I posted this on another forum a while back and thought it may help some people here... If I had the cash right now I would re-do my interior and take step by step pictures but that's not really an optioin right now sorry...


Basically just pull the seat out, remove all the hooks etc underneath and remove the cover/material. This should leave you with just he foam/bracing of the seat itself. Take a knife or a stich remover and slowly/carefully cut/remove the stiching. Then you have all the individual pieces laid out. BE SURE YOU MARK WHAT GOES WHERE... place these on some large pieces of paper (fabric stores sell thin tracing type paper for making patterns and it would work great for you) and trace around the outside of your material. Your primary concern is not the size of the outside of the pattern etc. Youre primary area of concern should be the stiching lines. Make sure those are marked VERY acuratly. Now take those patterns, cut them out and lay them on your new fabric. (with the patterns you can always take a pencile and punch a small hole through into your old stiching holes to ensure proper size/fitment) take a perminant marker and mark the stiching lines in like 1/4"-1/2" increments, remember the closer together the marks the better the lines/fit. Also, make sure your pattern is on the underside of your fabric so nothing shows on the finished product. Now once you have your marks on your new material simply cut it out. Take it to a good seam shop and have them follow along your "seam lines" that you marked and sew it together. It will become a perfect replica of factory if you do it carefully/right. Total Cost: Material about 5-8 yards at $5.00 a yard (good stuff) $25.00-$40.00. Seamstress work if you dont' have a sewing machine to handle thick material, about $60.00. Total Cost for a brand new rear seat: $100.00. If this doesn't make sense totally just reply or pm me and I will clarify anything that needs clarified...

 

A quick update on this.... I've been checking around on leather pricing for my seats... Keep in mind Automotive/Aircraft leather is different than normal leather due to it being finished to withstand heat/sun... Anyway, most places only sell it in hides or half hides. Basically a hide would do at least your front two seats and cost about $250.00 on up (www.garysupholstery.com) which is a good price... So if you bought the leather I would think you could re-do your front two seats for about $300-$350 in leather.

 

Good post. It puts into perspective trying a challenge, if you have enough time, and can read/follow instructions, you can do almost anything. I've been acquiring books, researching the internet - basically gaining knowledge to do what I want. The funny thing about 'noob's' generally, isn't that their dumb, they're just lazy. Everyone's a 'noob' at some point. Sorry, for ramblin'...

Do you have any tips/suggestions for dash or door panel refinishing? I'd like to cover the factory dash and parts of the door panels. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

StevePhy

 

Dash and door I'm at a loss... I've never played much with either of those... except for my 81' Chevy Citation with it's cowprint doors and tiger stripped **** roof... that car was fricken funny....