I'm getting ready to install seat covers on my 71 seats. I've bought new seat covers, seat foam, and install kit. This is the first time trying to install seat covers, does anyone have any install advice from previous experience to make the job easier, things to be careful of, etc.
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
Shane The Corvette magazines cover this quite often and would help you with your project if you had the step by step instructions. Take pictures or make a sketch of how the old covers were installed. You will need a hook to pull the wires thru the foam. Take one apart at a time so if needed you can check to see how it should be put together. New foam makes the job more of a challenge and sometimes results in puffy seats or lines on the outer edge of the seat back as interior judges have told me but they sit good. Al knock has a video I think. LyleLyle
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
(1) Having your AIM book nearby to glance at while you work is helpful.
(2) Do NOT throw out the existing hardware (hog rings, stiffeners, connecting rods). While you're promised a 'complete kit' with your new repro covers, sometimes they're short a piece or two and/or you break/lose pieces....
(3) Fabricating a 'hook' tool to help you pull the hold-down links through the foam will save on finger wear!
(4) Don't be afraid to pull material TIGHTLY around corners before you attach hog rings; you want the cover tight and wrinkle free around corners as the foam padding is only going to compress with time/usage.
(5) Do NOT decide there's a lot of 'spare' BTUs in the old seat cover material and toss it into your wood burning stove as you work in the winter time!!!! It can get super heat your chimney pipe RED HOT and burn the house down.... Fortunately, I spotted my 'mistake' and did a SCRAM on the wood burning stove to shut down its intake feed air!Comment
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'Tis The Season...
Shane, now is the best time to do it weatherwise...the hotter the better.
In fact, you may have missed the peak; two weeks ago would have been the best time down here. We have a freakin' cold front movin' through...only getting up to the mid-eighties. Leave the covers out in the warm sunshine to get soft and pliable before you start your installation.
Otherwise, you will have to resort to a hairdryer or heat gun to get a good fit on the corners. Use heat gun expeditiously...if the vinyl starts smoking, smelling or melting, you are applying too much heat. Don't bring the covers back in the cool house for installation after you have warmed them up...do it out in the heat. Sort of a little summer afternoon delight.
Then, when you're sweatin' all over your work (not good for surgeons, but fine for upholsterers), installation is optimum. :-)Comment
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
Shane - I would highly suggest the Al Knoch videos. They are very complete and run about 2 hours. Also, if you get a chance to watch Al's guys at a show it is worth it....CraigComment
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
I recently rebuilt some seats for an old Super Beetle from the frames up. Their construction is a little different from Vette seats as there are no wires comming down through the foam. The one "trick" I learned in the process is to cover the new foam with a plastic dry cleaner bag. This makes the foam slick enough to pull the vinyl over the foam. Also, once the cover is in place, use some real force from the back side to compress the springs before attaching the hog rings. That way, when the springs are released the cover is pulled really good and tight.Comment
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
Ed, those are a couple of good tips.
When you say "use some real force from the back side to compress the springs before attaching the hog rings", what do you mean? How is "real force from the back side" applied? Are you saying to force the bottom cushion frame down against the work table to compress the springs before installing the hog rings?Comment
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
Chuck When putting seat covers on with new foam I think it is like trying to put 10# of foam in a 5# bag. That takes real force! LyleLyle
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
On the VW seats, it meant turning the seat upside down and pretty much compressing the frame down as far as possible and then attaching the hog rings. When you let go, the vinyl was streched very nicely. I haven't done a Vette seat yet. That's probably a project for this winter. The VW was a warm up.Comment
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
Ed The shark seats use foam for the fit and the springs don't get compressed much at all until you set on the seat. LyleLyle
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Re: install seat covers 71 vette
It's the same 10# of foam in a 5# bag principle.Comment
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