This is loose guide to give one the basics of my leather seat cover install. It is not intended to be a step 1 through x.
The seat covers are manufactured by Alea Leather of Dearborn, MI. I located these from a wholesale supplier in Austin who is doing a little retail trial on CraigsList. The covers were $570, shipped and took 3 days to arrive. They are ‘Ebony’ by their color name. Perforated center panels are available, but I chose solid due to past experience with crud in perforated seats that occasionally see a little mud.
The process took seven hours and is very repetitive. If you bore easily or are prone to A.D.D. this project is not for you.
To avoid confusion and provide a quick sense of accomplishment, work one seat at a time.
Caution: The seat pans are stamped steel and the edges are VERY sharp. Leather gloves are in order for free bleeders.
We’ll start in the rear since they are the easiest.
Rear Bottom:
Remove the seat bottom by removing the two bolts with the red thumb knobs.
Remove the existing cover by compressing the inverted base and lifting the molded seam off the seat pan.
Peel the cover back as far as it will easily go and locate the rigid wires that bind the cover seams to the seat cushion. These wires, called ‘listing wires’, are in each cover and are bound to a matching wire that is imbedded into the foam cushion.
They are bound in place by ‘hog rings’. Each bottom has at least three of these pairs. The backs have many more, as you will see later.
The Hog Rings are pretty tough and there are well over one hundred that you will be cutting so you will need a good pair of cutters. Due to their location lineman pliers fencing pliers and such will not work. 8 inch side cutters got the job done but I wish I had something with more leverage.
Installation of the new leather is just the reverse steps. I chose to use nylon zip ties instead of hog rings for ease and simplicity. Purist installers would call this cheating. I call it taking the easy way out.
Once the listing wires are reattached the cover alignment is pretty much set. Just don’t force or pull in a sideways direction when attaching the molded track to the seat pan. Pay attention to any pulling or twisting of the cover edge as work your way around the seat pan. Fix any issues as they occur, once attached the binding channel can’t be slipped easily.
Rear back:
Snap the cover off the backs with firm pulling and a trim tool or paint scraper.
Remove the two bolts (14mm) from the hinge.
Remove the plastic panel from the latch area and cut all the hog rings.
Mark the headrest mounts so that you can identify the location and orientation for reassembly. They are directional!
Working from the bottom of the panel (hinge attachment area), lift the cushion away from the pan to expose the headrest mounts.
Press the tabs on each side of the mounts and slip then out the top:
Remove the latch button trim in a similar manner:
Now it gets repetitive, cut the hog rings, remove the listing wires, insert the listing wires in the new leather, tie wrap it all back in place.
The leathers do not have cutouts for the side latches or the headrests. AFTER the new covers are aligned and mostly attached, carefully cut out for the headrest, latch button, and side latch.
The headrest covers were probably the hardest pieces to do. The new covers have one opening at the base with just barely enough opening to get them over the fairly rigid foam. No pictures here. It all my hands and a lot persuasive words to work them into place. The new leathers' color is so close to the original headrest color that one could just skip the new leather for the headrests.
The fronts are a little more difficult since you are dealing with the bottom and back as one unit.
Whether you begin with the base or the back does not matter.
Release the elastic bands from the seat bottom (attached to the white plastic clips). Remove the plastic channel clips from the seat springs.
Locate and snip rings from the rear listing wire.
Remove the plastic trim from both sides of the seats by removing the one Philips screw and unsnapping from the rear first, then sliding the trim piece forward.
The Driver seat elevator handle is attached by two screws accessed by popping out the half moon in handle. The tilt knob is held on the shaft by an ‘E’ clip that is easily removed (once you find it) with needle nose pliers.
The retention channel on the seat pan is a little different on the front seats but very easy to remove by compressing the cushion and ‘flipping’ the connection away from the seat pan lip. This is a pretty clever attaching method. Pay attention to how it works so you can reverse the process.
(Missing photo- will add later)
Remove the plastic tab on the lower edge then repeat the now familiar --cut hog rings, move listing wires, tie-wrap.
Now for the bucket seat backs:
Lift the ‘skirt’ at the lower rear and snip the hog rings:
This will expose the zipper end and a new ‘seam stay’:
These ‘Stays’ are used similar to the metal ‘listing wires’.
Snip the hog rings, careful not to nick the nylon/plastic stays. Unzip the sides and snip the hog rings as you find them.
On the forward side, snip the rings from this end of the stays.
Now, recall how the headrest brackets were attached on rear and apply that knowledge to release them on the front seats. It’s not as easy here and requires working by feel. Mark the direction of the brackets they will only fully seat one way!
If the retainers are not fully seated to allow the tabs to release the headrest shafts will not insert fully. Some persuasion with a hammer may be required to seat the retainers.
Installing the new covers is the same process as before. Place the listing wires and secure. Then attached the edges of the bottom using the reverse ‘flip’ that removed them.
The holes for the side adjustments and headrests must be cut only after you are happy with the leathers’ position.
I do not have the side airbags but the covers are airbag stitched and the required straps are in place. If you are side airbag equipped, disconnecting the battery is recommended.
Armrest covers were a straight-forward remove and replace.
Picture limit hit for posts.
http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e27/artsart/fjseats/
