Do it yourself seat recovering

[Superman]

Im thinking about recovering my seats, and Im thinking of doing it myself. For those of you who have done this, how hard is it? Would you do it again or send it to a pro?

 

[Chas]

Im thinking about recovering my seats, and Im thinking of doing it myself. For those of you who have done this, how hard is it? Would you do it again or send it to a pro?

(My opinion only).....for $100 per seat or less , you can have it done for you by the pros. to me , some things are better left to the pros....my seats are going to be redone soon and i plan on having it done....they have all the tools and knowledge to do it so my plan is let them do it for me.

(im sure it can be done, but which one will look like it was never done in the first place???)

Good Luck...
Chas

 

[Superman]

$100 or less for a pro to do it? You cant even buy the covers for $100. A buddy of mine has a 69 and was told he could get his seats done for around $700.

 

[LVMYVT76]

I think he means $100 for labor each seat, not including the cover. I also had mine covered by a pro, but I think they have a DVD that shows how to.

 

[Superman]

Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[Chas]

$100 or less for a pro to do it? You cant even buy the covers for $100. A buddy of mine has a 69 and was told he could get his seats done for around $700.

That cost is labor to install ONLY! you have to buy the foam and covers still.
Mid America charges $200 per set to install new material on your frames...material and shipping is extra....$200 is labor to install.

And now they have custom cover colors available to choose from and make yours stand alone in a crowd.

Mid America is not my employer...just an example.

 

[Wolverine]

I recovered my seats myself and they turned out pretty good. I made it one of my winter projects and took my time. I would do it again.

 

[red70vette]

I installed new foam and leather seat covers myself. It is not a bad job. You just need to take your time and be patient. No special tools are required. In my opinion well worth doing yourself. I had some rust on the seat frames so I cleaned them up and repainted them figuring they are good for another 35 years. I feel you are better off investing in good quality seat covers then going cheaper and having someonelse install them.
Here is a website with details on installation. http://rowleycorvette.com/corvette_repair2.html
Check it out it is not that difficult.
Here is another one:
http://www.corvettefever.com/techarticles/corp_0508_1965_seat_cover_installation/
and another:
http://www.corvettefever.com/howto/corp_0505w_seat_recover/
There are more instructions available just google it.

 

[Rich80]

Great Prices on mounted seats...

http://www.yankeelady.com/willcox/index.htm

 

[srs244]

Great Prices on mounted seats...

http://www.yankeelady.com/willcox/index.htm

i have used wilcox for the parts for the entire replacement of my interior from wall to wall and ceiling to floor. they are the greatest to deal with, knowledgable and pleasant. they supply only the highest quality of product from all the major suppliers. their pricing is second to none as far as i am concerned.

 

[Evolution1980]

My foam and seatcovers were essentially shot when I replaced mine. I got all 4 pieces (two seats, two backs) with new foam and leather for like $800 from (I think) MidAmerica. (Now they even have custom two-tone seats which I think it pretty cool!) All I had to do was clip in the new seats to my existing frame. I was able to offset the price of the new seats by getting rid of the old ones on eBay. For being torn up and worn, they still fetched a pretty penny.

 

[Tom Pientowski]

Recovering C-3 seats

Im thinking about recovering my seats, and Im thinking of doing it myself. For those of you who have done this, how hard is it? Would you do it again or send it to a pro?

I chose to do it myself. With new leather covers, foam and the install kit with all new hooks and hog rings from Al Knoch. Doing it myself I could keep the cost down and being a perfectionist pay attention to detail. I never did this before so I took apart one seat and used the other for reference. Frames had some rust so I sandblasted and painted those. All hardware in question (condition) was replaced. Took me about 8-10 hours on and off on the first seat, the second went quicker, but the results...perfection. Would I do it again, absolutely.

 

[chuckhinva]

Just finished doing this. After buying the seat covers, realized that the old cushions just wouldn't do. So after I bought them , I was about $200 shy of buying the seats already recovered. Believe me, it is not worth doing it yourself.

Bite the bullet and buy the recovered seats. Wilcox seems to have the best prices, and the service is outstanding.

 

[LorinD]

I also chose to do it myself - if I must say the seats look great . I replaced
the foam and the seat cover with red leather . Replaced the door panels and
the three pieces that fit around the inside of the windshield . If you should
decide to do them yourself take your time, do it in a warm area . The covers
will be easier to work with . I purchase everything from Corvette America
because they are within driving distance . Good luck with your project.