Seat Recover and Assembly made easy using magnets!

Hi all,
I’ve been working on a complete redo of my interior and was reluctant to take on the recover of my seats, as the leather covers are expensive and didn’t want to risk ruining them, and I wanted the end result to look right.

But after exploring options I went ahead. What made a HUGE difference was a tip I got from a local friend, that was passed along to him from a high-end auto upholstery shop. Use rare earth magnets to hold things in place while you adjust for proper fit.

Here’s a series of photos that I hope help others. It really was very straightforward.

  1. Use contact cement in the H pattern on both the seat cushion and cover.

  2. Once the cement has set up: Position the cover over the cushion, and then apply some weight to bond the two pieces. I discovered a soft cover book was the perfect distance between the seat cushion bolsters. I added some weights on top of that and let it sit overnight.

  3. Now the magnets. Turn the cushion/ cover assembly over, and use the magnets to hold the material in place around the perimeter. You can snug the material down, and the magnets will hold it in place regardless of the tension. You can turn the assembly over and inspect your work, adjusting the material as needed to get everything lined up and looking good. Keep making adjustments, turning the assembly over and inspecting, until it’s just the way you want it. Then use your staple gun to make the final attachment. Trim the excess. You’re done! ( Note the second photo has only the magnets holding the cover around the seat frame. Before stapling I knew exactly how it was going to look)

I’ve read how other people have use their knees to compress the cushion, or a board and clamps, but those approaches don’t make it easy to turn the piece over and see how things look before making final attachment. Using this method I didn’t have to commit to anything until I could see it looked just the way I wanted it to.

Hope this helps!
Robert

2 Likes

The end result looks really nice.

Yeah, nice results and a good tip.

Possibly overkill, but I put mine in a 20 ton press to squish the foam down while I stapled:

Didn’t seem to need all 20 tons, maybe 100 pounds or so - but it did give me a lot of control.

I had the desired edge indicated in washable markers.

     That does make it easier.  I used a board and a couple of bar clamps.  

You guys have some great ideas but a 20 ton press - I don’t have one.
OK I got my seats apart and ran into another problem There is a plastic piece riveted onto the top inside of the seat back that protects the vinyl from the headrest shaft. Mine are broken and I can’t seem to locate new ones. Anyone know where I can get replacements?
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That’s why I found the magnets to be great. Plus you get the advantage of knowing exactly what it will look like before you staple.

Plastidip? 20 chars…

I’m assuming the breakage you are mentioning is where the black plastic part attached to the metal part with the pop rivets as shown in the photograph. Also assuming the plastic pieces are NLA

A couple of ideas:

Can you reposition the plastic part by about half an inch or so, such that you could drill new holes in the plastic piece and pop rivet it to the metal piece? Or alternatively could you drill new holes through both the metal and plastic pieces with the plastic piece in it’s current location and pop rivet them together.

or,

Can you replace the plastic section that has broken with a piece of aluminum or plastic, epoxied to the plastic piece and then pop rivet that in place?