Rear Seat, Front Seat Repair and Recover,
Installation Part 2
In Part 1 we documented the condition and showed a few pictures of the process of re-padding the front seat. I decided to put together a video that takes someone through the process of going from bare springs to being ready for a seat cover. Keep in mind I am not a professional but I do believe this restorative work will hold up well.
Once the seat frame and padding were ready it was time to re-install the seat cover.
The seat cover was slipped on top of the seat frame loosely to begin this work of securing the cover.
Then the entire unit was flipped upside down, and I began at the middle of the cover at the rear of the seat to start crimping hog rings. Things were very tight, and where I could I decided to "double up" the vinyl by folding it over before piercing material with a hog ring. I alternated from side to side as I worked out from the center and then around the edges to the front. The end result was not perfect since I was reusing something that was well over 25 years old and since the vinyl had a small tear or two in places. However, once the seat is installed and the seat guards put back onto the seat frame, I am not so sure anyone is going to notice. The red velvet is in such great shape it really draws the attention away from other flaws.
Locating the two holes for the back rest supports was a real chore. The original holes did not line up, and I did not expect them to. However, trying to get the a new hole that lined up with the frame (without tearing up the velvet) was a challenge. In the end, it all worked out well and no one will really see where the old holes were located unless they pull the seat back and inspect it.
To install the seat, my son and I screwed the two longer studs into the frame at the front, leaving the two short ones at the rear out until we had the seat in the car. This proved to be a good idea. It was much easier to place the seat into position this way, and the two rear studs screwed into their bosses quite easily. Ethan decided to snap this photo while I was under the car tightening down the nuts to hold the seat. Pretty glad to have my son involved, but he keeps talking about getting a license and driving this car in the near future! Not sure I am ready for that - the boy barely knows what a manual transmission is.
The video below is a little lengthy but if you would like to see more of the details, enjoy!