Seat Recovering Advice

[Jeff10]

Hey Everyone,

I have Corbeau Baja SS seats in the '71. About 6 months ago I purchased new seat covers because the stitching on the original covers was starting to let go. I was told that it was a matter of sliding the old covers off and the new ones on... no need to remove the seats from the Bronco.

I had the time yesterday to swap out the covers.

When I managed to wrestle the old cover off the driver side I found thatit was held in place with glue or contact cement to the padding for the seats. Some of the padding came up from the suspension seat. It was a very snug fit.

My concern is that when I try to install the new seat covers the foam will move around. (I am going to need to glue/cement some of the foam back down anyway.) The covers were shipped inside-out, so I am thinking that may be the way they need to be installed. I haven't found instructions for the process.

Also thinking about paying to have an upholstery shop do the recover; but, by the time I do that, I've probably paid for new seats (considering the cost of the covers and the labor to install them).

Any tricks or advice that anyone would like to offer?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[67RT]

I have heard of putting a thin trash bag over the foam and sliding the cover on easily, then reaching in and ripping out the bag.. Never heard of gluing cover to foam????

 

[Jeff10]

Hey 67RT,

I have heard of putting a thin trash bag over the foam and sliding the cover on easily, then reaching in and ripping out the bag.. Never heard of gluing cover to foam????

That's great advice. I might give that a try.

I'm thinking that the glued process was from Corbeau originally; but, I'm not certain. It wasn't over 100% of the area... roughly 40% of the seat bottom and a lower percentage of the seat back.

Thanks again.

Jeff

 

[ugly74]

When ive recovered seats, i left the new upholstery in the sun so it was nice and pliable, and dusted the foam and inside of the new cover with talcum powder.
Im no pro, but doin it that way it wasnt too tough.

 

[Jeff10]

Hey ugly74,

When ive recovered seats, i left the new upholstery in the sun so it was nice and pliable, and dusted the foam and inside of the new cover with talcum powder.
Im no pro, but doin it that way it wasnt too tough.

Thanks for the advice.

Just curious... did you have the covers turned right side out, or inside out?

I was thinking about leaving the covers in the sun, too.

I think this is one of those skills that may be pretty simple after the first one.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Toddpole]

I have heard of putting a thin trash bag over the foam and sliding the cover on easily, then reaching in and ripping out the bag.. Never heard of gluing cover to foam????

Why not leave the bags under the cover? I recovered the seats in one of my boats and it had clear plastic bags between the foam and seat covers installed at the factory. I figured it was to help keep the foam from absorbing water. If you run topless I'd consider leaving the bags.

Just my .02

 

[Jeff10]

Hey,

Another good question / solution.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[67RT]

It makes sense. They were pulled on the Mopars because they didn't come stock that way, just a shop trick. Maybe also the cover can slide around? I don't know as I have never done it but I have been researching for a while as I still need to do the interior ont eh RT and wanted to try myself. Good luck!

 

[ugly74]

Hey ugly74,



Thanks for the advice.

Just curious... did you have the covers turned right side out, or inside out?

I was thinking about leaving the covers in the sun, too.

I think this is one of those skills that may be pretty simple after the first one.

Thanks,

Jeff

I left them right side out....but trying inside out may not be a bad idea. Install it the way you might pull a sock onto a damp foot.

 

[Jeff10]

Hey 67RT,

I picked up one type of spray adhesive today, along with some talcum powder, and order a different type of bonding adhesive for the foam. Once everthing gets here I'll have at it.

I'm also working on the steering, so the Bronco isn't drivable at the moment. I'll probable get the foam sticking back to where it should be on the frame, and then wait until I can get the Bronco out of the garage to where I can take the top down. I'm sure it will be a lot easier standing up above the seats.

I really like the suggestion about the bag. I may combine the bag with the talcum powder... not sure if that's overkill.

I'll let you know how it turns out. It might be Saturday... or possibly before.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Jeff10]

Hey,

I left them right side out....but trying inside out may not be a bad idea. Install it the way you might pull a sock onto a damp foot.

If I remember right when I worked for GM back in the 70's, they would use steam to expand the covers before installing them over the cushions/frame. Letting the sun heat them up might accomplish the same thing.

I think I'll try it first with the bag (and maybe talcum powder) with the cover turned right side out and pretty warm. If it slides down without too much effort I'll continue. If it doesn't want to go on without a lot of force, I'll probably try the inside out approach.

I'll post back here after I tackle it again later this week.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[67RT]

I have seen also the use of a heat gun to eliminate wrinkles, but I would go at that very carefully. Warm in sun seems like great idea. The dude who installed the ragtop on my RT set it too tight and I can't get the top latched unless it is 80° and in the sun.

How is your foam? You may want to replace it. I actually want to remove some of mine. I am only 5'10" and on my new seats I am looking at the windshield frame. Bugs the crud out of me..

 

[Scoop]

Jeff, CJ Pony has some good videos on reupholstering seats. Aimed at stock seat cover replacement, but still some good advice/tricks you might be able to use. I'm about to order some new foam and covers from them for my new (to me) half cab - I sold the bench and bought some buckets that need recovering!

 

[Jeff10]

Hey Gary,

Good to hear from you. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of CJ Pony.

I'm wondering if I shouldn't buy new foam, too. The foam on the driver side didn't look too bad, though. We'll see how it lays back down with the adhesive.

I wasn't sure that posting this thread in the tech section was the right place. Again all of the great suggestions reinforce what a great forum this is for guys sharing information on lots of different topics. It's a great place.

Will you be in Colorado any this summer? We're heading back to Moab on the 22nd. We'll be there for two weeks... if everything goes well, that is.

Take Care,

Jeff

 

[Scoop]

Funny that you should ask about Colorado! We're leaving this afternoon and staying to about the 21st. Not taking the Bronco though, it's torn apart for my wheel base stretch and doubler install. Have fun in Moab. How's the Bronco running?

 

[Jeff10]

Hi Gary,

Have fun in Colorado.

We're hoping that Moab isn't quite as expensive as last year.

Work has been pretty busy, so the Bronco is in the garage with the front end up on jack stands. I decided to install ram-assist steering a few months ago, and like everything new it probably takes me a lot longer than most people. I'm hoping that the steering is back together by this weekend. There are a few other improvements that I want to complete before we leave. Hopefully all will be good in two weeks. When we were at Bronco Safari the temperatures during the day weren't like what we'll be seeing this month... there were only a couple of times that the temperature got above 205. Hoping that it runs fairly cool on this trip.

Have a good trip.

Take Care,

Jeff

 

[SeanT4x4]

Where did you get these seat cover replacements? Mine are looking a little rough

 

[Jeff10]

Hi Sean,

CCOR on the mass buy forum is where I purchased mine.

Jeff