In a message dated 4/28/99 5:48:49 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
bkn@cyberramp.net writes:
<< I am about to recover the seats in my 49, and had a few questions.
Is it better to leave the existing covering on the seat (these are in
very good shape, and on very tight.......just the wrong color) and put
the new covers over the old, or would it be better to strip the old one
off and start from scratch?
Also, does anyone have any tips before I start?
Thanks
Brad >>
Brad,
I just rebuilt and upholstered my seats and they came out great.
There's a bunch of ways to do this, you may be able to slip the new ones over
the old, but it may be tight. If not here are the basics for the whole
teardown:
1) remove all old covering and padding (and burlap) down to springs (save
the old cover in case you need a pattern for new covers)
2) repair any bent or broken springs - easy to do - also buy yourself a pair
of hog-ring pliers ($8 at ACE hardware) and clamp the loose springs back
together.
3) cover springs with used carpeting (good side up) and clip carpet to a few
springs using the hog rings.
4) Cover carpet with carpet padding
5) cover padding with 1 to 2" thick urethane foam
6) finally ready to put on seat "cover" (you can order these through Chevy
duty for about 150$ or bring your old seat to a local shop and have it done
for close to the same amount. Use Hog rings and funky little oblong "C" type
clips to attach seat cover to frame. I turned my seat upside-down and just
about sat on it to compress the springs so the cover would go on tight. You
should also do the cover install on a warm day or use a hot air gun if its
cold.
Good luck,
Tom
'49 3100 (with a great seat)
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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