Recovering Seats: Beginner's Try! *Update: Got Started!*

[TerryD]

I picked up another set of seats for the K5 from a buddy locally. I got to noticing that both drivers seats are broken down and the foam is worn out. Both passenger seats are not to bad though. I've about decided to try to recover both passenger seats and make the better of the two into a drivers seat. I know I'll need hog rings and pliers, but wondered if you had any advice for me?

Also, where do you get your hog rings from?

 

[TerryD]

So today we finally got started on the seats for the K5. I brought them inside this morning, removed the brackets, and cut the hog rings off the driver's side seat, pulling the factory seat coverings off. I found about $1.25 buried down in the folds of the seat. I may start pulling my old junk seats apart before hauling them off....

We then took a razor knife and cut the stitching at the seams. Making sure to label the back side of the pieces so we know where they go back. We'll be using this for a pattern to make the new covers. I laid them out in the floor in the order they went together so putting them back will work better.

Since the K5 is camouflaged, I was thinking about using either black vinyl or black duck-material for the sides, and green duck-material for the seating surfaces. Probably double layering it on the outside of the seats where the passenger slides over it getting in or out.

I found a place online to order the burlap backing, foam for the filling of the covers, and the welt for the seams. Now I just need to find the material and order it all.

Our #1 Recovery boiler is going down at work for a week long outtage. This means at least two weeks working 16hr days, one weekend for shutdown and one weekend for start-up, so it'll be a while before I get to put them back together. Hopefully we can find the material and Julie can start making the panels and all I'll have to do is recover everything and ring it in place... (yeah right)

 

[Mav2u]

I've always wondered what the foam looked like under the cloth. Interesting it is all one piece of shaped foam as far as I can tell from the picture. My Driver seat is sagging also, but I have a backup interior from a 91.

Subscribed to see how this goes. Post pics as the project progresses please. Thanks!

 

[TerryD]

Julie is supposed to go by the fabric shop Wednesday and see if they have the duck I want to use on them. As for the foam, its actually a front and back piece fused together around the frame. I'm not brave enough to split it apart yet, but I'm thinking about putting in loops for a 5 point harness. Maybe....

 

[Mav2u]

I know I used to see the rebuild foam kits. I think it was in LMC Truck that had the foam kits. I need to look again to see. As my drivers side is pretty much wore out on the door side from getting in an out all of these years.

 

[TerryD]

The bracket mounts are the same on both frames so I think I'm going to put the passenger side seat frame on the driver's side after we recover them.

 

[TerryD]

After WAY too long, I bought some welt and foam today. We're hoping to get them done this week I hope!

 

[TerryD]

We got started on the seats yesterday! Started with the bottom of one seat. Kinda learn as we go and not ruin both seats at the same time if we do something wrong.

Started by pinning the original seat to the new fabric:

For cutting the fabric, you'll need "Pinking Shears". These cost me $40 but Julie said we needed them:

You can see the zig-zag edge the keeps the fabric from unraveling:

With the fabric, foam and backing all cut:

We glued the three pieces together with 3m general trim adhesive. Got a little carried away in one place and wound up with a dark spot on the fabric. Lesson 1 learned! Then we laid out the pleats using a marker on the backing:

We played with the sewing maching trying to find settings that worked well. This took us a while and wasted quite a bit of thread, but got us settings that worked well. We used several test pieces for this, including one where we sewed welting to 3 or 4 times will we got the stitch right.

Next we sewed in the pleats, sewed the edges together to help stablize it and put the welting on. For the welt, we used a zipper foot. They make a cording foot, but we do not have one and the zipper foot works OK. You can see in the upper right hand side the dark spots from the excess adhesive.

*Again, we are using a regular Singer house-hold sewing machine for this. Not the proper tool, but it's what we have and it's working so far.*

 

[pmpski_1]

Subscribed. Looks great!

 

[str8axle55]

Great job, looks like it is coming out nice. I can`t wait to see it finished.

 

[76zimmer]

check the condition of your springs also, if you felt like you were sinking into the seat, and not sitting up on it, your springs are strectched out..

Great job so far, keep posting up detailed pics.
I've done seat rebuilds, but only with premade parts.
Cool stuff.

 

[mdm365]

Any progress ?? I wondered if a regular sewing machine will work. Looks great so far.

Mike

 

[cdoggwsu]

Awesome project, Terry. Thanks for sharing!

Subbed to see how this turns out.

 

[jyreene]

Leather

Has anyone done this kind of work with leather?

 

[TerryD]

Sorry guys, since the move and trying to get some wiring updated in the new house, the seats have been put on hold. Hoping to get another start at them soon, well, as soon I find them.... Did I mention how much I HATE moving?

check the condition of your springs also, if you felt like you were sinking into the seat, and not sitting up on it, your springs are strectched out..

Great job so far, keep posting up detailed pics.
I've done seat rebuilds, but only with premade parts.
Cool stuff.

The springs seemed ok. They were in a lower mileage K5 a local guy had. He parted it out because of rust. Plow truck maybe? Don't remember. I could have probably stitched up the tear in the driver's side seat and kept them the way they are, but decided to try this instead.

Any progress ?? I wondered if a regular sewing machine will work. Looks great so far.

Mike

Sorry man, having trouble finding time to work on them with the new house, soon though! We are using a regular Singer brand sewing machine that Julie had. It's not working great, you have to be patient and waste some material/time getting the proper setup and touch to get it to sew. If I was going to do more than just the one set of seats, I'd be finding her an upholstery machine ASAfreakingP!

Awesome project, Terry. Thanks for sharing!

Subbed to see how this turns out.

Thanks. Maybe get them done before I die? lol

Has anyone done this kind of work with leather?

I would assume if you had the proper needles and a stout enough machine you could do leather.


I'm debating removing the welt from the seat since the one cover we've started isn't extremely far along. Just have to add something to be able to tie them into the foam. The upholstery guy I bought it from said he doesn't even use welting anymore. Just sews them up without it. I kinda like the factory look of it, so I'm a little torn right now. Like I said though, It'll be a bit before I'm back at them. Got a few more projects to do around here but I'm hoping to have at least the front seats done this summer. Best laid plans, eh?