the material for them for my blue interior and am thrilled with the match. My back seats are original with recovered recaros in the front and I dont think anyone would notice the comfortweave unless i point it out.

 

[carguy47]

I used the TMI covers for mine and I am happy. BE SURE to order the seat medallions too and install before putting the covers on the seat frames.

kcmash

Yes, amen to that

 

[carguy47]

Yeah these TMI covers were the closest I could find. Not the end of the world but I do like my Black/gray with the gray buckets inserts. Probably a dumb question but can I reuse the medallions on my 2 seats? And if not where do I go about getting replacements.

Yes you can. I just depends on their condition and how perfect you want the seats to look.
Any one of the Mustang Supply shops.

 

[carguy47]

Fortunately, living in AZ can assist with the install. The heat/sun will make the fabric very pliable and you can get a tan while performing the install
If the added cushions are to much and you want something more, just go to the fabric shop and get some 1" dense padding. Glue it on with 3M-90 adhesive where needed after trimming.

 

[PeteG41]

Fortunately, living in AZ can assist with the install. The heat/sun will make the fabric very pliable and you can get a tan while performing the install
If the added cushions are to much and you want something more, just go to the fabric shop and get some 1" dense padding. Glue it on with 3M-90 adhesive where needed after trimming.

Definitely! Leave em outside in the summer for about 20 minutes and that should be enough!