On a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being extremely difficult(meaning let the pros handle it), how hard is it to recover the front bench seats in a 71 skylark? I'm on a tight budget for the interior of my resto-mod (dropping most of the cash on engine upgrades) so I want to do as much on my own. Any advice is appreciated. Mike
its pretty easy.i was somewhat reluctant to try to recover my 1969 buick g/s untill a article came out in my muscle car enthusist magazine.don't now what month it was ,but it was this year.might be able to go to their website & still get it.if you puchase a set of hogring pliers[about 20.00 to 25.00]& the hogring clips[about 5.00 a bag of 100]your in bussiness.you might need to buy some pieces of foam which is pretty inexpesive.you probably will need some burlap for the top or some filter fabric for the very top.if you take it apart just take notice or pictures of how it was previously assembled.on some of the wire retainers that slide in the loop seams that are in the bottom of the seat covers i found that baby powder will help you get those slid thru there.the one thing that helped me most was out of the magazine article where you place a garbage bag over the seat backs.this lets you slide the seat cover over the backs like it had butter on them.it fits tight enough that it makes no noise after you get it on there & you simply trim off the extra at the bottom w/a knife,razorblade,.etc.if you have anymore questins e-mail me at alliedplg@sbcglobal.net.i would be glad to help you i know this site has given me my share of help. tom
I assume you are going to take the seat out of the car. Like the above post said, pay attention as you take the seat apart. I've done it and it just takes time, and is kind of fun too. Another suggestion is to put the seat back covers in the dryer for a few minutes or in the sun to get them nice and warm so they will stretch a little. Also I would go to an auto paint store and get a good pair of hog ring pliers, will save you a lot of time in the end. Good luck.
Get the covers from Legendary, do it on a sunny warm day so the vinyl will stretch. Took me and a friend about an hour to do, not counting seat removal time. I like the bag idea, I'll have to try it next time I do it. Oh, if you put the covers in the dryer, put them in a pillowcase so they don't get too hot.
thanks for all the advice. I thought it shouldn't be too difficult. I'll try to tackle it this weekend.
if u are going to use a dryer to warm the seat covers, place them in a pillowcase then toss it into the dryer.
Pay attention to the listing wires in the original seats. Always replace the burlap that goes over the springs. It is also a good idea to replace the foam as well.
