Bench Seat Reupholstery For 1973-1987 Chevy C10's - Skin It Yourself

Because the foam's original shape had been severely distorted with a topper pad, it was necessary to use steam. The steam softens the foam, and the steam heat transfers into the seat cover allowing it to stretch considerably.

To get the foam back towards its original pre-molded form, Calin used an air-grinder to reshape it.

Reshaping the foam is best left to an experienced professional. At the first sign of non-original foam its best to buy new foam, also available from Brothers. The seatback was pulled down evenly topped with Visqueen at the corners preventing friction between the seat cover and foam.

To help fit the seat covers into place Calin slapped the seat with his palm as he pulled the cover down.

Using the hog ring pliers included with Brothers seat cover kit, Calin demonstrated proper use. The hog ring was loaded into the jaws of the pliers and compressed to the point shown.

Next, using the sharp ends of the hog ring to pierce the material while rocking the ring front-to-rear until it was in place enough to join the material with the attachment point and be fully compressed.

The unsightly linear bulge above the bead is caused by the flap on the inside of the seat cover known as salvage.

If this occurs the salvage needs to be flipped below the bead by bunching the cover and moving it to the bottom.

Notice in this picture with the salvage placed at the bottom the seat cover has a much nicer appearance.

Provided one has ordered the right seat covers, and the foam seat cushions haven't been altered there's a good chance anyone can do a clean job. Special thanks go to Calin and Sam Head for saving the day.