The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors interior upholstery update

Hi guys and gals,I have a 53 3100 and want to try and redo the seats . There are a number of makes that are available but I would like some feedback on quality and ease of installation from any members that have been through the process. Also special tools that I might need for upholstery work.
Thanks charles
I got no replies so I went to a shop and now I will have both the seat and back upholstered with a material that I picked out for $150. Less than I could have payed on line and I know what I am getting. Lesson: try your local craftsmen first and if you can't find what you need then buy on line.

Good to know!

I belive Denny had a post on the problems with fitting a seat kit.
I went the same route as you and had a local shop reupholster mine.
Cleon

Yep, I'd let DunRite do it next time! However, Hampton Coach seems to have a pretty good rep but a little pricy.
Denny G

Same here,I just had mine done local for $125.It's much better than I could have done and it cost less than buying the cover.

WOW. last year when I did my seats I contacted all 6 upholstery shops locally. The cheapest place was 389$ and the most expensive was 495$. That was just plain vinyl, not the Madrid grain as original. I ordered the whole kit from Jim Carter. It was kind of spendy, but everything was included. It fit like a glove, looks great, and wasn't as bad to install as I thought it would be.

I bought a leather Cadillac Escalade 2nd row seat with an arm rest ( I really like an arm rest so I can lean over as I pass through the "Hood") Bought it on Ebay for $350.00. No shipping because the Ebayer is in Dallas. It bolts down with 4 corner bolts.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2153207390099708909vsKOGt

My 84 Suburban, third passenger seat, cost me $260 up here in North Texas. Pleated and black vinyl.
I agree Charles, don't forget to look local. The guy was good, timely, I knew his capabilties, I saw other work he had done, I could monitor progress. He actually contacted me when he started on it so I could come and watch the process. I sit and watched and asked questions, and listend to his explainations and a few stories. It was actually fun. These are things I weigh into the final cost as well. I was refreshed to see good local customer relations in the process.
Cavebull

Yep, mine also fit like a glove, like a Simpson glove that is! It was so tight going on that I thought I was going to bust the seams open and then there were the bulges at the corners that were impossable to get out with out resewing the cover. But I regress; we've already been through that with pictures and all!
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Charles,

I asked a local shop how much to redo my seat and he said between $270-350 depending on how much foam was needed. Even on the low end he's $120 more expensive than your quote. Did you have to have any foam added to your seats? I'm also willing to go with a very basic but good quality material, nothing exotic. Any suggestions on how to get a good price like you got?

Thanks,
Spot

Just curious if you've installed it yet and does it fit well? How hard a install was it and could a novice like myself do it? $350 is a great price for a seat like that....beats reupholstering an original.

Thanks,
Spot

The price for Upholstery can very for a lot of reasons.

If you need foam work or foam replacement that will raise the price. It can really get expensive if you need spring or frame work. The grade of vinyl is a big one as well. You can get vinyl’s from $7 a yard up to $60 and that’s not including the exotic vinyls. Cloth Fabric has big price range as well as Quality. For Vinyl I would suggest Naugahyde its alittle more expensive on the front side but will last longer than the cheaper vinyls.

Another reason is the detail in the seat itself (Straight Back, Channel, Tufted and so on). The general rule of thumb is, the more sewing there is the more expensive it is. Then there’s Quality and Workload of the Upholstery Shop. You can also save yourself some money by takeing the seat out yourself. If they have to remove and Install the seat there will be additional labor charges. I would say 175-350 would not be unreasonable. Upholsterers do not make a lot of profit on basic recovers. It’s the custom jobs where they make their money.

As far as putting on a pre made cover… They should be a little bit tight. Use heat guns and steamers for stretching vinyl for installation. This is also how you get rid of minor wrinkles. If you decide to use a heat gun BE VERY CAREFULL!! You will melt the vinyl before you know it. I suggest that you take a heat gun and an extra piece of vinyl to get a fill for it. Steamers are pretty expensive and work better on cloth fabrics. You can also put the cover under heat lamps for 15-20 minutes to warm up the vinyl, just dont get the lamps to close or you could melt or scortch the vinyl. I hold no responsibility for melting the cover or your hands. Use at your Own Risk.

Im sorry this was so long and hard on the eyes im not that geat at makeing posts.

Some great suggestions and I appreciate it. I'm taking out my seat this weekend and plan to take it to another local upholsterer here in San Antonio to have recovered. Decided it wasn't worth my frustration trying to put a vinyl cover on it myself. This shop estimated the cost to recover at about $250, and I'm pleased with that. I saw some seats they did and concluded that they do great work.

Thanks,

Spot

I’m sure you will be much happier with a professionally Upholstered seat rather than slipcover.

wow, those are good prices.
my bench seat is at the upholstery shop now, but im paying $450.00.
nothing special. i thought the price was fair at the time, but now i dont think so..
just as long as it is what i want..

leonard