My stock seat has been used as a mouse toilet for 30 years......so a rebuild is necessary. I am pretty handy with some easy upholstery....... has anybody rebuilt a stock seat by themselves? I really like the look of the stocker.....and hate to replace it with something updated. Any advice?
Stock seat upholstery ! There is some information on YOUTUBE and if you google here at the forum there must be quite good information on the way how to replace your old upholstery. I did mine at home and this is not a difficult work to do , the result gets pretty good. You dont need any special tools except from the parts that you need to change out . Our host or other truck vendors have most of the parts in stock. Martinius.
Comfort ? There is restricted with space for an adult persons legs if your body lenght is more then 180 cm. The back rest and seat of the bench together are to much in an rightup position wich does`nt give the best of comfort but i`ll find it exceptable. I have the gasolin tank mounted behind the back of the seat wich takes to much space really about 7-8 cm. Modern seats or complete benches are available as many of the truck owners here at this forum have done the swap with good results. But there are limited choices having them fit well , you probebly have to customize there frame. Martinius.
Coach, I'm pretty much a desk jockey with some carpenter skills and was able to turn the seat rebuilding into a nice winter project. I had to replace a couple of coil springs that were broken and bought a cover and rebuild kit from our host PLUS I added a new egg crate closed cell mattress foam pad in the seat and back. I think there are a couple photos in my album. The "hog" rings and tool helped a bunch in connecting all the springs together. I had enough of the original clamps to hold the cover to the frame without using the hog rings to secure the cover. I guess much depends on how sound your frame & spring metal is.
Coach, here are a few pictures of my upholstered stock seat. The guy attached thin plywood around the perimiter of the fram in order to staple the cover to instead of hog ringing to the springs.
DANG!!! THAT IS NICE!!! Did you put anything under that rubber floor mat? Your interior is looking fantastic! Thanks for posting the pictures.
Beautifull upholstery work This really some nice seat you have here. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Martinius.
This is what was under the rubber mat. This is what is now under the rubber mat. That was earlier this year.
Coralhead, great idea about the plywood. What a pain it was, and is, to hammer those little clips around the perimeter of the upholstery and seat frame! Also make sure that you don't have any broken seat frame springs! They make for an uncomfortable ride!
Look at some of the old threads of Spika's build dealing with his seats, in fact his threads Also are a Very good guide to fixing these rides of ours.
I did my stock seat in '94 or '95 with an inexpensive pre-sewn seat upholstery kit from LMC Truck. Used hog rings and new foam. I find the ergonomics of the stock seat fine for short trips, but uncomfortable for long hauls. But, overall, happy with the kit as it has lasted for 15 years. Looks as good as the day I put it in. Pete
Stock Seats I have a broken spine & wear a brace 24/7 but I found the stock seat to be fine , once it was properly rebuilt ~ as mentioned , replacing any broken coils is very important and not hard to do , then you MUST cover the bare springs with a sheet of Muslin or Canvas , this gussets the support so your bum always is propery supported ~ most Auto Trimmers skip this step so the seat feels soft when first you sit , in an hour , your back and under thighs will be killing you . If you need to use foam , use only black foam , that's the hardest there is and can be found cheaply in non Automtive Upholstery Supply Shops , I know a good one in West Los Angeles if anyone needs it , I just did my truck and Metropolitan bench seats and they're terrific for long drives . In my '49 , I found the use of a lumbar pillow helpful after a long & hard day working in the Desert , for the ride home . Lots of folks narrow modern Passenger Car seats to suit , then you'll gain a center armrest or whatnot .
Thanks Nate. At this point I am pretty set on rebuilding the stocker. I want to retain the stock lines and look.
Reading Ol chebby's comments about the Mexican blanket seat cover reminded me about when I bought my truck this year. The PO wanted to keep the Mexican blanket covering the seat. Of all of the things to keep during a sell.
