Unfortunately, time, weather and wear took their toll on my beautiful car. The end result was faded, cracked, torn and worn seats and carpet which literally disintegrated. I can't fault it much, as those repro parts lasted 15 years!
As I've gotten the car back on the road, I could not stand to see the torn up seats and they were not terribly comfortable. So, it was time to restore the seats.
I decided to reupholster my seats myself this time instead of having anyone in town do it. Mostly this was motivated by the one quote I got which was for more than the seat cover kits cost. Too much dollar value out of my pocket. I found a couple very good how-to's on the website. One on Victoria British Limited, and one on the Buckeye Triumphs website. If you've not been to the Buckeye site, you really need to visit it as it is well worth the read.
I won't tell you every boring detail of the job, but there are some valuable details in the installation that I learned and think everyone could benefit from.
Before doing any installation, I derusted the seat frames, painted with rust protectant paint and finished with some gloss black for more protection.
The restored headrest with rust removed, painted and new wood
in the lower edge for fastening the headrest cover.
Next up, when you reupholster the seats, you don't necessarily have to replace all the foam. I found that the seat back foam in my seats was perfect. The seat cushion foam bolsters were also good, but the base foam was dead. I replaced this with high density foam from Jo Ann. When you install this foam, cut the pieces oversize. Install them with plenty of adhesive and when the adhesive is dry, take the time to cut the pieces to size.
What should you use to cut the foam? I used an electric fish filleting knife from Wal-mart. Total investment was $25, but it was worth it. When you cut with the knife, just place the blade where you want it and hit the button. Guide the knife through, but don't force it. Let the blades work their way through and you'll be pleased with the results.
I also took the time to install new fabric along the edges of the seats and over the seat springs. This protects the foam from the springs, and gives the side foams something to adhere to.
Seat top in place and side fabric support installed.
Side foams glued
Side foams trimmed and seat cushion trimmed.
Once you have the foams all glued in place and trimmed, its time to pull the cushions on. My only advice here is to take your time and think the job through completely before you begin. Think how you will pull each piece into place and have your clips ready at hand to secure everything. I did find that installing the seat bottom cover is much easier with the seat fully reclined.
On the seatback cover, there are two formers which are mounted in pockets in the bottom of the seat edges. They provide shape and with two metal clips, they secure the seat cover on the seat.
I originally installed these as stock into my car. The first time I sat down, the former poked me in the leg and nearly punctured the vinyl. I figured out quickly what the problem was and dissassembled the seat cover. I modified the formers as shown in the pictures. I also sanded all the edges of the formers round with some 100 grit sandpaper. This completely eliminated the problem.
The former before cutting with the cut marked on the former.
The former after cutting and ready to install.
When I was done with this job, I was really pleased with the results and I think this pic shows why!
