Last year my girlfriend (Elizabeth-- um, now my fiance! ) presented a class on DIY upholstery for our (Chrome Czars) winter tech series, Hot Rod 101. Below is the handout she used in the class. It pretty much tells you all you need to know to cheaply and easily re-upholster your nasty old seats. I couldn't get all the images in the handout copied to the HAMB, so you may have to imagine it. Later I'll post pics from the class Hot Rod 101 Hot Rod Upholstery “Are your project seats all torn up and smell like 10 generations of rodents used your car as an out-house? Throwing a Mexican blanket over it is a cheap (but not a very good) solution. Throwing late-model buckets in is just plain wrong. This class covers how to prep a bare seat frame and properly cover and pad it with materials that are not only better than the originals, but one that mice will hate. No sewing skills or machines required. At the end of the class you should be able to prep your seats at home and cover them with an aftermarket seat cover or even use Mexican blankets and have them look good. “ Special thanks to the Chrome Czars and Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle Steps: 1. Strip 2. Fix 3. Prime 4. Mesh 5. Fabric 6. Pad 7. Fabric 8. Cover Tools & Supplies: A. Heavy weight fabric, approx. 4 yards per bench seat B. Garden or Handyman mesh, approx. 6 feet per bench seat C. Clippers for cutting mesh and zip ties D. Scissors for cutting fabric E. Zip ties F. Hog Rings and Hog Ring Pliers (optional) G. Pliers for pulling off original hog rings and fixing coils/springs H. Padding I. Respirator and goggles and gloves J. Spray on primer/sealer Shopping Notes for Tools & Supplies: A. Fabric is sold by the yard. You can buy 1/3 or 2/3, but if you try to buy it by the inch they will get mad. Most fabrics come 45” or 54” or 60” wide. This measurement is non-negotiable. Cotton fabrics are usually 45” wide and upholstery fabrics are usually 60” wide. I recommend the 60” wide fabric because you get more for your money and do not have to worry about sewing pieces together if the fabric you bought is not wide enough. Most fabric stores have a “Clearance” section or my favorite, a “dollar a yard” section. If you find a heavy weight fabric (like canvas or upholstery) that has a stretch to it, that is great. It’s not necessary, but it will make getting things smooth a little easier. However, do not buy spandex. It looses its stretch over time and shows every bump in the padding, like it does on people… Fabrics range in cost from $1/yard to hundreds of dollars. Most upholstery is around $5-$25/yard. If you do not plan on seeing it, go for inexpensive. Just make sure it is thick. B. Handyman mesh can be found at any hardware store. It is generally sold by the roll or by the foot. The smaller the diameter of the mesh, the better protection against vermin in the future, plus it is more stable…1/2” should be small enough. What originally was used on your seat (where we are putting the mesh) is burlap fabric with heavy gauge metal wire woven through it. You will notice that the wire probably rusted and ate away at the burlap. Mice also love to chew on burlap. It was what was available at the time, so that is what they used. Burlap is still available. It makes me itch and I hate it, but if you want to be true to the original, you will need some burlap. Four (4) yards per seat is ample. You will also need the wire and the patience to straighten it out off of the spool, thread it through the burlap and fold it over and clamp down the ends. Mesh is generally $8-10 per roll or $2-4 per foot. (If they want more, go to another store.) C. Clippers. I used my kitchen scissors. You may not want to do this, so buy another pair. Using the cutting section on your pliers will take forever. I paid $8 for my kitchen scissors at Target. D. Good Scissors are amazing when it comes to cutting fabric. Good does not have to mean expensive, but it does generally entail buying a new pair. Scissors that have been used to cut anything other than fabric will be dull and cutting your fabric will take longer and cause frustration. If you have a sharpening stone and know how to use it on scissors, this may help, should you not wish to buy a new pair. You can also use a razor to cut your fabric. All I can say to that is “good luck.” It works, but is not what I would recommend. Fabric scissors are sold at the fabric store and cost anywhere from $8-$100. You do not need $100 scissors. I had a pair once and after catching a kid using them to open a paint can in the scene shop I decided it wasn’t worth the legal fees to protect them. E. Zip Ties. They are great. You can buy them at any hardware store, usually in the electrical section. Color is up to you (but hopefully you will not see them when you are done) and anything over 8-10” is not necessary. However the longer ones tend to be thicker/stronger, and if you think your seats will go through a lot of stress or carry a lot of weight, get the thicker/longer ones. You can always cut off the slack. Zip Ties are so cheap I can’t remember what they cost. Maybe $5 for a package of 50…and 50 ties per seat is good. F. Hog Rings and Hog Ring Pliers are what were originally used to hold the covers and interior structure of the seats together. I have found that Zip Ties do the same job, but easier, and will not rust (which also stains and eats away at the fabric). However, many hog rings that are sold today do not rust (galvanized). You can use the zip ties to get everything in place, then snap on a hog ring and cut off the zip tie if you like the idea of being a purist. Zip ties are not that expensive and will save you time and frustration as you work to get things into place…in that they allow you to pull the fabric into place by tightening the tie. Hog rigs require having everything in place them maneuvering a little ring of metal and a tool. I am not that coordinated. I have only seen hog ring and the pliers sold online. The pliers are generally $15-30, and the rings are sold by the box for about $6-10. If you know where to buy them locally, go for it. About 50 rings per seat. G. Pliers. If you don’t have at least one pair of these by now…go get a pair. And consider changing hobbies. Hot Rods may not be for you. H. Padding. Also called Batting. Your original seats have cotton padding. It is what the mice and other vermin have been living in and eating and peeing and pooping all over. They LOVE this stuff. We are going to make sure that they do not have access to your padding, so you can use cotton if you want to be true to the past. It will cost more, be harder/messier to work with, and you must call around to find it. Vogue Fabrics in Evanston sells it in their upholstery section by the “bundle.” One bundle per seat is enough. I recommend polyester (or poly, for short) batting. Mice do not like it as much, and since it’s synthetic, it does not decompose over time or hold onto moisture like cotton will... (tampons are made out of cotton for a reason). Poly is sold in a variety thickness. Often found in the upholstery or quilting section of the fabric store. If you are using the cotton batting, you will want to wrap it in thin polyester batting to even it out (it can be chunky). The thin poly batting will be ample to smooth out the cotton; and 4 yards per seat ought to do it. If you are using the poly batting as your seat padding, get the thickest stuff. Buy it by the yard to save cost. Some stores sell it pre-cut for making bed quilts. This will cost you more…and not be as thick…and you will need to buy a lot. So buy it by the yard. You will need about 3 yards per seat section, so for a bench seat you will need 6 yards. If you have seats in the front and back, buy 12 yards. Also, the thin padding is what is used in door panels in-between the panel and the fabric/leather cover to smooth out the panel and give it a little dimension. It is also used on the backs of the front seats between the frame and the fabric/leather cover, and the base trim sections for the same reason. So buy some thin poly (or extra if you are already planning on using it) if you plan on tackling these areas as well. Cotton padding is about $12-20 per bundle (depending on the store) and poly batting is anywhere from $2-5 yard depending on the width (usually 54”, and the thickness (varies by store). Often it goes on sale for 50% off. That is the best time to buy of course. More on Padding: Old comforters! Most thrift stores sell old/used comforters. They are supposed to clean any merchandise before it goes on the sales floor…so do the sniff test before buying. Comforters are essentially poly padding encased in synthetic (poly/cotton) fabric. This is what I used in my car. They cost me $2-5 a piece. I bought the thickest/fluffiest ones they had and used about 3 per seat. It saved me a lot of money, and the batting was encased, therefore easier to work with. Make sure the comforters are not “chunky” (the batting has moved around and gotten into clumps). They worked quite well. You do not have to go this route, but it will save you money, if that is a concern. I. Respirator, Goggles, and Gloves. Sorry, I had to include basic safety after years of working in construction under OSHA guidelines. The respirator and goggles are mainly for when you are stripping down the original seat. The amount of mold in there can be damaging to your lungs and sinuses, and the loosened moldy fibers can do damage to your eyes. Also wear these items when spraying the primer, for similar reasons. A well-ventilated space is optimal. I worked on my seats in the basement and still sneeze whenever I go down there… Gloves are because, well, metal is sharp and I like to maintain a somewhat decent appearance (it’s all in my head, but I like to believe it). Also, who wants to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot? J. Primer/Sealer. Yes. After you strip the old rotten stuff off, you will want to clean it up a bit, straighten out the coils/springs…maybe replace a few (sold online. Search for “Upholstery Supplies” and look for springs…about $1-3 per spring) Then prime/seal the bare metal frame. Again, rust stains and eats at the fabric. While you have it apart, go ahead and protect it for the future. Color is up to you and it won’t be seen. If you have people looking under your seats, what color they see will be the least of your worries.
Steps: 1.Strip: just like it says. Pull all the old stuff off. The old hog rings can be a pain. I had to grind a few off on my seats. Otherwise, pliers should do the trick. Sometimes the old fabric and padding is really wound around the frame. Make sure you pull all of that off. You really want to get rid of the rot or it will affect your new seat padding and covers. save these things 2.Fix: you may need to bend some of the springs back into shape or do other minor repairs. If you are missing springs, definitely replace them. 3.Prime: this is the fun part. Makes the frame look almost like new. Clean off the rust the best you can then spray with a primer/sealer. Get all nooks and crannies. Flip the seat over to really spray all exposed metal. 4.Mesh: cut mesh so it is 2 inches smaller than the top of your seat. You are using this in place of where the burlap threaded with wire used to be. It will go over the springs to even things out before you start padding. Use zip ties about every 4 inches or so to secure it to the frame/coils. 5.Fabric: the fabric is to go over the mesh so padding doesnt fall through or tempt the critters that get into your car. It also starts to create a sandwich for the padding. The fabric should be as wide as the seat (measured across: from door-to-door) and 3 times as deep. The extra fabric will be folded up over the padding to complete the sandwich or burrito (what I think it looks like). Zip tie the fabric all the way around pulling the fabric to the edge of the frame leaving the 2/3 slack hanging off the front edge. 6.Pad: lay in the padding whichever you have chosen. You will need to either cut it down to slightly larger than the frame (about 2 inches on all sides, plus the depth of the front or top edges) or lay the padding on and fold over several times until you have reached your desired thickness. When the fabric is stretched over top of the padding it will crush it down a bit, so keep that in mind. No glue or zip ties or tape. Just lay it in there and make sure it is smooth. cotton or synthetic 7.Fabric: fold the excess fabric back over top of the padding, keeping in mind the front and top edges. Zip tie it to the frame around the edges, pulling the fabric evenly so you dont get dents (caused by puling the fabric too tight between two points). You did it! 8.Cover: You can now throw on that custom seat cover you ordered online following their directions, or toss on a Mexican blanket! (But maybe you are really lucky, you convinced a loved one to make you white vinyl tuck and roll covers, even though she has never done that before, never sewn vinyl, and has trouble keeping white things clean ) Respectfully Yours, Elizabeth Shaffer works for door panels, too!
Wow... this is an old one! We've been married for 9 years now... with twin daughters! Thanks for bringing it back up. FYI 5window, my wife now lives up the road from you in Williamsport, and I'll be out there soon.
Great tech - thanks ! I love the idea of the mesh over the springs. I will be using that idea on my car. Should help "level out " the springs and make it feel better.
Touch base when you get here-there's some good hot rod stuff in Central PA. Plus, you're only 2 hours form Hershey!
I have a question, the mesh , is it plastic or are ya'll using wire mesh? Wire mesh seems pretty stiff to imagine using. My wife has made about 4 sets of seat covers for me, and done some boat seats also. She has done well with mine but I appreciate this thread. The idea of using second hand comforters is ok with me but I'll let my wife figure out if she wants to do that. There are some things that we are unsure about as far as cutting contours and such. And one job I am getting near having to do is cutting down a 96 Cadillac STS rear seat back to fit under the back shelf. We have the original seat frames for the bottom of the 55 Studebaker but the only frame/spring set up we have is missing some outer metal edging and spring. As there is not enough room for a human in the back of a Studebaker coupe, we may not have to do a lot to make the original type top usable. But just in case,is a electric serrated knife the tool to use to cut up the mostly foam Cadillac seat back?
For my RPU build I didnt have the seat springs so I just stacked or layered different densities of foam on a template board with densest to softest on top then covered and stapled desired material on back side. Works for a low buck build.
If you want to make more comfortable, cut holes where your butt sits and put some webbing under your ass. Gives a little more relief on long rides.
The Jalopy Journal
