cjberquist88

hey guys im in the process of redoing my seats well seat at the moment . but i was just wondering if anybody had tips for DIY.. ill post some pics as i get the bottom side done( rear seats) , or if anybody has done them post some pics thnks

cjberquist88

bare with me , this is my first shot at this lol.. still have a little tightening to do and 3 1/2 more seats haha.. but for 25 bucks i cant complain so far

stealtht/a

iTrader: (1)

You are sewing these yourself? Very brave!
Looks like you are bunching at the seems. When the 2 pieces are moving into the foot of the sewing machine, one side is feeding in faster and getting higher stitch pitch. Try focusing more on keeping them even as they feed in. Probably hard on that material as it won't feed as well as fabric. Seats are always tough.
Good luck, show us the final product please and details on your materials.
Thanks!

cjberquist88

ya i have learned ALOT just doing the bucket and im in the process of the back now, so im hoping the further along i get the better they turn out... the material is just vinyl you buy from the yard at joann fabric and extra strength upholstery thread..ill post some more pics this evening on the progress... and the carpet and rest of the interior is being redone as well lol so it wont be black orange and tan

micktroup2

Just a suggestion(bravo for doing this yourself my the way!!), do the other rear seat bottom before the backs- you will get better at this as you go, so if you do the back or backs of the rear seat and THEN the bottom of the other rear, you may have improved enough that they will look considerably different in quality. Just a suggestion- can't wait to see how they all turn out!

cjberquist88

thanks, and ya thas not a bad idea if i didnt start sewing already lol ... but im really hoping they turn out the way im expecting... new pics should be up this evening

gotabekidding

What difficulties are you running into?

I currently do this for a living and have been doing automotive upholstery (trim)
for some years (10+).

I have to commend you you on your initial attempt.
Most people would just put a cover over it.

What kind of vinyl are you using?
Jo Ann fabrics DOES NOT carry automotive grade vinyl.
There are vinyl's for home and some for automotive.
House vinyl will eventually harden up and crack in a very short time.

Are you pleating the seat back?
You have to allow an 1/8" more material for every pleat sewn, if using 1/2" backed foam.
If you have a 12" insert and have 8 pleats to sew, then 13" of material will be used!

Any ?'s , please ask.

cjberquist88

wow that is very disappointing to know im not using the right vinyl... the women there told me to use the stuff i bought( obviously i shouldnt have listened to a women working at a craft store) how long will it last?? ill finish the rest of this seat and buy the right material for the rest... im really not running into any issues other than the lack of experience.. like straight lines and my machine breaking needles do to the foam being thick .. im doing the same exact design as the other upholstery except color and material, so pleading a little but not to much ..... the reason im attempting it myself is 2 reasons.. 1 is i hate the thought of paying someone the crazy amount it cost to have it done ( even though its understandable due to time it takes) and 2 having things done myself makes me feel like its more "custom" and worth something, pride lol...thanks for the reply and im really glad you mentioned im using the wrong fabric thats SHITTY

KrisW

iTrader: (5)

following along...

gotabekidding

http://www.yourautotrim.com/

This is a site that that I use to get materials to sew.
The shipping may be a bit. the place is in MS.

There are 4 grades, basically.
Household, Commercial, Automotive and Marine.
There is also thickness, which is in ounces ( a 27oz. vinyl is thicker than a 12oz. vinyl)
1. Household doesn't have to deal with extreme heat and Fade due to sunlight
2. Commercial grade is usually thicker and can handle more wear and tear
3. Automotive grade is made not to fade with constant exposure to UV light, ie: the sun
They are made to handle extreme heat and cold conditions
(a closed up car in the summer can reach 190 degrees or more)
4. Marine Grade can handle Heat, Sun and is very resistant to water and oils
from the skin and sun tanning/blocking lotions.

If your car has t-tops, you may want to consider using a UV resistant thread.
From your pictures you are top stitching (exposed thread).
The thread will exposed to moisture, sun and probably Armorall.
That will dry out the thread and break.
A "tuck and roll" is best, but your sewing machine is probably not set up to handle the thickness of material.

Yes, an interior front and rear seat will run about 1500 - 2000, if I am not too far off.
Depending what you want done to the seat

ANY more questions, just ask.
I will help guide you best I can over the conputer

cjberquist88

thanks! so is there anything i can do to "treat" the thread or maybe a different thread i can use to keep this from happening?? im sewing it the same exact way i pulled it off ( because i know nothing about upholstery lol) so either i thought i was doing it the same or maybe there was a better thread that was used for the stock upholstery?

gotabekidding

no treatment to my knowledge.

There is a bit more of do's and don'ts that you learn over time.
You are not doin to bad for what you know!

The front seats are going to be a bit more difficult, due to the thickness of material when you sew certain panels together, with a normal sewing machine.

Upholsterers use a industrial machine with a walking foot. this moves the top of what is being sewn with the bottom. These are usually very sturdy machines. Mine can sew through a door panel with no problem!

Black with orange inserts?
It will gain attention!

cjberquist88

im kind of in a holding pattern now lol due to different material, relatives from cali being here to visit and i just acquired a 350 that im about to start building ... sooo i have to order some auto grade vinyl and hope for the best lol.... thanks! i dont think the one turned out to bad either.. i plan on doing the car black and orange so gotta match the interior

SolarGoldRaptor

I'm doin the same, I'm preparing the patterns for each part of the seats covers at the moment, and there are a LOT of different pieces.

I'm using upholstery leather though. It's actually much cheaper than buying vinyl in my case...
I'd suggest the first thing you do, is get a good sewing machine, with a good gripe and industrial one would be the best and you can get them rather cheap second hand.
You will need specific needles depending on the cloth you will use. And find some high quality thread, you don't want it to break apart once it's installed...

Oh by the way, I know it's a matter of personal taste, but PLEASE, don't do a two tone black and orange interior. Do something more subtle, more classy. I see that all the time, the center of the seat is of a bright color, the sides are black. I find it horrible.
Black seats with some simple hints of orange (no orange piping, this is just as bad). My two cents.

88I-ROC

Looking good fellow PDX 88 IROC owner...

cjberquist88

Thanks. Its kind of in a holding pattern right now. Im in the process of building a 350 and my tranny in my daily driver went out so im dealing with that as well ill try and post more pics when i get back on track

white_ghost

Well CJ....I can tell you have had a lot of fun so far with the seat. I would recommend that if you can afford it.....go to a restyler (uphostere) and get them to order you a set of covers from KATZINS. You can order them in leather, vinyl, or fabric and they will fit perfect to your seats without issue. Not to mention you can custom order by color combination you desire for your car.......GOOD LUCK!!!

TEDSgrad

iTrader: (4)

Upholstery and paint are the two I've outsourced. Kudos to all who DIY

I purchased seats w/xtra leather; then took the backs to an upholsterer. Later, went back and had him re-finish the console lid to match.

First pic was taken inside garage, other two w/outside light. He left a little shrinkage room in the back seats being leather.

Brian