The seat is done.
As this was my first automotive upholstery project, I really had no idea what all was entailed, or that it would take me as long as it did to complete. Part of that was the fact that I was also doing this as a school project, so most of it was done in class. Looking back on it, it wasn't really all that difficult a job to do. I know this was a simple project, and I have no delusions as to my skills, talent, or ability - I'm still a beginner, and I know that. I do know, however, that I can now move on to other, more complex projects, and have confidence that I can finish them. I also know where to find help if I should need it. Trust me, with a little patience and the right tools, you can do this.
The hardest part of doing this project was the sewing. I had done upholstery before, as I used to upholster dental chairs in a factory, but I had never run a sewing machine before. It's intimidating at first, but it can be mastered. The three most important things are practice, practice, and more practice. Learn how the machine works, how to thread it, how to wind and install the bobbins, and how to change the presser feet and needles. Then just get some scrap materials and sew. Learn to sew straight lines as well as curves. Draw lines on your material and learn how to follow them. While it's difficult at first to sew a straight line, I had more trouble with my corners. It's all about practice. You'll catch on, and you'll see it's actually pretty fun.
Some of the sewing on this seat could probably have been done on a home machine, but not all of it. The thread, vinyl, foam, and cloth are thicker than what a home machine was designed for, and at times I was sewing through several layers of those materials - a lot more than a home machine can handle. My advice is to find a used, industrial, walking-foot machine (preferably one that will reverse for lockstitching,) and learn how to use it. Check the auction sites, garage sales, online stores, and local sewing machine repair shops that specialize in industrial walking-foot machines. Bargains are out there - I've seen several for less than $500.
The big puckers on the driver's side front corner were a result of me rushing things, and not making the proper relief cuts in the vinyl as I sewed the boxing to the insert. Because of that, the vinyl stretched just enough that the corner is actually too big to fit the foam properly. Steam and manipulation has taken a lot of that out, but it's still very obvious that not all is well. Lesson learned - slow down and do it right.
To sum up, I have a total of $160 in the seat, including vinyl, fabric, scrim, thread, consumables (like tailor's chalk, pencils, SEM products and such,) and tools I had to buy to finish it. By comparison, my instructor told me an upholstery shop would have charged between $375 and $500 for the same job, depending on a few variables. I also have about 40 hours of labor in it. I know a pro can do a bench seat like this a LOT faster than I did, and with a LOT fewer man-hours involved, but remember that it was a class project as well as my first project, so I couldn't do it all at once. I was also learning the entire process as I went along, and that would slow ANYONE down. I also know that I won't have to buy those tools again for the next seat, but I included them to give you a rough idea as to what doing something like this would cost should you want to try it yourself. Those tools make up about $30 of the total cost. Obviously, the cost of the sewing machine, school provided supplies, the Seat-a-lator Dan graciously sent to me, and my class tuition isn't included.
I'd like to thank DanTwoLakes - not only for his contribution of the Seat-a-lator, but for all of the long-distance help, guidance, advice, and encouragement he gave me. I'm serious when I say I couldn't have done it without him. Thank you very much, Dan. If there's one thing that you've taught me, it's that I can do this.
Picture 1: Before. This seat was nasty. The cover was stained and torn, the foam inside the pleating on the passenger's side was soaked with oil, the foam under the rip on the driver's side was deteriorated and crumbling, and it just generally gave me the creeps. I had my doubts, and really believed that it might be beyond salvage.
Picture 2: The finished seat, ready to be installed. I'm very pleased that the pleats lined up very well. That was the part I sweated the most. I basically copied the pleating pattern of the original and eliminated the welt, using a Lap Fell (or Topstitch) seam instead. I also changed the color of the plastic parts using SEM products as well as changing the color of the vinyl and fabric. The truck this seat belongs to is the parts donor for my GMC project, which I'm still gathering parts and tools for, so it's not going back in. I was going to sell it, but I'm now going keep it, and make a frame for it to use it as a garage sofa instead - that's why I didn't sew the seatbelt grommets into the cover and install new seatbelts. One has to have a place to sit and cogitate over their next project, and this will do just fine.
Picture 3: Just another shot of the finished project. That big pucker not withstanding, I'm very pleased with the overall appearance of it. Thanks for following along. I hope this will encourage you to give this a try. It's really quite satisfying to look at the finished product and know you can do it yourself. You'll quickly begin to understand why upholstery is so expensive when you see what all is involved. It's a lot more than just a bit of vinyl and some staples.
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