DIY seat cover install?

[penciltester]

Who of you have re-seat covered your seats yourself? Easy? Nightmare? Were you happy with the results?

Or is it recommended that I take them down the road to the upholsterer?


Thanks

[sdg3205]

I have removed and reinstalled the leathers on my 2001 jeep WJ. There is a learning curve and you need good hog ring pliers, but nothing can really go horribly wrong.

Give it a shot.

[mluder]

I've also done it. The second one is easier than the first.
I used a how-to called "Slip Me Some Skin" which you should be able to find on the board here.

Cheers
Steven

[Rich_NYS]

I did it last year, it was a PITA but the results were worth it. I followed the "slip me some skin" how-to, but improved on a few portions of it. It took me one day for each seat. I have a bunch of pics of the various steps as well as a few pics of parts of the process I feel I "improved" on. PM me if you want any pics.

[ccurzio]

I reupholstered all of the seats in my '86 Firebird. It's not difficult, but it can be time consuming.

I absolutely CANNOT overstate the importance of a good set of hog ring pliers. Seriously.

[Rich_NYS]

I absolutely CANNOT overstate the importance of a good set of hog ring pliers. Seriously.

+10

[mluder]

I reupholstered all of the seats in my '86 Firebird. It's not difficult, but it can be time consuming.

I absolutely CANNOT overstate the importance of a good set of hog ring pliers. Seriously.

Agreed... I bought all the hog rings on a classic car part site (I think it was Mustang related) and they included the pliers. Indispensable. You can use regular pliers but you don't want to. The hog ring pliers hold the rings perfectly and will save you a ton of headaches.

Also, if the rubber seat supports on the bottom are breaking there's a method fro using stainless steel wire to reinforce. Made a huge difference in my drivers seat.

Cheers
Steve

[ccurzio]

Agreed... I bought all the hog rings on a classic car part site (I think it was Mustang related) and they included the pliers. Indispensable.

Be wary of the hog ring pliers that upholstery distributors throw in with their sets. Usually they're crap. My upholstery came with a set of hog ring pliers, and I did the first seat with them. They were terrible.

If you know 100% that you're getting a good set of hog ring pliers with your upholstery, then you're ready to go. But I wouldn't even bother. Get a solid set of spring-loaded hog ring pliers, and it will make your life so much easier.

I bought these, and I can safely recommend them.

[skill]

Be wary of the hog ring pliers that upholstery distributors throw in with their sets. Usually they're crap. My upholstery came with a set of hog ring pliers, and I did the first seat with them. They were terrible.

If you know 100% that you're getting a good set of hog ring pliers with your upholstery, then you're ready to go. But I wouldn't even bother. Get a solid set of spring-loaded hog ring pliers, and it will make your life so much easier.

I bought these, and I can safely recommend them.

Spring loaded hog ring pliers all the way! Accipiter is right... it will be easier on your hand and arm muscles. Also, save all the "witch hats" to the best of your abilities! What are the witch hats? At the bottom of your seat you may still have the original witch hats that were installed with a pressure like fastner... Well, the head of them fastners that attach and stretch to the witch hats break or stretch and become useless if trying to replace some skins. See my photo. I used two zip ties per each witch hat. See if you note my technique and it worked better than wires.

Let me know if you have any questions. The photo has no hog rings installed yet... I'll post a pic of my final work.

Also, note, my car had the following hog ring count per chair, on original seats:

Headrest: 5 hog rings (top)
Headrest: 5 hog rings (bottom)
Body of chair: 65 hog rings (middle, lumbar section)
Base of chair: 35 hog rings

Total hog rings per chair: 110

An eBay auction I bought which came with the tool and some starter hog rings; http://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-Hog-Ring...-/281279024708

I would reserve 150 hog rings per seat. Just because of possibility of errors here and there. So be prepared if you are Do It Yourselfer to pull, tug, stretch, sweat and and use some time... 1 chair per day if you want to do it right!

[skill]

My Double Zip Tie technique;

My Final Work, Passenger Seat:

TIP: Before taking any hog rings off, be sure to mark with a a black sharpie where they are at and then remove them one by one with some kick ass vise grips!