Installing Seat Covers

[RonnyB]

RonnyB this is great information for those going this route. Where did the 1" have to come from - height or width? If width was it 1/2 inch from each side or otherwise? If height, is it just taken off the bottom (Flat) side?

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The Upholstery guys says due to increased height of seat foam ( See my photo above), cutting 1 inch off the flat side of the bottom should be enough to attach the fabric to the underside of the frame without ripping. I do not know if all roadster seats are the same seat bottom thickness, but even though the old foam is 51 years old, the height of the foam is significantly different. I'll include photos in the final post.

By the way, Don at San Luis Interiors, 805-235-0992, 37 years in the business, has been great.

[MattC]

I couldn’t imagine putting the new covers on the old foam. They would be way too loose. Here is the old vs new from mine. I had originally thought I could mount these covers myself and I, too, thought they would need to be cut (about 1” like your guy thought) but after sharing my issue with Dean, he convinced me that the foam would fit...which it did. But yes, it is still a huge pain in the ass to cram them in.

9649DC1F-53ED-4DAE-A5E2-7865D06D7125.jpeg

[Habitat.pat]

Thanks for all the input on foam thickness.

I’m still not convinced that stuffing the foam in is the thing to do. While it works well now, how well will the stitching hold up down the road? I think of it like wearing tight pants. It may look good now but it may open a seam when you bend over in the future.

[redroadster]

Have you tried waxed paper?
A sheet on the foam and inside the cover or a long sheet rolled over
Also on over stuffed upholstery the trick is to loop tread thru the foam pull it tight , tie it off then put the cover on ,then cut the loop

[robb]

Question for you please.
I am looking to do my seats. I have only the frame of the seat. Did you buy the foam and vinyl seats covers from Datsun Parts.com
They look great by the way
Thanks Robb

[iloveredmeat]

Thanks for all the input on foam thickness.

I’m still not convinced that stuffing the foam in is the thing to do. While it works well now, how well will the stitching hold up down the road? I think of it like wearing tight pants. It may look good now but it may open a seam when you bend over in the future.

Hi Pat, I read this thread not as "stuffing the foam", but rather "trimming the foam"... so the covers fit well.

That's what my upholsterer had to do, because he was concerned about stress on the seams if he tried to 'stuff' the untrimmed foam.

He trimmed the foam with a knife so the covers fit properly, comfortably, and firmly over the foam. I'm not a bit concerned that they will burst like my jeans have done over the last couple of months.

With all of the anecdotes, I think we determined that you will likely need to TRIM the foam BEFORE covering, so the vinyl covers fit comfortably.

It is NOT plug and play as the product descriptions imply.

Labor and foam customization are REQUIRED, and should be considered a necessity.

In the long run, mine turned out great...

I do wish I would have known that it wasn't as straightforward as I was led to believe BEFORE going into it and delivering to the upholsterer.

Final verdict: don't stay away, they end up nice... just make sure your upholsterer is aware that they'll most likely need to trim the foam to fit.

Best of luck!
Peter

[C.Costine]

I couldn’t imagine putting the new covers on the old foam. They would be way too loose. Here is the old vs new from mine. I had originally thought I could mount these covers myself and I, too, thought they would need to be cut (about 1” like your guy thought) but after sharing my issue with Dean, he convinced me that the foam would fit...which it did. But yes, it is still a huge pain in the ass to cram them in.

9649DC1F-53ED-4DAE-A5E2-7865D06D7125.jpeg

Anyone who has used the foam and covers: I am working on my seats. From the above pic it appears that when comparing the new foam to the old, that the most effective place to trim a little foam should be on the top outer edges where the new is sooooo much bigger than the original, as well as on the inside of each of the side bolsters where the bolsters will obviously be holding the cover up off from the middle part of the foam. Anyone with personal experience with this?

[RonnyB]

C. Costine, My installer said he needed to trim an inch off the bottom of the new bottom seat foam to keep the side fabric from tearing. Unfortunately, the center of the seat then became too loose so I need him to add more foam to the center portion of the seat foam. I'm not sure I would recommend his method. Perhaps find an installer that can manage this difficult installation. The backs fit perfectly.

[C.Costine]

C. Costine, My installer said he needed to trim an inch off the bottom of the new bottom seat foam to keep the side fabric from tearing. Unfortunately, the center of the seat then became too loose so I need him to add more foam to the center portion of the seat foam. I'm not sure I would recommend his method. Perhaps find an installer that can manage this difficult installation. The backs fit perfectly.

Ahh, exactly as I thought! I hope someone has experience with what I am asking. If it is as tight as described with out trimming, it would have to be like a drum in the center.

[sfdaugherty]

I have a quick question for all now that this is a hot topic. I'm restoring a set of seats with Dean's foam and am replacing the straps. Some of the pics I've seen are "weaved" and some are not. Which method is original and which is preferred?

Shannon

[C.Costine]

I have original from two cars here, a '67 and a '68 and neither were woven.

[jrusso07]

I have 5 sets of high windshield seats (3 in cars) and all use rubber straps. You can reuse the rubber straps if not dry rot, torn or otherwise deteriorated by drawing them tight around the frame and drilling new holes for the "staples".