beezee

iTrader: (19)

looking good so far.

Esser

iTrader: (2)

Honestly, in the future, you do not need to buy hog rings and the tool. Some simple small zip-ties will do the exact same thing and are much easier to use. In fact with the zip ties you can even get the fitment a little tighter

aboveliquidice

iTrader: (1)

Can you explain this? I thought the hog ring connects whatever metal/plastic rod to the foam... If not the foam, where do you connect the zip tie?

beezee

iTrader: (19)

Same way. Think about ziptie as a plastic hog ring except it is more flexible and easier to work with

Esser

iTrader: (2)

Exactly. Just make it into a ring around whatever material you are joining. So much easier!!!!!

big_dish

iTrader: (3)

I bought a bunch of plastic zip ties as well when I did mine, but went with the hog rings anyway. Not sure if its a valid concern, but in the back of my head I worried about the plastic breaking down under the stress and heat and popping off, and having to do the damn things over again. I figured better safe than sorry, if it even matters at all.

And yeah, those headrests ALL have the cloth glued to the foam. I cut it off of both of mine with an Exacto, and that was the hardest part of the entire project (getting the headrest covers on right).

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

I went with the hog rings because I didn't want to cheap out and go zip tie and risk them failing in the future. Its my first time doing this so i figured I would just go with the recommendation of the guys at leatherseats.com.

On a side note, I put a screw driver almost completely through my finger at work the other day and its been painful so I haven't been able to work on the car. Waiting for it to heal a bit before I continue. Since I'm sitting around waiting I ordered myself a christmas present for the car, got me a Hebi Bebi shift ****. It'll take like 2-3 weeks to arrive so my finger should be all healed by then.

TPete19

iTrader: (15)

There are metal connection points in the cushion foam itself. I just removed and reinstalled leather in my car and used the small zip-tie appoach. Hog rings would have been a pain in the *****. And yes, you can definitely tighten the zip-ties more than any hog ring. They likely won't last as long, but really, the leather will be due for replacement by the time that happens.

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

Has anyone tried using both methods simultaneously. If I start w hog rings and come across a section that doesn't fit as tight as I want it I might try Tightening it down further w zip ties.

beezee

iTrader: (19)

That should work.

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

Well, I have an update. First off, my hands hurt because of this project. But thats ok, hopefully it will be worth it.

today I did the driver side seat. PITA. I actually did it twice, once last night and then again this morning. I went to bed upset at how bad it was looking. The seat cusion came out near factory but the backrest looked like crap. So this morning I redid the backrest. After finishing it up there are still some wrinkles and loose spots that I'm not too happy with. I know the manufacturer says that after a few months and time in the sun that the leather will tighten but my car is in the garage all the time and its winter here so I can't even sit it in the drive way. I hope it does tighten. What I did was i purchased some 5/8" foam and used that to add a little where I had noticed the loose spots were. i then used a heat gun to try and accelerate the shrinking process.

For those interested, i used hog rings on the seat cushion piece, fairly easy to work with. I used a combination of hog rings and zip ties on the back rest. I guess one of the biggest issues with this install is the lack of proper documentation/instructions.

Anyway, here are the pics of the driver side seat. I'll do the passenger side next week. Let me know what you think so far.

pxzel

iTrader: (1)

Looks better than expected! I think after time, these should tighten up. Also, they actually might be more comfortable with the added foam cushioning. Thanks for sharing!

Waiz

iTrader: (57)

That looks pretty good OP!

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

Thanks guys. I'm real happy with the way the bottom cushion came out. Its the backrest thats bugging me. The center piece like where your back would touch the seat seems a bit loose to me. For some reason there are no horizontal anchor points on the seat so I was only able to tighten down the vertical lines of the cover and not the horizontal ones. I think that would of made a big difference. If it doesn't tighten up over time it's going to bug me.

Esser

iTrader: (2)

Before you put your seats back in the car, just set them out in the driveway for a day in the sun. They will tighten up substantially.

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

I could do that but it's winter now and like 30 degrees out all the time. Not sure if they would shrink in the cold.

Jamin401

Nice! I like it.

beezee

iTrader: (19)

looks really good

SR71

iTrader: (1)

Most upholstery shops use a steamer to tighten everything up, just get a hand held steamer like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TOBI-WRI...item416fc950f6

ntwillie1

iTrader: (3)

Update -

Got both seats upholstered and installed back into the car. Still have to do the shift boot. My Hebi Bebi Shift **** came in yesterday but I wasn't home to accept the fedex so I'll have to wait til Monday to pick it up. Guess i'll complete my install next weekend.

I do have one outstanding issue. For some reason the Airbag light just keeps blinking and it doesn't go away. I tried resetting the battery and that didn't help. I found a youtube video on how to reset the airbag light so I will try that next. It will suck to have to go back and try to figure out what this is so I hope resetting will be a simple fix.

On to the photos and keeping my fingers crossed for some shrinkage, yeah, I actually want shrinkage, lol...