Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: jrwoodjoe]
#432823
08/09/09 11:17 PM
08/09/09 11:17 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
PAINT IT BLACK
OP
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
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OP
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
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Quote:
Burlap on mine was beat, I bought new burlap at Home Depot (IIRC) and re-wove the wires through it.
Joe
I'll check that out.  I really DON'T care about "correctness".
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: PAINT IT BLACK]
#432826
08/12/09 11:19 PM
08/12/09 11:19 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
rss
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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Not sure what your plans are in regards to seat foam, but I spoke to the guys at Legendary, which is where I got my covers and foam from. They said the the foam they user is higher density than the original style foam buns and therefore you don't need to use the thin wires woven into the burlap, you can just cover the frames with new burlap from any fabric store.
Despite that, I decided to do the wire weave. I used music wire made by K&S Engineering. I was able to get it locally at a hardware store, but I have also seen it available online. I used 0.055" which I belive is a bit thicker than original. So far I have only finished one seat bottom. It is pretty firm with the heavier gauge wire weave and VERY comfortable. I was very happy with the results considering this was my first seat cover job. Here are some pics.
Last edited by rss; 08/12/09 11:51 PM.
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: rss]
#432828
08/12/09 11:26 PM
08/12/09 11:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: rss]
#432830
08/12/09 11:35 PM
08/12/09 11:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
rss
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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BTW, if you do use new Legendary foam, I found the front section of the bottom bun to be much thicker (front to back) than my original foam. This caused lots of frustration trying to get the listing wire channel in the foam to line up with the listing wire on the seat frame. After lots of wrestling with it, I finally pulled out my old orignal seat foam for measurements and figured this out. Ultimately I had to hollow out the front section of the bun so it would slide further back on the seat frame.
Last edited by rss; 08/12/09 11:36 PM.
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: PAINT IT BLACK]
#432832
08/14/09 12:55 PM
08/14/09 12:55 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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Thanks! I sat on the fence along time thinking about whether to take this one myself or pay someone to do it. I had gotten quotes of $600 to $800 just to install the new foam and covers that I was supplying. That didn't even include cleaning up and painting the seat frames. It's my understanding that the seat backs are a bit more challenging than the bottoms so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end. Based on my very limited experience, recovering seats seems to be one of those things that you don't have to get exactly right the first time. I removed the cover for that bottom cushion and made adjustments to the foam several times before I got a fit I was happy with. The downside to all of this is that it will probably take me a year to complete my front buckets versus the week that an upholstery shop would take, but its all worth it when I plant my @$$ in that seat and know that I did the work. Best of luck to you with yours
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: rss]
#432833
08/14/09 01:02 PM
08/14/09 01:02 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
PAINT IT BLACK
OP
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
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OP
Got a CHIP on my shoulder
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,647
Houston Texas
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Quote:
Thanks! I sat on the fence along time thinking about whether to take this one myself or pay someone to do it. I had gotten quotes of $600 to $800 just to install the new foam and covers that I was supplying. That didn't even include cleaning up and painting the seat frames.
It's my understanding that the seat backs are a bit more challenging than the bottoms so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out in the end.
Based on my very limited experience, recovering seats seems to be one of those things that you don't have to get exactly right the first time. I removed the cover for that bottom cushion and made adjustments to the foam several times before I got a fit I was happy with.
The downside to all of this is that it will probably take me a year to complete my front buckets versus the week that an upholstery shop would take, but its all worth it when I plant my @$$ in that seat and know that I did the work.
Best of luck to you with yours
I was quoted $800 too. It blew me away. That is with me supplying everything!
I am actually working on a back seat... the bottom cover came off easy. The back cover was a bit harder and ripped a little. I knew then that getting the new cover on was going to be tricky. The upholstery guy said that if I decided to do it myself, let it sit out in the hot sun for a while before I try it. He said it is a lot harder than you'd think.... 
I am a knucklehead and a cheapskate. I am going to try it myself. Hell, if I do it all and can't get the seat back cover on, at least it will be cheap enough to have them do that one thing...
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Re: Seat resto - what is this and is it reproduced?
[Re: cataclysm80]
#432835
08/14/09 08:42 PM
08/14/09 08:42 PM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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super stock
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super stock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 902
Seattle, WA
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Quote:
They charged me $50. I took them the old seats front and rear with covers still on them, and a new set of covers. A few days later I picked up the finished seats and my old covers.
Well for one thing I'd say you got a good deal, but I also think there can be a lot of variation in the quality and the amount of time invested in recovering seats. Legendary has prices on their website for replacing covers. I think its about $200 for two buckets, but its just that. They ONLY replace the covers. That does not include new foam, new burlap, or cleaning up or repairing the seat frames. My seats were trashed. They had been the home of a large mouse commune for way too long. The covers, foam and burlap was all garbage and they stunk. I also had some rust on the frames that I wanted cleaned up. For $50 you MIGHT find someone willing to rip off and install a new set of covers, but I guarentee they aren't going to do much more than that.
The level of effort I wanted, which included stripping, rustproofing, priming and painting the frames; new burlap with wire weave, new foam and cover installation requires the kind of man hours that is definately going to run in the $800+ plus range, at least where I live. The two shops I talked to gave me prices of $80 and $100 per hour.
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