Car Seat Cover & Auto Upholstery Restoration - Mustang Car Seats

21 With the new bun in place, fitment of the new upholstery commences. As shown here, it's first turned inside out to facilitate fitting it over the bun.

22 The listing wire from the old covers is reused in the new ones. Keep track of the wires so they can be installed in the new covers in the same locations as the old ones.

23 Hog rings are used to secure the covers in place. The rings are clamped over the excess cover material and onto the rod in the frame.

24 With the upholstery secured in the center, it's then fitted over the bun at the edges.

25 Upholstery fitment continues at the edges of the seat. It's a tight fit, but you want it that way for a clean appearance and an original look. Once the upholstery is fitted tightly over the bun, a series of hog rings holds the cover in place at the bottom of the frame. The rings go through the cover and around the frame to complete the installation of the cover.

26 Once the upholstery is installed, small holes need to be made in the covers in different places to allow the installation of various components, such as the seat tracks. These holes, carefully punctured with the end of a pair of scissors, are for the seat tracks.

27 The seat tracks are reusable but still need some attention. They are first cleaned by removing surface rust with a wire-brush wheel on a bench-mounted motor.

28 After thoroughly cleaning the tracks, they are treated to a fresh coat of flat-black paint.

29 After time to dry, the seat tracks are reinstalled on the seat bottom using the original hardware, which is also cleaned with solvent and the brush wheel. Note also the original factory spacer between the tracks and seat-bottom frame.

30 Once the tracks are installed, they're treated to a little lithium grease, which will make them work like new once again.

31 Rejoining the rebuilt seat bottom and seatback means we're almost done with the restoration of one seat. Although we don't detail the seatback, the reupholstery is basically the same as the bottom. Re-covering the rear-seat bottom and rear-seat back are also similar, though somewhat easier since the back seat in most Mustangs is used little and therefore the frames are usually in much better condition.

32 The original Torx-head hardware is used to rejoin the seatback and bottom. From here, the seat is completed by reinstalling the plastic trim pieces that cover the hinges, as well as a few other small items.